If you could see what I can see then you would see someone amazing. As a coach, I am privileged to observe folks at their most vulnerable, when they’re feeling lost and uncertain. I see people at rock bottom and at the top of their game, many believing they’re not worthy (for similar reasons believe it or not?!) But I also get to see them at times of great change.
It’s not just professionally I get these front row seats to people changing their life. I notice it as a mum, sister, a friend and all the other hats I wear. The topic of this blog came to me as I heard my daughter saying to herself “I can do this” as she was attempting something for the nth time. Once she was done she thanked me for helping her.
The credit belongs to you
It made me think of all the times people have come to me and kindly said thank you and I’ve said in response “you’re welcome but you really did all the work”. It reminded me of the speech from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech in the front of Brené Brown’s book Daring Greatly:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
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Invisible strengths
So don’t know if you need to hear this today, but if you do then let me share some of the strengths I notice in my clients, my friends and my family:
- The courage it takes to ask for help
- Determination to keep going
- The vulnerability required to face your fears
- The strength you’ve shown for such a long time
- The resilience you grow each time you learn from the things that don’t work out
- A passion that drives you forward
- Creativity to try new things
I notice how even though you fall down, you dust yourself off and you go again even if you can’t see them. If I could give you a gift it would be the ability to see your strengths and to celebrate your successes rather than worrying about what else you could/should be doing.