Self confidence, and understanding self worth are one of the biggest opportunities among people (personal opinion). I see this for the following reasons. Throughout my life both personally, and professionally I’ve witnessed so many hidden gems. The hidden gems are those that have such unlimited potential, but they have zero clue. As a leader, it can be difficult to work with these individuals. Why? Because you want to shake the potential out of them! They don’t see it. That’s a leaders job though. I see this more and more, and in a way it makes me sad because a lot of these folks lack the self confidence, and knowing their true value.

‘Professional Troublemaker‘, by Luvvie Ajayi Jones really helps you look into what your potential gaps are as a human. The title may at first make you think it’s about causing issues, and creating static within the work force- NO! It IS about being your true authentic self. Taking the good, and sometimes the bad. Acknowledging it, and moving forward, while polishing the rough edges. It’s truly about understanding how unique you are, and how truly the sky is the limit when you remove the barriers (ie: self doubt), and surround yourself with others that want you to succeed.

How you spend your time, and with whom are critical in our every day lives. You heard the term ‘cancers’. Cancers are those that are toxic. They suck the energy from everything, and everyone. They dim your light in order to make theirs shine. They can never truly be happy for others, and things always feel like a competition. It’s not healthy, so why put yourself through that. This is just a tiny piece within the book. Here is what I love the most about this book, and others I’ve read. You’ll hear me repeat it often too. It doesn’t matter how many new routines you implement, or how many times you say that ‘today is going to be a great day’. You’re still going to have days that suck. You’re still going to have days where you feel run down, where you feel nervous, or depressed. That’s called being human. You’ll never escape that. What helps is having reminders to check yourself. These reminders refocus you on how much you’ve accomplished so far, and what you still have left to accomplish.

Something else I loved about this book is the importance of being direct, and saying what you mean- truth telling. Sometimes it’s scary, and uncomfortable. In many instances it’s necessary. An example that’s used is how we look to our friends for truth, and honesty. If a friend cannot be honest with you, or always just tells you what you want to hear- they’re not a true definition of a friend. There tends to be a void in meaningful connection. This is also important in other arenas, not just among friends. Say what’s on your mind (empathetically, and professionally of course), and ask for what you want. Like I always say as well, the worst that can happen is getting a ‘NO’.

Fear is our biggest adversary. It will never go away, but according to Luvvie it gets easier to rise above it over time. Looking back on the moments of my life that gave me the biggest momentum was when I didn’t listen to the fear. Whether it was something simple as joining a gym when I had zero knowledge of how to use weights, taking an assignment within my organization that most failed at, or moving to a new city far from support systems for a role I didn’t know much about. It’s uncomfortable, and scary. However, getting uncomfortable will propel you as long as you put in effort. Getting uncomfortable, but doing nothing to push yourself to be better will transpire to nothing as well.