The story you tell yourself may be the most accurate indicator of success.
I used to think there was only one truth,
when what I really thought was true was my perspective.
Your perspective is the story you believe to be true.
Someone else can have a different perspective,
and that can also be true.
Deep stuff, right?!!!
But what does it matter?
When it comes to success, the story you tell yourself
about yourself
(or your perspective of your identity)
is a fundamental component.
For example,
if you believe you are fundamentally a good person,
you may behave in ways you think a good person should behave.
Someone else may think those behaviors are not indicative
of someone who is a good person and, therefore,
believes you are not fundamentally a good person.
What defines a good person can differ from one perspective to another.
You can be seen as a good person AND not as a good person.
Neither of you is wrong. There's more than one truth there.
So which truth matters?
In the short term, the perspective of your manager or team leader
or spouse or parent may seem to matter more.
Ultimately, it's the story you tell yourself,
who you really believe yourself to be,
that determines your long-term success.
Whatever story you feed your brain
is similar to data entry to a supercomputer.
If you tell yourself you're lazy,
your brain believes you,
and you start noticing just how lazy you are.
If you tell yourself you're amazing and deserving of success,
your brain believes you.
and you start noticing just how amazing you are
and making plans to be successful.
If you really believe that you're amazing,
no amount of failure or mistakes
or other people's negative perspectives of you
or challenges the Universe throws at you
are going to matter.
Dr. Nancy Williams is a musician, educator, and leadership & life coach. You can sign up for her inspirational emails here.