Be the Best You

As a thank you for a fireside chat I did earlier this year, I was gifted a wonderful mug with an inspiring statement on it, "Melissa, No one is you and that is your superpower."  Guess which mug is my favorite right now!  I write a variation of this statement in my journal each day to remind myself that I just need to be the best me.

It's so easy to focus on what we don't see ourselves doing well or as well as someone else.  As they say, "comparison is the thief of joy," and it's true because it instills a level of self-doubt in ourselves that is unnecessary.  Our job really is to just be the best version of ourselves because that's where we make the impact.

I was at a conference earlier this week listening to amazing speakers talking about their insights on AI and the future of work, but also about mental health and the impacts on the workplace.  The celebrities who shared their stories were all clear that they struggled with different mental health challenges, often questioning if they were good enough to do what they were trying to do.  They shared that they became successful in spite of those challenges but also that, until they faced them, they were fighting against their own success.

As leaders, we're challenged daily to lead through uncertainty, to solve problems we've never seen before, to build teams that need to do extraordinary things while we face whatever personal challenges that are in front of us.  In many cases, we are holding ourselves to a bar of perfection that is just unrealistic.  We're not just trying to be the best us, but also trying to be a super-hero.

Being a super-hero may be a great for a one-time save the day, but it's not a sustainable way to lead yourself or others.  Putting our energy into being the best version of ourselves every day needs to be enough.

It's time to let being the best you be your measure of daily success.  You are the only you…and that is your superpower.  Bring more you to your days and success will come.