Why is so easy to focus on what we lack or don’t have or can’t do, yet manage to overlook all the positive elements we have and can offer to others??!

We see possibilities in others, but do we ever dream of the possibilities within ourselves?  ~Unknown

Diane spent several minutes beating herself up for not knowing how to set up a pivot table in Excel. She repeatedly compared herself to a colleague who could “whip up a pivot table in his sleep.”

“Does your job require that you prepare Excel pivot tables? ” I asked.

“Not really.”

“Is preparing pivot tables part of your colleague’s job duties?”

“Absolutely.  He’s our compensation director and does lots of analysis.”

“Does your colleague have your ability to craft compelling marketing messages?”

“No way,” she chuckled.  “He can hardly write an understandable email message!”

What Diane wasn’t seeing was her own fabulocity factor:  the unique abilities she brought to the table. 

I frequently miss seeing my fabulocity, others tell me they do the same thing. Too many of us go through life being too hard on ourselves, thinking or feeling that we’ve fallen short. That we aren’t perfect or enough of something.

While it’s often true that there are things we could do better, it’s equally true that each one of us brings our own special gifts and talents that we should honor and appreciate more.

Positive self-esteem is the immune system of the spirit, helping an individual face life problems and bounce back from adversity. ~Nathaniel Branden

Too often we don’t inventory our special gifts and talents because we consider ourselves just ordinary. So rather than begin the new year with a resolution—something that you want to start or stop doing—begin your year with a quick inventory of the special talents and gifts that you already have and will continue doing.

Remind yourself of your fabulocity. Make a list of your unique abilities. When you’re feeling inadequate, reread it. Feel good about what’s on that list.

Be mindful of what you have and can do.

Mindfulness means noticing new things and drawing new conclusions. It doesn’t matter whether what you notice is smart or silly because the process of actively drawing new distinctions produces that feeling of engagement we all seek. It’s much more available than you realize: all you need to do is actually notice new things. More than 30 years of research has shown that mindfulness is figuratively and literally enlivening. ~Ellen Langer, professor of psychology and author  

Being mindful of your fabulocity* isn’t bragging–it’s acknowledging and recognizing that you are enough. You are special.

What say you?

*Kudos to my dear friend, Taide Alvarez, who’s full of fabulocity, who invented this fabulous word and for letting me use it!

Image source before quote:  morgueFile.com