Get To Work At Being You

Have you ever felt like being you was not enough? As a leader, this feeling can be debilitating.

Every day, we are inundated with messages and images designed to influence our decisions, to mold us into a better you, a better me. Sure, those proddings can benefit us. But they can also steer us off course. We can get so bogged down with trying to be who the world thinks we should be that we lose sight of who we were created to be.

Am I an extrovert? Do I possess the right amount of conscientiousness to be an effective leader? Do I need to make some changes in how I’m wired?

Once you start down that rabbit hole it can be tough finding your way back.

When was the last time you heard someone say: “Hey, just be you. That’s what we want. And it’s more than good enough”?

I’m not talking about a harsh individualism that promotes the self above everything and everyone else with little care or regard. I’m talking about celebrating the uniqueness of one another.

My dad was himself. Plain and simple. He put hard work behind his idea and stuck to his principles. Are there ways we can better ourselves as leaders? Sure! But in order to improve as leaders we first need to possess an awareness and contentment with how we’re wired. We should curate our self-speak and what influences it.

Pursuing the Inner Ring

So many things can influence us as leaders and as people in general. One of the big influences is the desire to be known, or to be a part of the “in crowd.”

The great writer C.S. Lewis once addressed an audience of college students on this topic. He basically told them we live in a world that pressures us to do what it takes to be in the “in” crowd—he calls it the “inner ring.”

We spin our wheels trying to be something we’re not just to fit in with the cool kids (my paraphrase).

It’s stressful just thinking about doing everything we can to be accepted by those we perceive to have it all together. It can be easy to lose ourselves in the process.

But I love Lewis’s reaction to the constant pursuit of the “inner ring.” He encourages us to keep a low profile, keep our head down, and do our work—the kind of work we are wired to do. He reminds us to surround ourselves with good friends who share our interests, values, and goals (well, I added values and goals!).

Something great happens when we keep at it and enjoy our work all the while surrounding ourselves with good friends and family who love us for who we are. One day we look up from our work and discover that we are the inner ring.

What I mean by that is it’s generally the people going after their dreams and working with abandon, not caring about the pressures from the outside world, who end up with something special--something of which we all want to be a part.

A Million Different Ways

The world will give you a million different ways to be someone else. And that often comes with a price tag. It seems weird that we’d want to “pay” for all the ways out there to be successful when a less expensive option exists: being you.

Of course I’m in favor of bettering ourselves in our leadership roles. We need to constantly learn and grow. But that’s different from giving into the pressure to be someone else so you can achieve a success defined by the world.

There’s no one better at being you than you. And I believe we’ve all been uniquely gifted and wired to be the truest versions of our best selves. Reaching your fullest potential comes from hard work, a commitment to excellence, and remaining true to the person you were created to be.

My advice? Get to work. And do it to the best of your ability. Remember how unique you are and humbly work toward your full potential. If you do that, I believe you’ll find success.

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