Who is your #1 advocate?
If the answer isn’t “I am” and 1) you’re not a cult leader 2) you’re not a celebrity heartthrob or 3) you don’t have a publicist, then the next question you have to ask yourself is “why”?
So why?
If you can think of someone else, who has his/her own life, is a better advocate for you than yourself, you’re probably either wrong or suffer from a sense of unworthiness. Advocating for yourself doesn’t mean bragging or acting conceited, it simply means that you believe in your own self-worth enough to speak up when it’s being challenged.
Whether it is asking for a food order to be re-ordered, addressing co-worker issues, or confronting someone who has been mistreating you, at the end of the day, your life is what’s being impacted due to inaction.
Depending on something external to save you ensures that once that person is gone, you’re left vulnerable and lacking any skills to deal with the situation yourself.
Here are 5 tips on how to start being your own best advocate:
- See Something…Say Something – Turning a blind eye to disrespect or inappropriate behavior ensures that it will happen again to you or someone else. Ignoring it will almost guarantee that you’ll have to face it again, and that the anger will bottle up inside of you in an unhealthy way.
- Don’t Back Down – Conviction is key. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? When you have a cause that is important to you, don’t view rejection as the end, but a roadblock that requires you to take a detour. If you think of life as a maze, then you’ll start to realize that there’s always a path to the end goal.
- Professionalism leads to being heard – When we say things, sometimes it isn’t what we are saying that is at issue but how we say it. Your tone and delivery is critical for ensuring what you say is properly heard so it can be addressed the right way.
- You are Not Alone – So many times we feel very alone when dealing with discomfort or distress. However, there are many others who usually relate to the circumstances you are currently facing. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network that can give you the strength you need to take on challenges in life. Remember, they’re there to help you overcome your challenges rather than overcome them for you.
- Social Media is Your Friend – When things go down in the world, we are only a click away on Facebook or Instagram from seeing what is happening. I am not a fan of ranting on social media. But sharing an issue or your perspective on how to solve a personal or societal issue can be healing and help lead to progress.
Life is full of the unexpected and there are many things we don’t have control over. But the one thing we do have control over is ourselves if we learn the skills to do so.
You can make 2017 the year where you say yes to feeling amazing each and every day!
~ Natasha
