Gaining Self-Respect

It’s Halloween, so let’s talk about something real scary – The Bogeyman. To be more specific – Your Bogeyman – otherwise known as – facing your problems head on.

Here’s what I see. With life’s problems, most people think they can’t do anything about them.

The word ‘problem’ in itself is the problem here.

What I mean by that, is that everything in life is exactly what you think it is. Until you start to think differently.

You hate work, you blame your boss, or a certain colleague. You hate your weight, but you’ve tried dieting before and it didn’t work. You hate paying bills, but you don’t know how to make any more money. So, what do you do?

The Power Is In Your Hands

The truth of the matter is – you have the power. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t you are right. When it comes to facing ‘problems’ and changing your life it all comes down to believing that you can.

Once you believe you can – then there is a simple process you can follow to turn things around.

Seven Easy Steps

The first step is recognition. What is going wrong in your life? Where are you right now, and how did you end up there?

Explore the problem (don’t ignore it). Whatever ‘it’ may be, nothing lasts forever, and it won’t always be this bad or feel this way. Indeed, you can change how you think about it in an instant.

The next step is to STOP. Stop thinking about this as an unsolvable problem and ask yourself a different, empowering question like, ‘How can I (solve this, stop this, change this).

Now you need to look for possibilities. There may be multiple possible solutions. If it’s work related, do you need a different job altogether, or are you trying for a different position.

Perhaps it’s time to have that conversation with your boss or with HR. Perhaps it is time to do some training and acquire a new skill.

If it is a personal challenge, who can help you? Research possible solutions and decide which one might work best for you. If it is weight loss, do you need a diet, an exercise plan, a group program, or a 1-2-1, a nutritionist or a hypnotist? Perhaps you need a coach, maybe just an accountability buddy.

Ready, Set…Go!

Then it’s time for execution. You’ve made your plan, discovered what you need to do, and it’s time to start getting it done!

For extra support, you need cheerleaders – people who will encourage you with your goals, and want you to succeed. Be very careful with this – as not everyone will have the time or inclination to support you, but it’s important to surround yourself with those who want it just as much as you do.

And then there’s the final step – tools. What do you need to complete your goal? How can you ensure you stay focused? You may need to set a time goal, or to write it down. You may need software to support you, or access to training, or to buy equipment.

The Acronym

Did you figure it out? Recognise, explore, stop, possibility, execute, cheerleaders and tools – RESPECT. Because when you learn to solve your problems, it means you care about yourself, enough to take your life into your own hands and fix what you’re unhappy with.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that when you’re dissatisfied, no one is going to change that for you. You can sit there and wait miserably – as I did for many years – or you can take action (which I also ended up doing eventually!).

So, this Halloween, do something brave and face your problems. And once you’ve worked hard – watch the respect come pouring in – from yourself and others. The results speak for themselves.

Cheryl xx

P. S? – If you liked this article and want to read more surrounding female empowerment, you can find last week’s blog here: ‘Public Speakers are Unique, and So are YOU!‘

“I’m on a global mission to help 10 million disheartened souls, who are at a crossroads, to STOP asking why me? And START saying why not me!”