Compliment - Compete

Today I am attending my first EdCamp. I have to admit I was hesitant about attending but a friend was so kind to sign me up! So here I am at the halfway point of my day and I have already learned something that I feel will change me as a leader and person for the better.  The opening keynote was delivered by the amazing Lavonna Roth. If you have not had a chance to hear her message please follow her on twitter @LaVonnaRoth. She spoke to us about the importance of Igniting our S.H.I.N.E. and how we use our S.H.I.N.E. to make our world better. (http://www.igniteyourshine.com/) She went on to talk about Complimenting vs. Competing. THIS really caught my attention and I felt like she was speaking directly to me with notion of complimenting those for their strengths/successes rather than feeling like I have to compete to be "better than" that person. This is a quality  I have gotten better at this over the years, but I still have my moments, that due to my own insecurities, I find myself going below the line. Moments where I am envious of others for successes, rather than showing gratitude and learning/growing from their successes.

This discussion took me back to the work of Steve Farber and the GTY project (Greater than Yourself). http://www.stevefarber.com/blog/2010/04/21/6-steps-to-greater-than-yourself/
As a result of today, I have recommitted to my GTY project in hopes to change my mindset when those moments of "competing" come to mind. I am hopeful that this is the "right" next step in my journey of professional and personal growth.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still very competitive and always will be. I strive to get better each day, to push myself to #BeELITE in all I do.  However, I hope to strike a better balance in certain situations. To better balance my personal drive to improve over the feeling of having to compete to validate that  "I'm good enough". My ultimate leadership goal is to help others be more successful than they thought they could be.  I feel that the majority of the time I am a servant leader. My actions are humble and servant-oriented. I care for others, I want what is best for others. I believe that if you would ask those that I have had the honor to work with and for, they would say I approach leadership from that servant vantage point. However, this blog is about me doing deep soul searching and being painfully honest about one area of weakness that rears its head at times.

Im not sure if this all makes sense. I also am showing a lot of vulnerability in this post, but I feel for my own growth it was necessary to write it down. I challenge each of you to be reflective and honest with yourself.  Embrace productive discomfort and push yourself to find someone to make your GTY project and use your S.H.I.N.E. to make that person and the world a better place. Thanks LaVonna for your powerful message!

#BeELITE