Selfies on the bridge

Hey, it’s Raf here.

I have been travelling recently and found myself taking a cheeky selfie on a beautiful bridge called Lusitiania Bridge in Merida, Spain. It’s imposing, modern bridge stretching over the beautiful river. (Photo: Luis Javier Gala Orgaz - Flickr: Puente Lusitania https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)

On my way to the place we are staying in, I checked my LinkedIn feed and saw a post from a fellow coach. He is promoting his event, his community, his product launch…. in his big, loud, extrovert style. And I felt these butterflies in my stomach, and the immediate question ‘am I doing something wrong?’ followed quickly by ‘maybe I am not as good as he is?’

I did exactly what I coach people not to do. Compared myself. Have you ever done that?

I sometimes do and end up feeling less of myself. Not the best place to be.

And then I walked a bit, visiting old part of the town, and ruminated a bit and then the selfie I had taken earlier and the image of the bridge helped me have my little epiphany moment.

Our life often feels like this bridge. It can be wobbly. It can be scary. And yet it can also be fascinating and amazing. As a coach, mentor, supervisor, human, partner…. your very own bridge may seem similar to mine, but I bet it is very different. It is unique.

So I thought I am going to learn to embrace this concept every day, when I coach, when I mentor, supervise, teach….. When I AM. Even though it may sound philosophical, I truly believe it may help me, and hopefully all of us walk our path via this bridge with confidence and intention. And not compare ourselves with others.

I know few other coaches who shared with me their challenges around comparison. I mentor few people who often compare themselves and it is not helping them.

And I hope this can be a good starting point in my conversation with you - our partners, students, alumnis, participants, coaches….. how do you feel about comparison? What helps you and what would you like to share with others?

If you feel like talking about this, join our meetups and / or come to one of our regular free workshops and let’s talk!

I truly hope your personal bridge is as empowering as it can be.

Much love,

R

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