What Can You Count On When You Don't Know What To Do?

Mark called me up about four months ago and said he was in trouble. 48 years old and in his field of work for four and a half years, he was not happy and not achieving the success he desired.

His specific profession is not important because when it comes right down to it, even when you work for someone else you are your own "business." You are hired for what you can do and it is a competitive world. Mark only gets paid for what he produces so it's important to him to produce. At the time, his confidence was low. Previous lack of success made him doubt his abilities and his self-esteem was dragging on the ground.

It does not matter what your job or business is; there is always competition and Charles Darwin's theory proves it's survival of the fittest. In Mark's case, he was not feeling fit and it was coming down to survival...could he make it? For a while it was questionable.

Where do you turn when you don't know what to do or how to be successful? Mark knew he had it inside, that ability to compete and succeed. Somewhere along the way, he had lost touch with the magic and power of his own strengths. Self-doubt appeared to be the only constant and every time doubt arose, it pulled the plug out of his effort. He could be easily distracted from his tasks at hand. Does this sound familiar?

This is not a new challenge. Self-confidence, self-empowerment, and self-worth all have one thing in common. Self. As early as 350 BC the Oracle of Delphi inscribed, "Know thyself" on the Greek temple of Apollo. When you are called on to compete in this world, the only thing you can really call upon is what's inside yourself.

Mark started the process of exploring his strengths. He began to identify and acknowledge his wholesome and potent core qualities. He recognized and began to understand the unique contribution he made to his customers, co-workers and his family. Armed with this insight, Mark could now choose to access these inner qualities to keep himself on track.

This kind of exploration is not as difficult as you might think and the rewards are truly worth the effort. Deep self-exploration or soul searching is even easier with a good guide to assist you.

Mark is a walking, talking example of the power of self-awareness. When his understanding of his core qualities and his unique contribution changed, his attitude changed and, imagine that...his business changed. He's back in shape and happy to go head to head with the competition. It's not a matter of survival now; he's happy, he's productive, and he's successful.

To be truly confident and sustain your competitive edge, it is helpful to know yourself and the resources you have at your fingertips. In business, as in life, highly successful individuals, teams, and companies know their attributes, their skills and competencies. They know specifically whom to call so the right job is done by the right person.

When you work from your strengths, you are generally happier and more productive. You can consciously call on your unique internal resources whenever you need them.

What you can count on is inside of you. Your own natural nstrengths, characteristics and abilities. Make the effort to get to know them by name and then don't hesitate to call on them anytime, especially when you don't know what to do.nn?1999, Robert Knowlton, Options Success Coaching and Trainingnnn