Who Believes In YOU?

 Julie loves what she does. She’s worked hard in her career and is looking to “move up” this year. When she expressed her aspirations to some of her friends, they told her to “be realistic,” and they said that she might need more experience in her current role before she is likely to advance.  

When she discussed her career path with her current boss, he also encouraged her to “sit tight” for a while and get a little more comfortable in her current role.

You can imagine how Julie felt after the discouraging comments from her friends and boss. Probably diminished, unmotivated, and disengaged. 

The thing is, maybe Julie WASN’T ready for a new position, but in order to get excited about a challenge, a little support and encouragement is KEY.   

Imagine if someone, just one person, BELIEVED in her and told her so? 

While Julie may very well succeed in getting a promotion whether or not her colleagues, friends, family, and boss encourage her, she will be FAR MORE likely to achieve her goal if they demonstrate their confidence in her. 

When we receive words of encouragement and are surrounded by positive, uplifting individuals, dopamine (the happy hormone) is released in our brains. It turns out, according to research done by UCONN and Vanderbilt, that people with lower levels of dopamine in their brains are LESS LIKELY to put in the hard work it takes in order to achieve a goal. 

Source: http://blog.idonethis.com/the-science-of-motivation-your-brain-on-dopamine/

We’ve all experienced this, right? 

When we set out to embark on a new journey, achieve a bigger goal, or totally transform a part of our lives, we benefit greatly from the energy we get from others in the form of their encouragement and belief. 

However when we receive negative feedback from our tribe, and we set out toward our new goal feeling isolated, we typically “fall off the wagon” and don’t achieve as much or the journey takes much longer.  

Before the New Year, I encourage you to find YOUR TRIBE of folks who can cheer you on!

Look for supportive friends, a mentor, or a coach who will call you to be a better version of yourself and will provide encouragement when the road gets tough.

I promise it will make all the difference as you strive to be a better version of YOU in 2020!

About the Author: Claire Laughlin is a highly regarded training expert who has dedicated her career to studying and improving patterns of communication in organizations. Claire works across various industries, coaching individuals and creating large-scale, global-reaching training programs designed to uplift and support excellence across functions and cultural divides. Claire shares her expertise by offering training solutions for all levels of professional development.

Photo by Azzedine Rouichi on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/photos/oSbuS1q2Mw8)