Be a Champion of Brilliance
Brilliance: exceptional talent or intelligence
I truly believe every human being on the planet has an area of brilliance – an area of exceptional talent or intelligence. And I believe it’s MY job, my responsibility, to help champion brilliance in myself and others.
The reason I believe this so strongly is because I spent much of my life struggling with low self-esteem. I battled feeling less-than, feeling like I’d never be successful or be good at anything. While I knew this was a lie [at least in my head] it took many years to believe, really believe, I had an area of brilliance to offer the world. And while I still struggle with fully believing I will make a difference in the world, I know I’ve made an impact and I know I will continue to do so.
And knowing my area of brilliance doesn’t mean I’m cocky or that I think ‘I’m all that’. It means I’m honest. Seeing my own brilliance doesn’t make me self-centered, it actually makes me more humble and more able to see brilliance in others.
So how do we identify our area of brilliance? For some of you it’s a no-brainer – you’ve known ‘it’ your entire life. If this you my guess is you’re rocking your brilliance in the world. But if you’ve always known your area of brilliance and have been showing up in the world brilliantly for some time now – you may need to pause. Pausing from time to time to check in with ourselves is a good idea.
Are you still using your brilliance to its fullest?
Do you need to re-energize it?
Has your brilliance shifted or begun to develop in other areas?
And are you seeing and encouraging brilliance in others?
For some of you your area of brilliance may be like turtle-like. It pops out for a moment but then gets scared and pulls back inside. If this is you begin to pay attention to what happens when you feel in the ‘zone’, when you feel your best. Pay attention to what it feels like when you’re letting your brilliance shine. And then recruit some people you trust to help you come out of your shell more often – eventually transitioning to not needing the shell.
Or you may be one of those who thinks the world passed you by when it handed out brilliance. IT DID NOT. You have an area of brilliance – you might just be too close to it to see it. Or you might just need someone to help you figure it out. Ask yourself some questions
What do you love?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do others ask you to do?
What do other people say you are good at?
No matter where you are on your journey with brilliance – keep going. BE a CHAMPION OF BRILLIANCE in yourselves and other. Encourage it in others, build it in yourself and go make a BIG difference in the world!
Tips for Championing Brilliance In Others:
Take interest. Ask questions. Be curious about who they are and what they do. Key in on areas where they ‘light’ up.
Find out what they need. Find out where their stumbling blocks are. Ask what would need to happen in order for them to step fully into their area of ‘brilliance’. And if they don’t know what their area is – ask them what they have done to date to try to figure it out.
Ask if you can help. Asking what you can do to help someone show up more brilliant in the world can be the first step.
Hold them accountable [if they give you permission]. Holding up a mirror and holding someone accountable for how they are showing up in the world can make all the difference.
Celebrate their victories. Make a point to acknowledge and celebrate the successes of people you want to champion.
Be a role model. Model the behavior. Show up humbly brilliant and share how it feels, how you do it and what your struggles are.
Keep growing yourself. The more you grow, they more you have to give.
Michelle Neujahr provides strategic business consulting and coaching services to organizations and individuals who are serious about growing their businesses. She challenges clients to renovate their mindset, their revenue generating strategies and their passion for their work. Michelle challenges and inspires purposeful growth. Clients hire Michelle for help with strategic planning, leadership development, marketing and managing change and/or growth.
In addition to owning The Business Renovation Company, Michelle owned a seven-figure, Minnesota-based renovation firm for ten years, spent time in the corporate world as Director of Sales & Marketing and is the author of ‘Hey Girlfriend, Live Passionately Real’. Michelle currently also serves as the director of the Entrepreneurial Center at Southern Maine Community College, where teaches entrepreneurship and works with student business owners to build a stronger entrepreneurial community.
Michelle has a BA in from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of Southern Maine. She’s passionate about helping people and businesses GROW.
