I like to think of the workplace as an active learning ground where everyday there is a new lesson about interacting with people and how best to deal with it all. The experiences help you become a more balanced team player and unless you see it in that perspective you will always think people are scheming against you or trying to pull you down.So every now and then, become your own personal human resource manager by evaluating your relevance. Ask yourself questions; is my attitude at work sabotaging my potential? Am I bringing the best version of myself to work? Am I a pleasant person to work with? Would I hire myself? We can go on at length, but basically it is all about a fair evaluation of yourself.

Let us do a small exercise. List 100 things you like about yourself. You will be surprised how easy it is to identify your weaknesses but if I asked you to list hundred positive things about you, it can become complicated. Is this because most of the time when we do self-analysis, we focus on the areas that need improvement and feel we can do better.

State of Mind

Charles F. Glassman says, ‘Believing in negative thoughts is the single greatest obstruction to success’. Please note that the word is ‘believe’. The notion that we constantly need to focus on our weaknesses in order to better ourselves is reasonable, but without the right balance you will slowly become unappreciative of yourself. Increasingly, you cannot find anything positive about yourself. This emerging state of you mind can lead to depression and your productivity will definitely suffer.

Comparison

Constant comparisons with friends and colleagues, often reinforces your insecurities. The logic is simple: you cannot present your best self if you are constantly trying to be everyone else.Social comparison theory states that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others they perceive as somehow faring better or worse. The same theory pushes the line that these evaluations can also promote judgmental, biased, and overly competitive or superior attitudes. So watch out!

The Balance

In a nutshell it is important to define your purpose and how you intend to achieve it. You need to come up with a system that will allow you to be accountable to yourself and consequently ensure that you are always your best self. But above all, as you move on, remember to take note of every experience because life is a journey and at the end of it you need to be accountable to yourself but also leave a notable legacy behind.