Critical thinking questions are the heart and soul of the mental toughness process. These emotionless, objective reality, logic-based questions are designed to fuel the introspective process. In this post, taped in front of the world-famous Sydney Opera House, I ask the mother of all critical thinking questions. This is a question every great performer should be asking him or herself on a regular basis. Watch this short post and I’ll look forward to your comments. Steve Siebold (2:48 )
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I suppose the way to know our limits at a given time is to challenge them.
When I’ve sold myself short I haven’t given myself credit for my skills and ability and what I’m capable of doing. When I’ve done all I can do I know it at the end of the day – and I also know when I haven’t.
These are self confrontational questions we should ask ourselves every day if we care about these things and want to live our lives accomplishing things to the fullest until the end.
Thoughts?
Mike
Any short inclusive definitions:
Selling one’s self short is_______________________________________
Doing all one can is__________________________________________
Mike
Unless you’re holding onto a “hamster in the wheel” way of thinking you can neither sell yourself short nor do all you can.
I never thought about it like that, Leo – thanks. That awareness and with it the knowledge that you are “doing all you can” defines a completeness that excludes and has no room for seeling one short.
Does that imply that “doing all you can” can be known existentially as all you can is what you are doing? Is there an existential argument that one can’t know one’s doing all one can, that there’s also an existential unknown there.
Thoughts?
MIke
Mike Michelozzi: From an existential point of view one can only compete with oneself. As long as you are doing all you can, you should be very satisfied. I entirely agree with you.
No I’m not selling myself short. I’m doing the things I want to do and doing them with full attention and to the best of my ability. I don’t blame myself for things I don’t do when I have no reason to either do them now or know about them.
I can’t imagine not caring about what I do or whether or not I’m selling myself short or doing all I can. You meet the day, follow through with your plans, and move on into the next.
Thoughts?
MIke
Steve,
The second question really drives it home. Do I care? If I do (I do) then what am I going to do about it. Reminds me that I am the only one responsible for my life and the results. Which reminds me, there is no fairer way to gauge something than by results. Often harsh, consistently fair.
Tom
A lot of people are doing very well, however, they might STILL be selling themselves short. I think a lot of people don’t realize they ARE selling themselves short. As long as I’m alive, I think I’ll always be selling myself short as long as I’m not furthering myself spiritually, emotionally, etc.
Steve,
of course we sell oourselves short. Very few people have any idea what they are capable of. Just look at war heros of the past. If they had not been in these incredible tense life and death situations, they would not have been able to perform their heroics. One facet of this is often overlooked: If you just try to achieve for YOURSELF you will seldom rerach your full potential. The best way to overcome your fears and doubts and to put your best effort forward is to have goals bigger than yourself. Maybe you want to better support your family (one of the best motivators of all), you want to genuinely help your employer or even change the nation (look at Washington, Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Reagan), that’s when you will grow to heights, you maybe never thought your are capable of.
Positive thinking AND positive action with a positive plan will get you whereou want to be. And yes, amazingly, when you think positive and are determined to reach your goal, there will be many (ofetn surprising) helping hands to further your aims.
Mike Jacobi
Dear Steve,
I did sell myself short. I read your book more than 70 pages
already. I learned and get going after What I wanted to achieve.
I understood what you means very well. Sell yourself “SHORT”!
We have to use what we learned and Apply It Prompty.
I want to take this Opportunity to really THANK YOU written this
FANTASTIC and Practical Book. I did gained a lot with my projects.
Keep up with the GOOD PRODUCTIONS!!!! JANNIE KOKKINAKIS
Steve, thanks for your insight. I know without a doubt I’m quite capable of more. I’ve had good success with my current career, but I’m burning up to be CEO of my own business. I haven’t made the effort however, to figure out how to make the transition from employee to business owner. I think part of the problem is fear of loss/failure. I fear losing what I have in posessions and status to make a major career shift.
Sure, I do that. When I sell myself short, It’s nearly always some situation where my confidence is not what it needs to be to move forward. If I can keep emotion out of the equation (hardest part of all for me) and If I’m really passionate about getting ahead in some new area of business, or in a challenging leisure pursuit – I can gear my whole life – my self-talk , my studies, and the people I consult, to help me reach my goals. And it works most of the time. When it fails, it turns out to be a field I was interested in trying, but probably wasn’t meant for me. And that’s OK! There’s still plenty for me to do and to look forward to in areas where I can excel.
These are rather early morning musings. Does this make sense?
We all sell ourself short, and I am no exception. I do care. That is why I incorporated my business, to help myself and others to grow personally. Thanks for everyone’s encouragement and inspiration to keep moving forward to the goal/dream of self employment.
Denise Fowble, The Tailored Speaker
yes, am falling short of selling myself…and i am concerned about the same. What can i do?? I think its high time when i should put myself in a school-time calendar schedule where we had minimum hrs to reach/process maximum…and today the need is the same but require the same little focus that we use to put in solving 10 mathematics questions is say not more than 20 mins…TIME is everything…one should know how to play with it.
I don’t know if I’m selling myself short, but I’m also not where I want to be or where I think I should be. I’m going to keep learning and growing.