Back Your Strengths: You Are Brilliant

To illustrate, I’m going to share some of my story.

I came from an Irish family, was educated in Birmingham (UK) and never wanted for much — now I believe it is my responsibility to recognise how lucky I am to have the opportunities I’ve had, and make the most out of them. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to come from a two-parent, supportive household, be educated well and play lots of sport — so I’ve had a greater opportunity than most to explore my different interests and abilities and find something that I believe is both my passion and my purpose in life.

You could stand back and say ‘I’m lucky’ — but I’ve worked pretty hard to find out what I’m good at, and what I’m absolutely rubbish at too! I can’t remember at any point in education, going beyond the skills and talking with teachers, or other students about who we were as people, who we admired, what we aspired to become. We were all far too busy trying to pass the next test, and get a good grade. Never were we encouraged to develop our self-awareness, with the result being that a lot of people I’ve met are doing jobs they don’t like and aren’t close to fulfilling their potential.

Selfishly, my ego and I have always held the belief that I could trigger a positive impact in people’s lives, which is why I am so attracted to coaching and strategy. I learned through sport, that I could help people see things clearly, to understand themselves, to understand their contexts, to make better decisions under pressure and surprising even to me, to help them become better people — the people that they ultimately want to become.

It was through sport, and particularly through coaching that I was able to get out of a dark place following the sudden death of my dad 10 years ago. A friend needed help with a sports team, knew I wasn’t up to much (other than gambling too much, drinking too heavily and generally being an a**hole) and asked me to get involved. Little did I know, that I’d fall in love with it and go on the journey I have. Over that time, I have coached international athletes, mentored and tutored international coaches, won some trophies as a player and a coach, built fantastic relationships, and coached people in managerial roles or running businesses. By no means have I gotten everything right. In many cases I have over-stepped the mark, and sometimes communicated or behaved in ways that haven’t had the desired result. But each and every time I have tried to learn and improve.

When I allow myself the time to reflect, it’s brilliant to be able to look back on all of that and know that I’ve impacted positively on many people’s lives, and helped steer some away from the ‘dark places’ I visited briefly.

What I have been able to find is my true purpose, and through this, understand my strengths. I’ve no problem speaking in front of people, saying what I think, or motivating others — but really, my greatest strength lies in seeing the potential in people, sometimes when they can’t see it themselves, and guiding, facilitating and inspiring them to be bold enough to chase and fulfil their dreams. This is either collectively as a team, and understanding what the group of people are capable of delivering, or with an individual who needs support, a sounding board and sometimes brutal honesty to help them progress.

It has been incredibly liberating and enjoyable for me to have found something that I love to do, and something that I am brilliant at. To also have the opportunity to create an income from it is the icing on the cake.

Understanding and finding your purpose and then accepting your strengths as much as your weaknesses is hugely comforting and powerful. It is easier to find flow and be productive; to fit into a team environment, and far easier to contribute effectively to a group or organisation.