So I just learned the most-read blog post on my website this year was the one about being enough.

I find that fascinating and telling.

Because if there’s one theme I see over and over again in coaching sessions with extremely capable, successful, high-achieving adults, it’s this: We spend an extraordinary amount of our lives seeking approval.

We seek it from bosses.
From peers and partners.
And even from strangers on the internet.

We contort ourselves to win approval from people we may not even like or respect. And it makes perfect sense. Approval feels good.  But here’s the catch: When your worth depends on other people’s approval, you outsource your self-respect.

No amount of praise fills the void.

No promotion or pay rise eradicates the anxiety.
No number of achievements quietens the voice of doubt.

The challenging question to ask ourselves is:  do I approve of me?

Carpe Diem.