Building a Strong Relationship with Yourself: Examining Your Relationship with Yourself

How would you describe your relationship with yourself?

If you view yourself as a separate person, and you are sitting down with yourself to have a cup of coffee, what conversations would you have with yourself? How do you feel when you hang out with yourself? Would you describe your relationship with yourself as healthy?

A healthy relationship with yourself is the type of relationship that invites you to be better and also gives you what you need to be better.

An unhealthy relationship indulges you and lets you off the hook, or one that criticizes you and puts you down when you don’t measure up.

I have a very strong and powerful self-critic who is extremely good at discovering all the things wrong with me. He sits me down and tells me calmly that I can do better. I feel guilty about my self-critic, and I don’t really enjoy spending time with him. My self-critic is unhealthy for me, and I needed someone to balance him out. I need someone to tell me that I will get it one day, providing me with a simpler step toward reaching my goal. I need a coach/cheerleader. Without my coach/cheerleader, I will remain an unhealthy leader, and my self-critic will escape and criticize the work and contribution of my team instead of encouraging them and acknowledging their contribution to the team.

To be a healthier leader, I have to balance my self-critic with a coach/cheerleader, so I am moving forward with care for myself.

Do you enjoy being with yourself? Do you have a healthy relationship with yourself? Do you look forward to spending time with yourself? If not, this is your chance to examine the different parts inside of you. Who is too loud and who is not loud enough? You need to know how you can grow as a leader and how you will support yourself to get there. Become self-aware of your relationship with yourself.