The Diminisher Part 3: Cultivating self-advocacy

Even though we want more from our life and our business, subconsciously we can repel it and that holds us back from self-advocacy and truly believing in our success and reaching our potential.

In week 3 of this week's blog series we’ll be exploring the importance of self-advocacy in your personal and business life. What to do if you’re not communicating your values and setting healthy boundaries. Lastly, we’ll look at how to build your confidence and self-esteem to turn your self-doubt into sales and create greater impact.

Ready to dive in?

Self-advocacy: Personal and business life

Self-advocacy is a powerful tool to support you in communicating your needs, sharing your values and expressing your opinion without fear of punishment or shame. When you advocate for your success and potential in both your personal and professional life you’ll notice subtle shifts over time. 

You’ll become more confident, take different actions and dream bigger. All because you are not tolerating anything less than you deserve, in all areas of your life.

Personal life: Self-advocacy helps in setting healthy boundaries, expressing your needs in relationships, and ensuring your voice is heard in family and business settings.

Business life: It enables you to showcase your achievements, negotiate better terms, and take control of the direction of your business and the kind of clients you want to work with.

Communicating your value and setting healthy boundaries

Many people struggle with effectively communicating their value and setting boundaries. This is important in business. Otherwise you’ll attract clients that will ask for refunds or will want to end their contract early.

Here are some strategies to advocate for your values and boundaries…

Identify your unique value: Make a list of your skills, achievements, and unique qualities. Understanding your worth is the first step in communicating it to others

Practise assertive communication: Use "I" statements to express your needs and opinions clearly and respectfully. For example, "I believe my experience in project management would be valuable for this new initiative."

Learn to say ‘no’: Setting boundaries often involves saying ‘no’ to requests that don't align with your goals or values. Remember ‘no’ is a full sentence.

Seek Feedback: Regularly ask for constructive feedback from colleagues and clients. Use it as an opportunity to improve the value you offer your clients as a tool for growth.

Turning self-doubt into sales

Self-doubt is the roadblock to creating more sales and impact in your heart-centred business. Especially if you're diminishing yourself instead of advocating for your success.

When you catch yourself in self-doubt, pause and ask, "What would my best self say instead?". This simple practice helps shift your perspective and builds a more positive internal dialogue, essential for overcoming The Diminisher.

I also like to ask the question 'how does it get better than this?' to expand my energy field into one of possibilities. Because there are always opportunities in the obstacles.

But that's not all. Acknowledging and embracing your unique value is the key to self-advocacy. Identify your strengths and how they benefit your clients. This clarity helps you communicate your worth with genuine enthusiasm, turning self-doubt into compelling sales pitches. It also helps you shine the spotlight on how amazing you are.

Advocating for your success

I’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections on the role of The Diminisher in your life. Are you advocating for your success and where are you diminishing your capabilities? Just drop me an email at suzie@suzieflynn.com and let me know where you sit and what lightbulb moments you had from this blog.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and stay tuned for the second in this four part blog series, where we will look at embracing and celebrating your success.