Becoming your own biggest champion.

What makes a champion? There are many ways someone can become a champion. Typically, it’s someone who has defeated opponents, risen above oppressors or defended a cause or value until their death. A champion uses every ounce of their being to reach their full potential and allow nothing to come between where they are now and where they want to be. There’s a lot to be said for champions, and so many causes worth championing, but the biggest and most rewarding thing you can champion is probably the last one that you consider as worthy…

It’s you.

I write this knowing full well that there is a stigma against being your own biggest champion. But I want to know why. Is it arrogant? Is it vain? Is it repelling? I don’t think so. Yes, there’s an ugliness associated with someone who is big-headed, inconsiderate, self-centred and callous. But there is a huge difference between owning your confidence and being obnoxious, and it’s you who gets to call it. I’m not here to tell you how to manage your own personality traits, but instead to tell you how I’m learning to become my own biggest champion because it is one of the healthiest and rewarding things I can do, and I want you to realise that you deserve to head your own team too.

What is there to gain? Literally as soon as you start to champion yourself, you’ll start to feel the rewards. You’ll gain confidence in your actions and a clarity on why you are doing them. You’ll begin to recognise the achievements you are making, big or small, and will gain a sense of pride and self-belief as you continue to make them. As soon as you start to champion yourself, you’ll gain the courage to stand up for what you believe in. You’ll find the voice that used to falter when you introduced yourself or wanted to make a statement that other people may doubt. You’ll gain the courage to be true to yourself and the values you have, and what happens when you’re true to yourself? You realise that you a valuable human with valuable assets and you deserve to be courageous in whatever passions you pursue. Being your own biggest champion will make you worthy, and more importantly, it will make you realise that you are.

Do you have a personal goal or a vision for your future self? You might not have a step-by-step plan to achieve it, but every step is one that must be taken by you, and you are the one who needs the courage to do it. Its only you who will suffer if the steps aren’t taken, so it’s up to you to step up and support yourself in whichever direction you are aiming to go. Career-wise or personal, when you set a goal you do so with the intention to reach it. When you champion yourself, your goal becomes so much more achievable, if not surmountable, because your energies and your self-power is maximised. You can step up to the challenge, and you deserve to cheerlead yourself right through it.

Why am I learning to be my own biggest champion? Because I need to be. Nobody else will champion me the way I need to be championed, nobody else will be there for me every time I need it, and because nobody else can understand why I need championing right now. The people who surround you or form your social circle can never know exactly what you’re going through, where you’re going to, and how you’re going to get there. It’s only you who has the answers or the true intention in finding them. Yes, reach out to your support network WHENEVER you need to, but remember that the greatest power is within you, and becoming your own biggest champion will make that power incontestable.

Why become your own biggest champion? Because you can’t always trust those who say they are. There are many people who say they wish you every success, but few who will show up whilst you do the dirty work. They’ll show up when your success is being celebrated, they’ll clap when applause is being made. But until that point, there are very few who will encourage you, who will push you and who will celebrate you day in and day out. That’s no reason to disregard any of your friends or family at all – they are precious! But nothing and nobody will be able to champion you as consecutively and as competently as you. Celebration from others is beneficial, but celebration from yourself is brilliant.

Right now, I am learning to become my own biggest champion because my future needs me to be. I need to champion me to power me, to motivate me, to build my confidence so that I continue to work day in and day out and to never let rejection weigh me down. I need to be my own biggest champion because I’m the one who lives with me every second of every day and I’m the one who will suffer if I don’t feel supported or engaged, not my clients or my friends. Some days, I need to be my own biggest champion just to get through the day. But I do it, and it’s because of me that I do – an action worthy of championing entirely. I am my own biggest champion because it empowers me, it’s the quickest source of support for me, and one that I can rely on ALWAYS.

But championing yourself is not just a method of self-empowerment. When others see your confidence, they’ll respect it, they’ll encourage it, and they’ll replicate it for themselves. They’ll realise that, as individuals, we do have the power to command our lives and to commend who we are and the values we live by. Championing yourself benefits you, but it emanates and is absorbed by those who witness it. It’s hard to champion yourself every day, but the changes it makes for you and those around you is worthwhile.

Why champion yourself? Well, why not? You are carving your career, you are living your life, you are making the changes and impacting the future with every action. If you don’t champion yourself when doing all of this then I don’t know what deserves championing...

Being a champion is commendable, and having the commitment required is respected. So, commit to yourself, commend yourself. Don’t shy away from your own power, don’t let self-doubt dampen your drive…

You have the power, you have the passion, you are a champion.

Let me know what makes you feel like a champion, how you're going to champion yourself and what steps you're taking to do so! Or reach out for some support if you need it.

AE.

@amieelwhite

elizabethandwhite.contact@gmail.com