Powerful Questions Podcast: How close is the person you are today from the person you want to be?

For this podcast episode, I have invited Diana Toscano to share her powerful question with you. Diana is a wife, a mom, an HR professional and a personal development coach. She comes from Portugal and has been living in Germany for the past 4 and a half years.

Diana has a background in Psychology, but has been working in the HR IT field for the past 5 years at a multinational company, though this is not where her passion lies. She has founded her coaching business in January 2020. Her mission: understanding people and helping them to achieve their version of success toward a fulfilling and purposeful life. You can reach out to Diana on https://www.dianatoscano.com/.

The powerful question Diana offers to the listeners is: How close is the person you are today from the person you want to be?

In the podcast, we talk about self-acceptance. About how important it is to embrace fully who we are with all parts of ourselves (the good, the bad and the ugly), in order to be our authentic selves.

Some strategies from Diana to work on your self-acceptance:

"Be compassionate and kind: There is a saying “You are your worst critic”. You are the one judging yourself harshly, including when you are judging or feel judged by others. Cultivate self-compassion by leaving judgment aside and creating space to acknowledge your emotions and thoughts, without letting them overpower you. You need to be patient with yourself and accept your flaws. Write a letter of encouragement to yourself, take care of yourself through exercise, a balanced diet and a good night sleep, be mindful of the present."

"Believe in yourself: You are unique and talented. Acknowledge your strengths and skills, how they reflect in your accomplishments and successes, even – and especially – during challenging times. Let your confidence Self shine through your strong and powerful being. Write down a list of your top 5 strengths, ask your closest friends and family what they appreciate most about you, surround yourself with people who support you and bring a positive influence into your life."

"Stay positive: This is a tough one, I know. Mostly because we tend to give more attention and power to our negative experiences and thoughts than to the positive aspects of our life. It is something you can practice on a daily basis though. Whenever your chatterbox gets louder and before your inner critic goes into autopilot, try to change your inner script. Practice your positive self-talk, listen to positive affirmations, write a list of things you are grateful for."

"Forgive yourself: Maybe you are a master when it comes to forgiving others, and if not, now is a good time to start. Forgive others for what they have said or made you feel, even when they do not realize. Forgive yourself for your mistakes, your flaws, for things you feel you are responsible for, even when you are not. Forgive yourself whenever you have derailed from your path and had to start over, or when things do not change as quickly as you want them to."

"Embrace your fears: I am sure your fears are all well justified. You have had bad past experiences and you come with a heavy baggage. Meaning that you are afraid, mostly afraid of the unknown and unfamiliar. When you face your fears, you are stepping out of your comfort zone, which is scary – I completely get you! – though also liberating. Do not let your fears stop you from going to places, meeting new people, diving into adventures, falling in love. Do a list of things you are afraid of and think of different ways to deal with these fears. Ask yourself what would you do, or say or go if fear were not in your way."