5 Step Blueprint for Building Self Worth

5 Step Blueprint for Building Self Worth
 5 Step Blueprint for Building Self Worth as a Mechanic
 
In order to build self-worth as a mechanic you have to know how to recognize a few things:
•          Where you have been?
•          Where you are?
•          Where are you going?
 
Let me take this time to share my abbreviated answers.
•          Where you have been - Owned 5 repair shops, Snap-on Tech Rep, Owner Diagnostic    Training Company, National Training Manager Big O Tires/ Grease Monkey International.
•          Where you are – Improving the lives of mechanics
•          Where do you want to be – die at my desk doing what I love most, helping an industry that although at times was tough it was never a job because it has always been my passion.
 
Receiving this blueprint states that you have already evaluated a couple of these areas and have some questions, or you would not have reached out to us at Mechanic Alliance.
First off let me take a moment to thank you for taking interest in bettering yourself along with the auto repair industry.
 
Self-worth is an internal state. It’s a state that is somewhat timeless and unchanging because it’s a direct measure of how you value and regard yourself in spite of what your owner, mechanics around you or customers may say or do. It’s, therefore, something that doesn’t quickly or easily change when external factors or circumstances change.
 
To have a high level of self-worth means having a favorable opinion of yourself. As a mechanic in the industry, you have to have that opinion of yourself, or you would not come into an industry that requires you to spend tens of thousands of dollars of tools just to carve out a living for yourself and family. It means having unshakable faith in your skills and the knowledge of yourself and your ability to follow through and get things done for the shop owner and the customer.
 
You deserve happiness, health, wealth, success, and love — irrespective of the difficulties you face, the disappointments you experience, from an owner or a fellow mechanic or the opinions of others. In a word, you should be unflinching.
 
Self-worth is steady and unflinching, and therefore, holds power to radically transform your life for the better.
 
At mechanicalliance.com we aren’t worried about you gaining the knowledge of a lab scope pattern our understanding the test procedures of an EV, we know just like us you will figure that out. What we are here to help with is the backroom finances, retirement, insurance discounts etc and help you build your self-worth. It is time to quit letting others push your face in the dirt.
 
STEP 1 – Understanding 
 
Your first step involves getting to know yourself at a deeper and more profound level.
Imagine for a moment that everything you had was suddenly taken away. I mean literally everything including your tools, your toolbox, your car, career, money, relationships, friendships, accomplishments, and anything else that is physical and tangible. Ask yourself:
 
  • What if everything I have was suddenly taken away from me?
  • What if all I had left was just myself?
  • How would that make me feel?
  • What would I actually have that would be of value?
 This is a scenario that many mechanics probably never really take the time to imagine. It’s interesting because how you feel about yourself after everything has been taken away is essentially the measure of your self-worth. As a mechanic your self-worth to take things apart that are electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical and yet put them back together without a diaphragm in itself is a worthy trait.  
 
If you have a high level of self-worth, then having everything taken away from you won’t change who you are as a person. Being able to hear a misfire or knowing what the problem is on a car repair even before you open the hood is a talent not all people possess. Never let anyone shake your self-confidence because you just don’t measure your value upon external circumstances. Your value comes from within.
 
This is why it’s absolutely critical to actually take the time to think long and hard about that last question and answer it with genuine honesty:
 
  • What would I actually have left that would be of value?
  • The deeper you dig into this question, the more you will unearth within yourself that you do have actual value.
  • You must, however, seriously take the time to ponder this question. The more you ponder, the more you will find, and that’s essentially where real self-worth is derived from. It comes from understanding that…
 No matter what happens externally and no matter what’s taken away from me, I’m not affected internally. My knowledge, determination, skills, and desire cannot be squelched.
And that’s essentially what matters most when it comes to building your self-worth.
Let’s now dig even deeper into your true value by posing another set of questions that will help unlock how you see yourself with no masks or inhibitions. Ask yourself:
  • Who am I? I am… I am not…
  • How am I?
  • How am I in the world?
  • How do others see me?
  • How do others speak about me?
  • What key life moments define who I am today?
  • What brings me the most passion, fulfillment, and joy?
 Who you are and how you see yourself are keys to understanding your true value. How others see you and how they speak about you, is also, of course, important. But this isn’t so much about them but rather about how you feel about yourself as a result of how others see or speak about you. That is, of course, another measure of your self-worth. As I have gotten older, I have realized it doesn’t matter much to me how others feel about me in the workplace. I even don’t have issues with a consumer looking over my shoulder outside the shop if I’m doing a diagnosis on their car. I look at this as a great opportunity to educate them about my self-worth and what I do. Likewise, I always ask them how much they might think I have invested in my trade.
 
There are key life moments that bring you the most joy, passion, and fulfillment. These are the things that help you unlock the value you bring to the world. I ask consumers all the time what their passion is. Most cannot answer that. Yet if I ask a mechanic what his passion is most of the time I get “I love working on cars.” This process involves being genuinely real with yourself.
 
Given this, let’s be real for a moment and take a look at your weaknesses and struggles. Ask yourself:
 
  • Where do I struggle most?
  • Where do I need to improve?
  • What fears often hold me back?
  • What habitual emotions hurt me?
  • What mistakes do I tend to make?
  • Where do I tend to consistently let myself down?
 Let’s get real and accept the fact that we’re only human, and as a human being, we all have our weaknesses and face our own personal struggles. As such, we must be real and honest with our assessment of ourselves. There was a day that electrical scared me to death. One day I dove in by opening my own diagnostic repair shop and figuring it out. Did I get my nose bloody, for sure, did I learn more about my value, absolutely.
 
Only in this way will you be able to build a high degree of self-worth over time. And only in this way will you get the depth of understanding you need about yourself to move forward through this process.
 
And since we’re being honest, let’s take a look at your strengths. Ask yourself:
 
  • What abilities do I have?
  • What am I really good at?
Your strengths are the things that help build your self-confidence. We have all had that vehicle that ate our lunch for days. How did you feel when you finally conquered it? This is the feeling that allows you to move forward with greater self-assurance. However, true strengths are only strengths by your own measure. If you walk away feeling beat up on that car you lose your self-worth. That should never happen as the next time that same issues come in you will be the conqueror so make sure you get paid for it.
 
If you’re relying on other people to tell you whether or not you’re good at something, then that’s not a true strength that comes from a sense of personal power.
 
In the future, these people could very well change their minds. Then abruptly your strength turns into an afterthought. However, this doesn’t need to be the case if you truly believe in your own personal value. That’s what counts, and that’s essentially what truly matters when it comes to building your self-worth.
 
STEP 2 – Acceptance 
 
By now, you probably have a pretty clear picture of your current level of self-worth. You presumably also understand how you see yourself within the world around you as a mechanic.
There will, of course, be good things, neutral things, and things that you might not be too proud to admit. However, to build genuine self-worth, we must be real and authentic with ourselves at all times. This requires wholeheartedly acknowledging your true nature including the good, the bad, and the ugly.
 
Yes, you’re not perfect. Yes, you have flaws, you’ve made mistakes and failed miserably time and again. However, this is you. This is the true you. It’s who you are.
Forgive yourself for everything you’ve done in the past and accept yourself unconditionally without judgment or excuses.
 
This is you. This is who you are. Accept that by acknowledging that…
 
  • I accept the good, the bad and the ugly.
  • I fully accept every part of myself including my flaws, fears, behaviors, and qualities I might not be too proud of.
  • This is how I am, and I am at peace with that.
  • Fully accepting yourself in spite of all your flaws, weaknesses, and limitations is absolutely critical for developing a high level of self-worth.
  • This is you no one can take it away from you unless you let them, SO DON’T LET THEM. Embrace who you are fully and wholeheartedly. Embrace the fact that you will no longer allow outside forces to define you. Only in this way will you finally let go of everything that’s been holding you back all these years.
STEP 3 – Love who you are
 
Having fully accepted yourself, it’s now time to acknowledge your true value. To do this, it’s important to begin practicing a little self-love. Which basically means treating yourself with kindness, tolerance, generosity, and compassion.
 
Yes, you have flaws. Yes, you have so many limitations and weaknesses, but we all do. That’s part of being human. It’s time to let all that go and instead practice being compassionate with yourself.
 
Compassion, of course, comes through self-love, which comes from self-acceptance, which stems from self-understanding. Ironically these are the steps we went through as we moved through this process.
 
One simple method to begin practicing self-love is to get into the habit of speaking to yourself in a positive and supportive way:
 
  • I feel valued as a mechanic…
  • I love myself wholeheartedly…
  • I am a worthy and capable person of preforming the jobs put in front of me…
  • Talking to yourself in this way brings your focus and attention to the beauty hidden within you.
 You’re no longer looking at outside circumstances or people for approval or acknowledgment. You’re instead searching for that approval within yourself. And that’s one of the biggest steps you can take toward building your self-worth.
 
At mechanicalliance.com we provide a FREE Consult to get to know you and help you with where you are and where you want to be.
 
STEP 4 – Influences/Recognition 
 
When you have self-understanding. When you have fully accepted yourself. And when you reach a stage where you practice self-love and self-compassion, that’s when people, events, and circumstances no longer define you. You instead begin to define yourself.
 
Given this, it’s helpful to openly acknowledge and recognize that you no longer need to please other people. Let me assure you that no one can offend you unless you let them offend you.   You have the knowledge and skills and are the best in your field no matter what an owner, service writer or fellow mechanic or consumer states.
 
Other people have their own opinions, and they have their own life. You also have your own life and your own opinions. And no matter what people do or say and irrespective of what happens outside of you, you alone control your own perspective and attitude.
 
When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense.
 
However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.
 
You, therefore, hold the power to respond to events and circumstances of your life based on your internal sources, resources, and on your resourcefulness, which are all a reflection of your true value.
 
It’s, therefore, important to recognize your true value regardless of your earnings, career, possessions, social rank, relationship status, etc.
 
Your true value is no longer measured by these things. It rather comes from an internal measure that you’ve set for yourself. And that’s where true personal power comes from.
 
STEP 5 – Responsible 
 
The final step in this process involves taking full responsibility for your life, for your circumstances, and for your problems.
 
Now, of course, it’s worth mentioning that I’m not saying that you should be a martyr. What I’m saying is to take full responsibility for everything that happens to you without giving away your personal power.
 
To take responsibility means to acknowledge that you have the personal power to change and influence the events and circumstances of your life. You have the power to obtain a raise, find a new shop that appreciates you or start your own business. It’s all up to you. That being stated learn from your mistakes and move on, don’t harbor them build upon them.
 
CONCLUSION
 
When you have a high level of self-worth, you’re no longer relying on other people to make decisions for you. You alone hold yourself accountable, and you alone hold the power to make positive changes in your life.
There is no more complaining, blaming, judgment, or excuses. You now hold the power. You hold this power because you fully trust yourself and trust your ability to make decisions that put you in the driver’s seat of your life. No owner, service writer, fellow mechanic or consumer can drag you down.
 
No longer are you swayed by the changing winds. You’re rather steady and self-assured. You understand who you are, you accept yourself completely, love yourself completely, and recognize that you’re the captain of your own ship. No matter what storms are brewing outside and in spite of the rumors of mutiny, you’re focused and able to stay the course. You make adjustments on the fly, and you steer your ship in your desired direction.
 
You’re not rattled or phased by external circumstances. Yes, the outside world is a crazy mess. However, your inner world is as steady as ever. That’s what makes all the difference. It’s what eventually brings your ship back to the safety of the harbor. It’s all because you took the time to build your self-worth.
 
Join us at https://www.mechanicalliance.com where we will help you make the move forward in your career. You are not alone.
 
You were born to succeed; we are here to deliver for you.
Marvin Ray
mray@mechanicalliance.com