Are You Taking Yourself Seriously Enough?

Most of my work is with leaders—Fortune 500 executives, scrappy founders, and the people who make businesses actually run. Inevitably, we talk about taking yourself more seriously. Not the stiff, humorless kind. I mean the way you choose to show up to your life, your work, and your responsibilities.

Leaders often believe they’re judged on how well they manage others. The truth? We’re all being judged (and rewarded) by how well we manage ourselves.

The Mirror Principle

There’s a spiritual law at the core of this: the world mirrors you back to you.
How you love yourself teaches others how to love you.
How you respect yourself sets the ceiling on the respect you receive.

That truth alone could be today’s message, but let’s bring it to where it matters most—how you are showing up for you.

Your First Responsibility

Whether you run a company, contribute to one, or run a household, your first responsibility is to your own oxygen mask. Especially if you’re the one who always cares for others first.

So let’s test your self-leadership where it counts—your everyday behavior.

• How’s your health—truly?
• Are you sleeping on a consistent schedule?
• Do you overindulge (food, scrolling, substances, excuses)?
• Are you on time—consistently?
• Do you do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it?

The 10-Minute Drill (from my immersions)

During team trainings I’ll call a break: “Ten minutes. Be back in your seats at exactly 10:40.”
At 10:40, half the room is still chatting at the coffee urn, a few drift in from a smoke, and there’s always a last-second bathroom dash.

When everyone finally settles—five to ten minutes late—I share the lesson:

• How you do one thing is how you do everything.
• If you’re late here, you’re late elsewhere.
• If you didn’t check the time at the start of the break, you couldn’t honor the time at the end.
• If you were seated but didn’t bring your colleagues back, you’re not naturally leading.
• If you strolled in on your own beat, there’s likely a self-respect or standards gap.

No one escapes that mirror. And that’s the point. Accountability lands differently when it’s objective and immediate.

What Happens Next

On the very next break the room transforms.
Leaders set reminders. Self-disciplined teammates start timers. Colleagues call each other in. People are seated before the restart. The standard rises—fast—because behavior, not intention, set it.

Case Study: The Promotion That “Wouldn’t Happen”

A leader came to me after five years of being passed over for promotion. Her company only promotes once a year; she set the goal to make the next window. We began with one theme: take yourself more seriously.

We audited her behaviors, not her résumé. She tightened her time integrity, raised her preparation standards, and eliminated her “acceptable” excuses. The result? Her boss noticed outside the promotion cycle, offered personal mentorship, expanded her scope, and the following year she not only earned the promotion—she won the company’s All-Star Award in front of her peers.

Changed perception follows changed behavior. Every time.

Self-Leadership Audit (quick pass/fail)

Score yourself 0–5 on each today:

1. On-time starts (meetings, calls, arrivals)
2. Promises kept (exactly as promised, no sliding)
3. Preparation (show up ready vs. winging it)
4. Energy hygiene (sleep, movement, food, screen discipline)
5. Over-delivery (do you reliably exceed expectations?)
6. Peer leadership (do you call people in to the standard?)

Low scores aren’t a character flaw—they’re a to-do list.

This Week’s Challenge

• Pick one behavior to tighten by 10%. Not perfection—precision.
• Set visible proof. Calendar alarms, public commitments, or a team timer.
• Lead out loud. Remind the room of restart times. Bring people with you.
• Track the ripple. Notice how respect, responsiveness, and opportunities change when your standards do.

A Final Word

If you’re not getting the outcomes you want in life or work, look first at how you’re showing up to yourself. Every action advocates for you—or against you—before you say a word.

Reflection prompt:

If someone watched you on mute for a week, what would they conclude about your standards, your self-respect, and your leadership?

With love and light,
Rudi

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