I am remarkable. Say those words out loud – I am remarkable. 

How does it make you feel? Do you feel empowered? Or do you feel awkward and a bit like a fraud? 

Imagine being in an environment with people you barely know and saying five reasons why you are remarkable out loud. *Immediately panics* Terrifying, right? Fun fact: I did it.

Google’s #IAmRemarkable Workshop

A few weeks ago, I took part in Google’s “#IamRemarkable” workshop through my company with a few other co-workers virtually over webcam. When I heard about the workshop originally, I was intrigued and decided to sign up. It wasn’t required and I didn’t really know what to expect, but I like to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. So, I figured, ‘why not?’

I learned at the beginning of the meeting that the workshop aims to empower both women and underrepresented groups. It’s meant to encourage us to speak openly about our accomplishments and unique contributions to the workplace and life in general. Its main goal is to not only challenge the perception of self-promotion, but also improve self-promotion among women specifically.

Women & Self-Promotion

It makes you wonder, why did Google create this workshop? And I can tell you, the answer lies in the research, especially for women in tech. While men are socialized to be strong and confident, we are made to be modest. We’re expected to be selfless and advocate for others, but not ourselves. 

When we do advocate for ourselves, not only do most of us feel uncomfortable, it’s been proven that often times, we get backlash for doing it too! Unreal, right?! That, coupled with the fear of judgment, ultimately leads us to shut down the self-promotion we know deep down we should be doing. 

That modesty and uncomfortable feeling we get can lead to us denying or downplaying credit for our successes. This is detrimental, especially in the workplace, because if we’re not advocating for ourselves, there’s a good possibility no one is. And that ultimately can mean less opportunities, less promotions and less raises. 

The #IAmRemarkable workshop taught me that this negativity around self-promotion needs to stop: 

• We need to stop succumbing to our fears and speak up for ourselves. 
• We need to stop judging other women and cheer them on (and mean it) when they share their accomplishments. 
• And we need to stop glazing over how remarkable and bad ass we actually are.

You in? If the thought of self-promotion makes you cringe, read this post.

I Am Remarkable

So – to put me out of my comfort zone a bit further, I’m sharing the five things I said out loud during the workshop as to what I believe makes me remarkable:

1. I work full-time, but also have a side business.
2. I am a giver at heart and love giving back to the community (like spending my time volunteering on Tuesdays after work). 
3. I’m a go-getter and strive to always hit the goals I set for myself.
4. I use my platform for good and to share knowledge and encourage women in their careers. 
5. I plan to infuse my passion for writing and helping women into my first book that I hope to publish next year.

Let me just say, it’s much easier typing those words up than saying them out loud. I found I went through them very quickly because I didn’t want the attention on me and I just wanted to get it over with. I took that as a learning and made a mental note to improve that for the next time I’m in a situation where I’m sharing accomplishments or things I’m proud of. 

Overall, I’m thankful I had the opportunity to learn more and be a part of the #IAmRemarkable workshop. I believe every single woman should take it, which is why I took another leap and signed up as a facilitator! Once I get trained, I’ll be able to share this workshop directly with my community to remind women why we deserve more and why we are worthy. Thank you, Google, for being at the forefront and teaching us this message. 

To learn more about the #IamRemarkable workshop, you can head to the website and join the LinkedIn group to find out about attending a workshop yourself!

Kelly

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, career coach, speaker and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. She also works full-time in technology as a Senior Employee Engagement Manager at Salesforce and has over 12 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, Chicago Tribune, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, and SheFactor. She’s fueled by black coffee, sunshine, a good ink pen, and a bold lip.