There's no use in hiding your talents or your expertise on a subject unless your goal is to be a hoarder of ideas. Every piece of technology you use, clothes you wear and the knowledge you gain from reading an article or book has all been because someone decided to ship and share their thoughts.
Don't rob the world of your gifts. We need you.
For the first time since 2012 I feel that I have a sense of purpose and something to work towards. In the course of these 3 years I’ve failed, succeeded, gave up, tried again, and started from scratch all with the purpose of finding out who the hell I am. This takes practice, spending time alone, writing and saying no to a lot of people. I’ve defined what I want to create in this world and I have to do everything that I can to help those dreams become a reality. I’m no longer distracted from the outside world because I’ve created habits* that keep me focused.
*Disclaimer: this is an ongoing process.
The short version and answer: it takes hard work, focus and dedication.
However, what it starts with is making sure to have a clear vision set.
This allows me to practice what I preach, to have somewhat of a blueprint for others to follow or use as their guide – although I know every single person will have a different framework for making their dreams become a reality.
My job right now is to help facilitate that path. To get people moving in the literal form through physical movement, but also get their minds moving, and to continuously stay moving on the path towards their goals and even redefining them along the way.
What made me decide that this is my path? It just felt right. It aligns with how I want to feel and what I want to do every single day:
meditate
write
sweat
connect
feel free
inspire
transform
progress
be bold
be daring
be adventurous
Some simple strategies that may help you figure this out:
Know when to say no to things that may disappoint others.
Understanding the value and importance of your decision.
Understanding the why behind it.
Write down your goals. What you’re thinking and feeling. Don’t think about them. Write.them.down.
I believe a lot of this takes practice. Some people are lucky to find their path to success/happiness/enlightenment at an early stage. Others, have to throw out ideas, see what sticks try and fail hundreds of times, to see what works – and what you align yourself with.
At the end of the day, do work that matters & do what feels right.
“Risk the narrative and make a difference.” – Seth Godin
Spreading myself too thin can be disastrous. More often than not, I do feel like I am superwoman - daily consumption of coffee (no sugar no cream) & avocados help - but I have learned over and over again, that I cannot do it all. This has been magnified ever since I took ownership in leading and managing a women’s health facility, that has had its share of change over the past few years.
Within my first month of the new position, I encountered what I thought was every worst-case scenario that can happen. Reminder: I had only been with the company two full-months prior and was still on a massive learning curve of understanding each aspect of the business.
On top of what a general manager is supposed to do on a daily basis, I was traveling – almost every other weekend – because it’s wedding season. Which come to find out is year long. #blessed :) This prevented me from being fully immersed in my job initially, and I often felt guilty for not being there for my staff, because I know they needed and wanted guidance.
Things fell apart because there wasn’t a leader. I was reacting vs. leading and trying to play catch up at the same time.
Not to say things have slowed down in the least bit, but I have a better grip on this role. Over the course of three months, I’ve managed to say ‘no’ to a lot more things to allow myself time for things that actually matter: managing and rebuilding my staff.
This stage that I’m in now reminds me of my very first year as a sales coordinator of the HEAT. I’m 90% sure no one knew entirely what the department would look like. However, we knew where we wanted to be, we had a plan to get there, we had the pieces to make it happen – and a dedicated leader to tie everything together. We created better habits through constant communication of ideas & best practices, we held team-building events to know each other better, and practiced the hard stuff. The kind of stuff you hate doing, but know you have to do it (re: make X amount of calls a day, role playing, calling that client that you know owes you money but can never get a hold of, cleaning out your inbox).
It’s through my experience of going through the hard times that has helped me handle these worst-case scenarios a lot better than I would have a few years ago. I’ve created enough good habits to outweigh the bad ones, to keep me motivated and driven to make sh*t happen.
Yes, the process can feel overwhelming. Yes, it does sometimes suck. But I know for a fact that if I dwell in all of the aspects that make me feel overwhelmed, I will never accomplish anything, nor will my team.
If there’s anything that I’ve learned so far in this role, it’s patience. [Hard] work involves both a commitment of faith and time.
