New Year, New Goals
I’m not a big believer in New Year’s goals. However, I am a huge fan of accountability and saying my goals out loud. If I own my goals and aspirations, I’m more likely to work towards achieving them. I also am inspired by a clean slate - whether that happen on Day 1 of a new year, the first buds on a tree in Spring, or simply after I complete a long project and have a literal clean slate ahead of me.
This January, my goal is to be better at owning my successes. This is 100% motivated by a shortcoming I have in promoting my own wins and accomplishments. But I also see my son being reluctant to own his wins. And those wins are piling up for him. They will also be key to his confidence and success in the future. He’ll need to document those wins for college applications, scholarship applications, job interviews, resumes, and whatever it is he chooses to do next. The balance will be in owning the wins for confidence while still remaining humble and hungry for the next challenge.
How do I plan to tackle this goal? By pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.
I will leverage LinkedIn to promote my successes. (I hate self-promotion, but I’m doing some really cool things that I should want to talk about.)
I will walk into rooms with confidence, knowing that all of my experience is uniquely mine and provides a distinct perspective on any given topic than anyone else in the room. (I need to stop downplaying or having negative self-talk around my credentials. No one is comparing but me.)
I will acknowledge wins, regardless of their size, and find ways to grow from them. (I often overlook wins that were struggles for me but that I deem as “average.” Regardless of how I categorize them, if it’s something I accomplished and learned from or grew from, it’s a win.)
Even though this will be a challenge for me, I need to push myself. For me - to accomplish what I want in life. And, for my son - to lead by example and help show him the benefit of owning achievements while staying humble.
Check back to see if I’m able to do it…or to encourage me to keep rolling with it.
