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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Category Archives: Changing Your Life

December 2, 2020 Who Do You Want To BE Next Year?

Child fire fighters
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

When you were young, people probably often asked you the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Now that you HAVE grown up, do you know the answer?

It’s okay if you don’t! It’s completely normal (and healthy) to continuously grow and change throughout the years. As our circumstances and outlook change, we might find ourselves yearning to try something new or walk down a different path. We may feel the need to modify our career aspirations, health goals, or personal ambitions.

Writer Kirra Sherman says, “There is a rich and deep aliveness that comes from following your heart, in acting on what you love despite any limitations or fears of the unknown.“

If you sense that it’s time to make a change (no matter how big or small!), I encourage you to quietly sit with that thought for a while.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is holding me back?
  • What aspects of my life are no longer working for me?
  • What are my big, pie-in-the-sky goals?
  • When I envision my ideal future, what do I see?
  • When I think about the year ahead, how would I like it to go?

Jot down your thoughts–whatever comes to mind. Though they are by no means THE ultimate guide, these questions can help you pinpoint A) What is causing you dissatisfaction in your life right now and B) How you might course-correct and start working toward a better, brighter future.

Of course, these are not light questions by any means. Additionally, you may have difficulty nailing down exactly what is bothering you with your job/lifestyle/habits. If that’s the case, I urge you to get in touch with a career coach (I usually offer a complimentary 30-minute session, if you’d like to see if we’re a good match) or do a little more independent research to help you clarify your path.

It is possible you’ll discover that you feel quite lost and are floundering on where you want to go and who you want to be. If that’s the case, you may want to check out a science-based personal assessment tool such as StrengthsFinder or Insights Discovery. These tools can give you a starting point to begin the next steps in your life journey. Don’t underestimate the power of a little science-based guidance!

If, however, you have a good idea of where you’d like to go and what you’d like to become, it’s time to sit down and strategize. What steps do you need to take to reach your goals? What changes do you need to make? What sacrifices? Should you work with a coach or an accountability partner to help you get there?

As we tiptoe toward the new year, it’s the perfect time to pause and assess your life’s path. If you’re not satisfied with where you’re heading, it’s probably time to make some changes. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone. Plenty of coaches, therapists, support communities, and even family members are able and willing to help. Dare to take the first steps to carve out a better future!

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE.

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November 18, 2020 Three Key Components of Self-Awareness

woman thinking

With more and more people working from home (WFH), we’re spending a whole lot more time on our own. In this atmosphere, where we’re expected to get things done without anyone looking over our shoulders, it is more crucial than ever to develop a deep understanding of yourself, your strengths, and your preferences, and your limitations. In short, it’s essential to develop a keen self-awareness.

What Are the Components of Self-Awareness?

A self-aware person understands the many facets of their personality and how they can operate at their very best. These facets include:

Strengths:

Getting to know the areas in which you excel can help you capitalize on and emphasize your skills. Your innate abilities are an asset to your work, and it pays to take advantage of them. Take the time to consider which tasks come easily to you. What are your top skills? When do others praise you? What do you enjoy doing?

Your strengths may range from IT prowess to sociability to the ability to analyze complex data. And don’t discount so-called “soft skills!” Effective communication, for instance, is key to an effective workplace.

Once you have a good grasp of your strengths, leverage them! If you know you excel at writing, lean into that part of your career. If you know you’re skilled at brainstorming new, creative ideas, don’t hold back at your next meeting! Be bold and embrace your strengths.

Limitations:

Just as it’s important to understand your strengths, so too is it important to get to know your limitations. Where do you struggle? Which assignments give you difficulty or are unenjoyable for you? When do you feel frustrated? When have you fallen short of expectations?

Begin to notice your limitations. Do you struggle, for instance, to pay attention during Zoom meetings? What can you do to stay present?

Another WFH example: Do you find it difficult to stay on task, when it’s now incredibly easy to drift off into social media land or YouTube? Recognize this limitation and strategize solutions. Would it be beneficial to block certain websites on your work computer? Is it possible to do some tasks in airplane mode, so you’re not tempted to browse the web?

When you understand your limitations, you can work to correct them.

Preferences:

Another component of self-awareness is understanding your personal preferences. We all have them. While some people thrive in the mornings, others enjoy working later at night. While some benefit from regular video check-ins, others prefer communicating by email. Some like a silent workspace, others like background music or chatter. Some prefer collaborative work, others like working solo. The list goes on.

Paying attention to your personal preferences can help you set realistic expectations for yourself and help you improve communication with others. For instance, when someone asks you to tackle an assignment by yourself, you might counter with, “I could do that, but I know from experience that I work better when I’m collaborating with others. Would this assignment warrant teamwork or, at least, an accountability partner?”

Your preferences may also include communication. Do you recognize that you are good at responding to emails, but often let voicemails linger for days, or even weeks? Communicate that preference to others!

Communicating your preferences–the way you operate, think, and communicate–can significantly help both your personal and professional relationships.

Building self-awareness can help bolster your success, lead to better relationships, and improve communication. If you’re unsure how to start improving your self-awareness, consider looking into Insights Discovery or sending me a message.

Take the time to develop your self-awareness, and see how far it will take you!

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE.

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November 4, 2020 There is Power in HOPE

the power of hope

If you’ve been troubled by how people have been treating each other (with so much political divisiveness and name-calling lately), don’t give up hope. Your hope is powerful, and it CAN make an enormous difference.

Even in the darkest times, we can find sparks of hope. A single candle can illuminate a dark room in the same way that a grateful thought or an inspiration can illuminate a mind. Although the science is still fresh, research is starting to find that hope is a powerful factor in lifting people out of poverty, motivating people to find work, and encouraging investment (financially, educationally, or otherwise) in the future.

In a study on poverty, the researchers found that, “families that are stressed and impoverished — trapped in cycles of poverty — can feel a hopelessness that becomes self-fulfilling. Give people reason to hope that they can achieve a better life, and that, too, can be self-fulfilling.”

Hope is self-fulfilling.

If we all decide to be hopeful about a better, brighter future, we CAN make that happen. We’ll be propelled into action and motivated to keep going, to keep trying. On the other hand, if we choose to have a defeatist attitude and believe there’s nothing good in our collective future…well, that, too, can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When you have hope, you ask yourself constructive questions such as “What if..?” and “How will I…?” If you hold the belief that you can do something, you start seeing the paths of possibilities.

I challenge you today to think about what you’d like in your life, and what you’d like for others. Focusing on a smaller scale, ask yourself: What are my personal goals? How do I envision my future?

Then, zoom out your lens and focus on your community, or even your nation. What are your wishes for others? What are your hopes for the next generation, and the one after that? What does an ideal community or nation look like?

Start thinking about your goals and dreams as REAL possibilities, instead of wishes. By changing your mindset to a “How can I…” instead of a “I couldn’t possibly…” you’ll start finding ways to make your goals happen.

Our minds can do amazing things. If you find yours blocked by pessimistic thoughts, try focusing on the possibilities buried within the doubt. Find hope in your life and see where it can take you.

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE.

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