Ok … I am a day late but better than last week when Friday turned into Monday …
- No, I Won’t Lean In, Thanks – was a great article I read last week by Zosia Mamet. I had a very bad habit, at the beginning of my career, thinking everyone wanted to set the world on fire. I was wrong. Repeatedly. They frustrated me and I frustrated them. And, I failed, miserably, at leading them successfully. I was reminded that we are to support those we love in whatever they choose to do. Your dreams are your dreams. Success is defined differently by each of us … don’t encroach on another’s significance.
- Dream. I was reminded this week that we need to revert back to those innocent, untainted dreams. As we age we morph our dreams into what we think makes sense; define them in terms of what seems practical for where we want to end up; reconstruct them as a result of the hurts from our past. And, often times, we simply let them die. Have you ever met a child that did not have ridiculously wild dreams? No. Why? Because God instills this characteristic in each of us, uniquely. What dream did you let fade?
- Do what makes you happy. Literally. Writing makes me happy but all I did was whine about how I did not think I would be good at it; how I was very apprehensive about letting anyone see what was inside for fear of judgment. There comes a time when we just need to buck up and do what inspires us. Do what scares you! It’s exhilarating. PS – there will ALWAYS be critics.
- The past is the past. Let it go. And let the Jones’ go as well. I see many that either perpetually try to reincarnate the past or jump on the racetrack to beat the Jones’. Neither are you. If you stop and candidly dissect the past, what did you discover? Reflect fondly on great memories; cringe at the crap; only hit repeat on the lessons well learned. But, move forward … in your own direction.
- Respect who you are. We all have flaws – it is just the way we are made. But, if you do not respect you no one else will. I heard many women this week criticize themselves. Then, they criticized others. It was this big, negative spiral where positivity was very delinquent. And, sadly, I found myself in the center of it in both respects. When we quit pointing out the flaws of another there just might be room for a nice compliment or a bit of flattery. Try it. See how different you feel when you walk away.