Giving Thanks, Getting More
It’s that time of year again,
You know, the season when we sing along to the songs, reflect on good resulting from the calendar year, and relish in the upcoming expectation that we must give thanks. Tradition aside, this year I feel a mixture of uncertainties, worries, and unanticipated changes all blended together with hope, optimism, and gratitude. It may not be the table setting I asked for, but like many others, those ingredients will be served up for Thanksgiving. Learning how to lead conversations around the dinner table, especially when life takes us on new paths, is a crucial skill I talk about in my podcast https://anchor.fm/heidi-mina. Focusing on my own thankfulness, I am eternally grateful for all of my life experiences. The good and challenging have shaped who I am today as a leader, educator, follower, daughter, sister, and mother.
The journey I have taken is not one I could have foreseen. If you had asked my 19-year-old self, I would have said I would be working in the IT field supporting some organizational-wide IT system. Well, I am not in IT and never have been. Instead, I am in higher education, helping students every day follow their dreams. The road I followed had many forks and decision-making points. I am very grateful for all the mentors I had along the way and those still to come. They have all played a role in getting me where I am today. Not to mention my family support structure which has been unwavering in supporting everything I have done. As I sit here and reflect on the next chapter of my life, this will probably be my most challenging journey. As I work on branding myself and my content, there is a level of vulnerability that comes along with it. All of the experiences that have culminated to date have put me in this position even to consider this path. So what can a good mentor and support system help you with?
1. Ask Others About Their Passion
Finding your passion is the first step toward personal fulfillment. However, this should not be misconstrued as turning a hobby into a business or feel you need to start a business. While this is the path for some, it is not for all. Everyone's journey is unique and different. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Finding one's passion is simply finding synergy with your desires and work life. This will change and evolve as you progress through your journey. This past year I have felt like I was in flux. I knew I wanted to change something but was unsure what it was. I still enjoyed everything I was doing but felt something was missing. I started looking at projects that I had started but never followed through on and realized that the next step in my journey was working on curating this content.
2. Frame Your Pathway
Once you have determined what you want to pursue, we need to begin designing the path. Everything starts with small steps, which will eventually lead to significant progress. When we try to do too much at once, we skip valuable steps, overlook important details, or get so overwhelmed we stop moving forward altogether. Taking the time upfront to plan will allow one to understand their action steps and develop contingency plans in case of roadblocks. While we cannot always anticipate everything, contingency plans help you pivot faster and get back on track. I know as I work with my content and begin to publish it, there will be hurdles to overcome, and I genuinely believe my life experiences and support structure will help position me to do this with ease.
3. Get Ready for a Journey
Now that the path has been established, the most challenging part comes next…taking the first step. If you are anything like me, you will think about this step, ponder this step, start moving forward, and then back up again till you finally rip off the Band-Aid and take the next step. Having a solid support system in place helps with this. Also, not taking too giant a LEAP at first helps. Small steps we can feel good about will help improve our self-esteem and motivation. The more we protect our self-image, the stronger we become, and before we know it, those steps do turn into LEAP's.
4. Celebrate and Reflect
One step that I think is the most important is celebrating and reflecting. If we keep looking forward, we can never fully enjoy how far we have come. We need to celebrate every milestone….big and small. As we achieve a benchmark, we must reflect and ask ourselves what went right and what we learned. With this data, we can make better strategic decisions as we move forward.
As you progress on your journey, harness the power of mentorship and continue to grow your professional and personal network!
What are you grateful for at this moment?
Don't follow someone else’s definition of success but carve your own!
