Wisdom to navigate through life's challenges
In the early days of my career, I thought my personal brand was solid. I progressed swiftly to management at a youthful age in the corporate world. My self-confidence was high, I was on a top talent leadership programme and received ongoing amazing feedback for the work I had produced. But was my perception reality? Was my personal brand as solid as I imagined and did it really matter?
If you google search ‘self-confidence’ you’ll get multiple variations on a theme. Essentially it is an attitude or belief about yourself which enables you to trust in your abilities, knowledge, judgement, and decision making to exert quality control over your own life. It’s about understanding your strengths and having awareness of the things that aren’t in your strengths zone.
Whether we are aware or not you have a personal brand. It is formed from how you are perceived and your reputation. It can and does influence others on your ability and capability, even before they have met you. Do you know what your personal brand is and should you even care?
I love a good bit of stationery. When I was a kid, one of the most exciting times of the year for me was the return to school after the summer holidays. New pencil case or pencil tin. Properly sharpened pencils. Collectible smelly erasers. A fountain pen as you got older. Even a Parker pen if you were lucky.
As the New Year nears, like most, I find myself taking a reflective pause – a moment to look back at last year, the challenges faced, the realisations and growth achieved. It is a junction where the past and the future converge. A moment to review the past, gain valuable insights and understand the experience this brings before stepping into the unknown of what lies ahead.
How was your 2023? Did you come through relatively unscathed? Did you come through better than 2022 and fighting fit for 2024? What are your standout memories, which bits were great for you, and what are the things you just didn’t get quite right? It’s the time of year where people reflect and share their New Year’s resolutions. Why do we do it, what are the origins, why do we often break them, and what could we do instead?
Last week marks my one-year anniversary in a new organisation and what an amazing year it has been! Working as a Success Architect (Business Transformation Specialist), in a Fortune 500 IT software company, continues to be an exciting and remarkable journey.
I love December, not just because there’s a ton of sparkle and spirit – but it’s also the time when I start to sketch my plan for the year ahead. It started in my corporate goal setting days: reflecting how the year had gone for me and my team, preparing for our end of year review meetings, and thinking what we wanted to do in the next financial year.
Now, I’ve translated it into something I do purely for myself: How has 2023 gone, and what am I going to hold myself accountable for in 2024? There are no managers required to review and sign off this one – it’s just me, being 100% in charge of me.
I’m a fairly private person, and if you already know me then you won’t have seen me share too much on social media (beyond holiday photos). I’m an introvert, and I’m perfectly fine with that. Why on earth then, am I embarking on a venture to write and publish a blog, along the way sharing things about my life? Really good question.
