✨ Rework Valentines Day, my friend.
My Funny Valentine
The last year has challenged everyone, even the most ambitious people. Many of my clients, who are incredibly talented, funny, and courageous…. but have faced unprecedented obstacles in their careers and personal lives.
They are facing layoffs and have gone from confident and clear to feeling vulnerable and uncertain. Others have blurred professional paths as their companies deal with the ongoing implications of pandemic, while many find their productivity and their motivation waning after a year of juggling it all. As we approach the one year mark, people everywhere are hitting a "pandemic wall”.
We need a boost right about now.
And, Valentine’s Day is around the corner. I know, it's a commercial kinda fake holiday, but let’s rework it.
So whether or not you’ve got a sweetie or a galentine or a fuzzy pet love -- this year, redefine Valentine’s as a celebration of love in all its forms, especially self-love. So give yourself a hug, buy yourself some chocolate (the good kind) and start remembering how flipping awesome you are. Rest and resilience is the way back to your path.
Just as we associate the new year with a new start and change, we can take this February as an opportunity for self-love, reflection and renewal.
Because a funny thing happens when you know your self worth.
❤️ You're less likely to be buffeted by bad feedback or a turn of luck at work.
❤️ You feel you have more options or opportunities.
❤️ You are more resilient and able to keep the big picture in mind.
❤️ You are in a better place to negotiate for what you want.
❤️ You’re in a better place to land a job by being able to connect with the needs of a company
❤️ You’re better able to recognize and appreciate where you can bring on complimentary talents or partners.
❤️ You can identify and ask for what you need from friends, partners, and managers.
We can heavily depend on work as a source of self-esteem - which is fine when we are also clear about our own value independent of work. When we know the unique strengths and talents we have we can make better offers to our teams, managers, and clients.
Strengths are independent of what we achieve. Strengths are who you are naturally, not what you do. But our strengths can often help us identify how and where we can make the most impact.
Your strengths may come to you so naturally that you might not even be able to articulate them. We’re talented in areas that may seem “easy - because isn’t this easy for everyone?”. We discount our unique POV.
This Valentine’s day, carve out an hour to reflect on the attributes that are uniquely yours. You might try a journaling exercise, answering one or more of the following prompts.
Three things I’ve accomplished or experienced that I think are pretty amazing:
The talents, skills or abilities that allowed me to accomplish them:
What is the most meaningful thing I’ve done in my career? What has most mattered to me?
What have I helped my company/team/family accomplish in the last 18 months?
What are my top three transferable skills that helped me achieve the things I noted?
What one reason reminds me of why I work?
What’s one unique background or history that I bring to the table:
My friends describe me as...
Dive Deeper
Dark Horse is a quick, interesting read about how we're designed to find fulfillment and success in a variety of things that are unique to each of us. Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through the Pursuit of Fulfillment by Todd Rose
Marcus Buckingham's work is standard in the field for understanding (and articulating) your professional strengths. His quiz and full report is currently free at the link below.
StandOut 2.0: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Edge, Win at Work by Marcus Buckingham