Setting Yourself Up for Success
September 21, 2022
How you conduct yourself today influences the way you feel about yourself tomorrow. Whether you are a single parent, co-parent, or working as an individual contributor or team member, when you focus less on outcomes and more on what you are doing to get there, you set yourself up for success. Focusing on the journey provides opportunities to gain perspective on how you can most satisfyingly and successfully achieve your goals.
When your efforts yield successful outcomes, it makes sense that you feel good about yourself. But what about when they don't? Do you instinctually – and perhaps unfairly – assume you should have or could have done more? Are you disappointed in yourself? Or do you feel that you let others down?
Some people believe that being successful requires a do whatever it takes mindset. Maybe. Maybe not.
Being laser-focused on an outcome doesn’t justify behaving in ways that overlook the process you are taking to get there. You must always be kind, respectful, and accountable – to yourself and others. You can’t excuse being bossy, rude, or demanding simply because you feel nervous, anxious, or overwhelmed. You also don’t get a pass from your other responsibilities and commitments. You do, however, have the opportunity to focus on what you are doing to set yourself up for a successful experience, which in turn, sets you up for a successful outcome.
Focusing on the experience is a process in and of itself. Getting started is sometimes the hardest part, but you can set yourself up for a successful overall experience with these three strategies:
Define success: Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “Life is not about the destination. It’s about the journey.” In other words, success is not all about the outcome, and you can consider the experience you have getting there when defining success for yourself.
Slow down, think, then act: Your first thought may not be your best, so it’s necessary to slow down and think before you act. You will hopefully realize that you don’t need to do something just because you can. And that you are not necessarily the best at something, despite thinking you are.
Welcome discomfort: Change can be challenging yet necessary, especially when you realize it's time to change how you've always done something. You don't have to like it. You may feel uncomfortable. Accept it. Embrace it. Work with it. And don't stop until you come out on the other side.
What you do and how you do it are influencers to your overall experience and important to consider when defining whether or not you were successful in achieving what you set out to accomplish. It’s not all about the outcome; it’s about the experience you have getting there. There are no guarantees, but when you focus on the overall experience and not solely the outcome, you can feel confident that you’re setting yourself up for success.