The new school year has started: what grade are you in?

Website design By BotEap.comI always like September because I feel like it really is the beginning of the new year. Maybe it’s remembering to have all the new school supplies, lunch boxes, clothes, etc. I call it my “new yellow pencil mindset.” For this reason, I always decide on a few goals that I want to achieve; a couple personal and some professional. It goes without saying that some take longer to achieve than others.

Website design By BotEap.comThis is also a time for self-reflection as the days grow shorter. At this point in your career, do you feel like you are progressing the way you want to? Are you entering a “new grade” or are you falling behind? What are the things that motivate you every day and what are the things that make you want to stay in bed, cover yourself with the covers and miss the school bus?

Website design By BotEap.comI feel like once you’ve experienced a setback in it it can be harder to move on. To combat this, you need to break down all the pieces of why this is so. Start with yourself. How you feel? What is making you anxious these days? What are your triggers? After that, look at the external factors. Are you experiencing pressure from your boss, your spouse, your children, and maybe even the family pet? Are your expectations unrealistic? How do you back off and just say “no”?

Website design By BotEap.comOn the plus side, there’s nothing stopping you from getting on the school track and going for a run/walk. Even if you can only put one foot in front of the other for a short amount of time, it’s better than nothing. Accumulation over time. This is the same when you think about reaching your goals and/or advancing in your career. It takes time and when we are not thinking clearly it seems overwhelming. This is similar when you are trying to build relationships with another person. You can’t meet someone and within ten minutes ask them to marry you (well, you can but…). Try to identify the scenarios where you have the most patience and see if you can apply them to new situations.

Website design By BotEap.comFinally, think about those times in school when you received a gold star for your job. How did it make you feel? If you are a manager, have you ever thought about giving stars to your team that does a really good job on a project? Or have you been the recipient of one? When I give presentations and talk about rewarding yourself, I mention gold stars. Everyone in the audience is always smiling. In closing, try to give yourself some gold stars, be patient, and recognize that life, like school, can go by very quickly, so try not to be too hard on yourself.