The other week, I took 10 strategic actions in my business before Wednesday. My best friend since kindergarten (40+ years of friendship!) was coming to visit from Philly with her daughter and I wanted to be fully available.
In order to relax over dinner, hike in the woods, and watch our kids play on the trampoline… I needed to get myself moving with work so I could keep my promise to myself.
I took on a challenge for myself in 2024 – to show up consistently, with persistence, in building my professional network on behalf of my company. If you’ve been in this community with me for a while, you know how important I believe relationships are (and research supports this).
“Your personal happiness and professional success are directly related to the quality of your relationships.”
However, like all of you, I sometimes struggle with “putting myself out there.” I too have moments where my inner-critic is loud, and self-doubt creeps in. It’s not fun, and it’s way less frequent than in my younger years, but it’s part of being human! (See earlier piece on self-leadership https://sagebhobbs.com/what-is-self-leadership-and-are-you-any-good-at-it/)
So I made my 2024 challenge a bit of a game (because I like games). I LOVE connecting with people. I do it all the time. But I don’t always do it intentionally and in service of the work I do supporting social impact leaders.
As part of this “game,” I had to take 10 strategic actions (like ask someone you admire to coffee or apply to speak at an event) in order to fully disconnect and be with my childhood friend. Of course, the bigger benefit beyond a long weekend off, was the growing impact that the company makes – supporting more do-gooders and increasing emotionally intelligent leadership. But I’m a big fan of short term rewards in addition to long term benefit 🙂
I recently reached 10 YEARS since I opened my business. I can’t quite believe it. A decade as an entrepreneur. A decade of risks, reinvention, and great reward.
I’m so grateful I was able to make this lofty dream a reality… and it took lots of courage and strategic action.
So here’s your invitation:
Think about how you are challenging (or not) yourself to be courageous.
Then ask yourself, “What strategic actions can I take to support my bigger vision for myself?”
