by Karen K. Lemke
I was recently asked how I was “making it happen” on my journey in business and life. After pondering that thought-provoking question for a while, I realized there are three key nuggets on my path to making it happen. Perhaps you’ve found these nuggets along your path, too…
- FIND Your FIT
- It may take a lot of trial and error, but it’s critical to get ourselves into the situations that align with our values and who we really are, at the core. That means finding the right relationships, the right organizations, the right jobs, the right leisure, the right geography, etc. With a little soul searching, we find the circumstances that feel nurturing and encouraging and easy and right. If you feel like you’re dying from the inside out, something’s wrong. If you feel like something (or someone) is sucking the life out of you, something’s wrong. Conversely, if you feel energized and encouraged and inspired, then you’ve probably found your fit. And here’s a real key: If you feel valued and appreciated for the very traits that used to make you feel like the “black sheep” or the “misfit” then you are definitely in the right place! Enjoy THAT journey!
- DIM Your DARK
- We all have “dark side” behaviors that can derail our relationships and careers. Becoming aware of those can be painful, and believing we need to “chisel” them out of ourselves is even more painful. For most of my life, I’ve been on the teeter-totter of perfectionist vs. chopped liver. I believed I needed to be perfect to be lovable, and to earn love from others. So if I wasn’t perfect, then I thought I was chopped liver, and totally un-lovable. Now, I’m stepping away from the chisel and the teeter-totter extremes. Instead, I’m acknowledging and accepting that I sometimes don’t show up for others the way I really want to. (And ironically, it tends to be the people I love the most who get the worst from me.) And I’m working on the self-mastery of simply “dimming down” those behaviors when they are firing up inside of me… to mindfully protect and nurture the relationships that I cherish so much. Like anything else, it gets better (and easier) with practice. And I’m feeling much brighter when I dim my dark.
- SHOW How You SHINE
- I’ve had a tendency to take my strengths for granted, and even down-play them. I thought I was doing the right thing by trying to be modest and humble. Now, I’m learning that I need to lean in to those strengths, and build them stronger by using them repeatedly. Just like repetitions with weights build biceps, reps with our strengths build influence and resilience and courage and excitement… and more strength. It’s by using our strengths that we really make a difference in the world. It’s by tapping our unique talents that we create impact and leave a legacy. It’s by putting ourselves out there, and showing the amazing gifts we have, that we can really live and love. What are YOUR strengths? What are YOUR super powers? How can you use them to accomplish your mission and create the world you envision? I encourage you to dream about the ways you could make a difference by unleashing your awesomeness and growing into your potential. Then, let yourself sparkle. Do the work that makes your heart sing. Put your arms out and your head up, and take a deep breath, and show the world how amazing you are! The world is waiting for you! Be the (s)hero you were born to be! Show how you shine!
Put your arms out and your head up, take a deep breath, and show the world how amazing you are!
© Copyright 2021 Lemke Leadership, Inc.