It’s the first week of the new year, and I was hopeful to start my first day back to work with some new gusto and renewed sense of motivation to accomplish my goals. I had set my goals a couple months ago considering the abrupt loss of my job.
I am not one to give up easily nor wait for someone else to give me the answers. My analytical brain seeks out logical reasoning (or illogical at times). Many mornings I wake up, and I’m unsure what I will accomplish that day.
Today I was determined to get back into the swing of things, after spending some memorable holiday time with loved ones. Then the email inquiries started. Then the phone rang. I had to drop everything and shift gears from what I had planned for the day.
It was a bit frustrating to say the least. After returning from an abrupt errand for a family urgent matter, I responded to some of the morning’s email, and for a brief moment, felt a sense of accomplishment…
And brief it was! The email flurry began again as questions of typos and missed opportunities flooded in. Another phone call came in, and suddenly, that sense of urgency and “never doing enough” guilt trip arose again.
The old familiar foe of incompetence started to creep in. I know that feeling. I know that spirit of fear and lack of confidence that has visited me in years past.
Then it hit me… I’ve met my match before and conquered it. I knew what I needed to do. Realign my priorities. Delegate effectively where possible.
Am I the only one who can do this? Truthfully, no. Am I the best person to do this? Honestly, I’m not.
I made a couple phone calls and rescheduled my time commitments to align more with my passion.
As working professionals with personal and familial responsibilities, we often feel a strong sense of accountability and reverence of duty. But just because we can do something or “answer the call,” doesn’t mean we should. Just because we are asked for our time doesn’t mean we have to say yes. How quickly we can fall into that same trap of fighting for our time, our priorities, our divine purpose, and placing our strengths in their best place and aligning others’ strengths to help them shine.
Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean the old problems will disappear. We must continue to be our own best advocate. Be prepared to stand up for yourself and protect your time. It’s time for a new mindset.
Oh, and welcome to my new blog, Rel8 Positively. It’s part of that mind shift I’m talking about.Here’s to shifting to a new mindset in 2023!
