You are more than your LinkedIn title.
I’ve been struggling with change lately.
As some may know, I retired my corporate job at an investment bank to fully dedicate myself to coaching and nurturing this community.
I took a few months off to re-center and had a great summer full of fun and relaxation with my two young daughters, extended family, and close friends.
As I was walking around the park the other day, I had a flashback to my previous life. I had momentarily forgotten that I had a 20-year career and decades of experience in Finance, Accounting, Tech, Operations, Strategy, and HR.
It is funny how quickly we forget about our accomplishments and successes.
It’s human nature to focus on the negative, including our weaknesses and failures. In caveman times, thinking about the worst-case scenario, like a saber-toothed tiger eating us, actually helped us survive. It helped us stay alive.
Yet, I challenge you to focus on your successes as well.
Please stop thinking about the one mistake and remind yourself of ten wins you had this week.
One of the first things I love to do in 1:1 coaching is to acknowledge, create awareness, and even uncover my clients’ strengths, skills, and gifts.
If you work in corporate and have found success, you have already used the skills you are good at to make a living.
Even though our measure of success is usually attached to a paycheck, a bonus, a promotion, or a title, I’m here to tell you that you are more than your job.
Sometimes, it can be challenging to recognize that your success CAN and IS also related to what you “accomplish” outside of work—your personal life, relationships, well-being, and energy.
Separating your identity from your success at work is one of the hardest things to work at for a 9-5 professional with a long career. I know this because I’ve been working on this for the last 20 years (at least)!
We are all multidimensional beings, and we get to redefine our work and success in our careers and our lives.
So, I made a list of all the jobs and work I’ve ever done.
This is not in any particular order, and it dates back to high school, but as you can see, I’ve had many different types of work and interests over the years.
- Pizza delivery driver
- Cashier
- Restaurant manager
- Student
- Telemarketer
- Door-to-door salesperson of knives
- Financial business analyst
- Certified Public Accountant
- Floral designer
- CFO
- Parent
- Real estate portfolio manager
- Chief of staff
- Real estate agent
- Environmental and Social Governance Global Strategist
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Global Advisor
- HR professional
- Mediator
- Student
- Coach
- Founder
- CEO
- Executive Coach
I share all this to show you are never just one title or role. Your work and your identity can be separate. You are worth more than what you do for work or for money.
You are more than your job title on LinkedIn – thank goodness!
Now it’s your turn.
List ten things that went right this week in your work or over the years in your career. These could be small things (e.g., organizing your desk) or big things (e.g., nailing the presentation at the investor meeting).
The point is to neutralize the time you spend focusing on the negative and spend time thinking about all the successes that you have accomplished.
