3 Ways to Show Up Stronger in 2024
New year, new presence?
There are 3 reasons I tend to get hired:
When someone is trying to make a professional pivot
When leaders feel adrift, burnt out, and lost on their way
When someone is ready to build up their platform to expand their impact
At the end of the day, we all just want to know that who we are is aligned with what we are doing. And as we age, our sense that life is short makes that feel a little more urgent.
The answer, for all of this, is simple and also complex:
You've got to just be you.
Easier said than done. But the more you that you are, and the more consistently and confidently you do it, the more you will find fulfilling opportunities and people coming your way.
It takes some time and some practice, but it doesn't have to be hard.
Here are three simple ways you can start showing up in a way that does justice to who you are, this year:
#1: Know yourself.
This is a practice to be developed, not an open and closed exercise. Our working lives tend to take us away from who we are, rather than bring us closer to ourselves.
So you can start shifting this back by setting up 30 minute windows a few times a week to reflect, write, and listen to yourself. I keep a list of writing prompts that are perfect for this here.
Two of my favorites are:
List 3 big goals that you've achieved in your life. How did you do that? Now, list 3 big goals you've been wanting to achieve for a long time. What's stopping you?
Who are 3 people you admire professionally? why? Can you find 3 more people to admire? (this is harder than it appears)
#2: Share these insights.
As you start listening to yourself, you will find some new clarity in the process. But you have to take the words off the page and share them.
Find a friend, colleague, partner, and share something you have discovered. When I first did the two prompts above I was leaving my corporate job and going out on my own, and shocked to discover that I couldn't complete the lists!
I couldn't come up with 3 goals to chase. I couldn't identify 3 people I admired. This told me that I'd stopped dreaming, and that rattled me.
Talking about it with others opened up new conversations that broke open new thinking. It's a great way to use the important relationships in your life. Let yourself dream again - and ask people to help you.
#3: Use your self-awareness strategically.
It is inspiring to be around someone who knows themself. It makes them feel knowable, grounded, and our nervous systems tell us "this person is safe, because they are who they say they are."
It can sound like this:
"I discovered I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, but I'm working this year to figure that out. Here's how.”
"I realize that sometimes I can appear to be [stoic/intimidating/judgmental] but that's just because I am processing everything I hear. Please know that I never intend to come across that way and if I do, feel free to ask for clarification."
This is powerful, especially in a leadership or colleague context, because it helps others navigate you and understand you -in the way you want to be understood.
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It's not rocket science. But it's a start. My goal is to make it easier, more exciting, and simpler for executives to reconnect with who they truly are. Hopefully this is one more way to do exactly that.