Earlier this year my plans and actions to grow, develop and progress didn’t deliver the results I expected or wanted. I followed the same steps as I had done all my life: build strong relationships, work hard to make a difference, and deliver results. When I didn’t get the results I wanted this time around, I was sad, disappointed and full of doubt. Everyone kept telling me things like “as one door closes, another one opens” or “just keep going, your time will come.” Of course I wallowed in self pity for a couple of weeks; (after all it was the silly season). As new years eve approached, I started setting the same goal that I didn’t achieve in 2017, and started planning to do the same old activities. Shortly after, I was catching up with my friend Anne and she asked “why don’t I do something different?”
Finding my tribe
My first step was to find my tribe - being an extrovert, a lot of my positive energy comes from others. Being a natural helper and problem solver, I tend to get drawn to people and situations where my energy goes towards fixing things or fixing others. These situations can be draining and your energy is often absorbed by others who don’t always give positive energy in return. I needed a new positive energy fix. Evolutionary Psychologist Robin Dunbar concludes that social bonding activates the brain’s endorphin receptors. I definitely needed some of those good endorphins! Find out more here
I set out to find positive, engergised, enthusiastic and interesting people to help me recharge. In the spirit of doing someting different, I decided to look outside of my traditional network. By the way, I still have a lot of love for me traditional network; but remember this year is about doing something different! I have always been in awe of entrepreneurs, as their energy enthusiam and passion for growth and development is infectious! My friend Anne was starting her entrepreneural journey; so I took a step out of my comfort zone and helped her launch a new skincare franchise in Australia. I attended product launches and business events, definitely something different. As a result, I have met some amazing women from all around the world who are cheering me on and inspiring me to do more.
Instead of attending my traditional industry events, I attended a “Women with Influence” dinner, hosted by local Brisbane entrepreneur Jane Anderson. I learnt about the importance of personal branding and influence for both entrepreneurs and corporate executives. If you are interested in attending one of these events or finding out more about branding and influence, check out Jane’s page
Finally I can’t forget my own cheer squad and original tribe members; my husband and daughter They are always there for lots of hugs and also enable this journey with their flexibility and support.
Resilience
Finding my tribe definitely helped me become more resilient. The energy from my tribe helped re-ignite my confidence and belief that there was more in-store for me; and that infact I could make that happen myself. I knew that if I wanted to grow, I couldn’t just rely on my tribe, but I needed to rely on myself. Yes, I did some atypical things. I read motivational books, listened to motivational speakers and obsessed over motivational quotes. My favourite motivational writer/speaker/blogger is Rachel Hollis. Her ‘Rise’ podcast and book ‘Girl Wash Your Face’ remineds me not to let someone else’s opinion determine my worth, and that I am worthy of something more. This girl keeps me company on my long daily commute, and provides the inspiration and tools to help me create a better version of me. Check out the amazing Rachel at the Chic site
Learn and grow; then learn and grow some more!
I have decided that I don’t want to learn and grow using traditional methods of education e.g. university. I have done that many times. I don’t want to read text books or journal articles. I don’t want to learn from academics (sorry to my Professor’s of the past). I want to learn from real life people who have tried, failed and tried again. I want to learn from genuine people who are not afraid to be their authentic self, and who bring back personality and people to business. I am learning from an amazing lady called Ruby Lee. Well before I signed up to take one of her master classes, Ruby took a genuine personal interest in me, made me feel welcome and gave lots of helpful advice. Thanks to Ruby, I am on my way to developing a podcast. That’s right, a podcast! If you too want to to absolutely own your hustle, checkout RubyLee.co
Earlier in this article I mentioned helping my friend Anne launch a skincare franchise. Let’s be clear, I know nothing about skincare, but Anne showed me that I didn’t need to! Anne taught be about not being so risk averse and being brave. I didn’t even realise how much I was learning and growing by taking a leap of faith with Anne. I attended evening product launches, and learnt about ecommerce and social marketing. P.S. As an added bonus everyone is telling me that my skin is looking amazing for the first time in a long time. Hmmm, a double whammy: I did something different and achieved new amazing results.
Different results?
I am half way through the ‘year of doing things differently.’ I am stronger and braver. I am learning new skills and getting myself out there. I had my first speaking engagement at a conference earlier this year, and have been invited to speak at another conference at the end of the year. So far, doing something different is definitely delivering new results. I have a few more goals to achieve and some more tasks on my to do list. I look forward to whatever comes next!