Last week a friend pointed out the importance of celebrating progress.
Her comment came at a time when many people we care about are focused on “what is not” instead of on “what is”.
[Tweet “2 steps forward and 1 step back is still progress.”]
Her words were a waving caution flag reminding me that:
Focusing on the steps back, on the struggle, or on what is not… Fuels negativity and slows progress.
Whatever you call it…
Do you have it?
I live in a place that looks like this:
I crave places that look like this:
Our current environment sometimes feels like this:
I crave environments that make me feel like this:
Have you ever tried hard to change a situation?
Have you ever gotten frustrated when change doesn’t seem to be happening?
And in the midst of that frustration… Have you ever had anyone slap a victim label on your forehead?
Years ago I was dealing with a situation like that at work. When I shared that frustration with an executive… He told me that I needed to stop being a victim.
I was shocked.
I thought I had spent the past three years doing everything in my power to take ownership of a reporting process that was a potential risk to the company – a risk that was growing as the organization grew.
I had involved several key-stakeholders, I had shared concerns, I had collaborated on how to handle the present situation.
…And I consistently believed that one of them would take the necessary steps to create change before this process had to be repeated again.
How was it possible that my efforts to be an owner were perceived as being a victim?
One of my expat friends recently moved back to the U.S. to an area she has never lived in before.
When we spoke recently she shared how hard it is to develop friendships with people in the area.
When she is out walking and greets her neighbors, they look at her like she is from another planet.
When she meets people at her children’s schools and they learn that she was recently living overseas the conversation ends quickly.
