<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fc960ce-e2e0-4562-990d-fce19e9ab7d4/39be5e57-a67c-457a-969b-37be76406ac2/info-light.svg" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fc960ce-e2e0-4562-990d-fce19e9ab7d4/39be5e57-a67c-457a-969b-37be76406ac2/info-light.svg" width="40px" /> My Three Words
I’ve been writing a My Three Words post every year since 2013.
If you don’t know what it is all about, check out this post for context 👉 About My Three Words
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A lot changed for me in 2017.
The person I’ve been for nearly the last 6 years, is about to experience a major shift.
Before I thought of any of the other words for 2018, I knew that appreciate would be one.
Every year, I sit down with someone for drinks and they inevitably try to convince me that I should be proud of what I’ve accomplished. And every year, I smile, thank them, and politely explain why it wasn’t much of an accomplishment at all.
Entrepreneurialism can breed a certain dissatisfaction with achievements. It’s what Jon Nastor refers to as “The Entrepreneurial Gap.” No matter what you accomplish, you’re immediately looking forward to the next milestone. Rarely do any of us stop to truly appreciate the results of our time and energy. You can hear all about The Entrepreneurial Gap” on Jon’s podcast Hack the Entrepreneur.
This year, my role is changing. My day-to-day responsibilities are changing. And along with that, I’m going to focus my energy on appreciating how far I’ve come in my career. I ran a successful agency for 6 years and because of what we bring to the table, I had the freedom to explore an amazing opportunity for a larger agency to acquire us. Now I am joining their leadership and ownership team.
At the same time, I was also growing as a professional including my role as a strategist, a mentor, and as a leader.
On top of that, I can’t ignore how lucky I am to have found such an amazing woman that I get to spend the rest of my life with. Through my various ups and downs, Erica has been my cheerleader, my muse, and has supported me in every conceivable way.
This year, I want to take a much needed deep breath, take a moment to look around, and appreciate where I am. It’s actually pretty great.
For 6 years, I’ve been THE boss. Now, I’ve never seen myself as much of a “boss.” But I have had the privilege of being a leader to my team. When I speak, they listen. When I make a decision, we move. I involve my team in all of these decisions, but at the end of the day, the buck stops with me.
I’m now part of a different environment. I can no longer make decisions in isolation. My decisions impact other parts of the company. I am part of the team and I must adapt.
To explain why I feel that adaptation will be such a crucial component of a successful 2018, I’ll explain it like this. I’m terrible on panel discussions. At the end of every panel discussion I’ve ever been on, I feel like I have to apologize to my fellow panelists, because I have hard time not taking over the entire panel. It doesn’t matter who is asked the question, I’ve got the answer.
