Advice Versus Mantras
Every day I get the notification on LinkedIn for the Daily Run Down (because I follow the LinkedIn News page). I often like to repost articles from there as it gives me food for thought.
This morning....the "Idea of the Day" was an all time favorite prompt for reflection. It can be worded in numerous ways but the point is always the same....
"Career Advice I Wish I Could Give my 18 Year old Self"
Cue the Eye Roll
Maybe I have reached a certain point in my life between kids (that are now adults) and knowing who I was at that age...that this is like shouting into the wind. It might feel good to let it all out but no one can hear YOU or is listening! No doubt others tried to give us advice when we were younger but we were not open minded enough or in a place where we could apply it or make sense of it.
Youth is Wasted on the Young
SO rather than lamenting my youth...or trying to save the youth of today or tomorrow with old people advice. I would prefer to pivot to some mantras that hopefully stand the test of time. YOU are NOT meant to get them right away...and not all of them will apply all the time....and HOW you apply them may change over the years... but hopefully if YOU keep repeating them they will ebb and flow as your experience expands and grows.
8 Mantras for Life
YOU Make a Difference One of my favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" YOU won't always be aware or ever know YOUR impact but know that YOU always do. Pay attention to those around you...practice empathy...it's not always about YOU. I repeat this often
Life is the No Regrets Tour Whatever decisions YOU make or how YOU got where you are...don't live in regret. It has made you who you. It doesn't mean you won't sulk for a while...or reflect on it if things go poorly. This also applies to living boldly and taking chances. Do it with an open heart and knowing YOU made the best decision that you could when you made it...with no regrets. Who knows...that moment that you took a chance may be YOUR big chance and if you blinked YOU might have missed it
Speed Bumps Aren't Road Blocks Pretty much each and every day you are going to run into challenges...big and small....where you might feel like you need to turn around and go home. YOU can always find a way to work through or around them. Who knows... the detour may open roads to new places you wouldn't have otherwise gone
It's About the Journey...not the Destination As Winston Churchill said... "Failure Isn't Fatal...Success Isn't Final...It's the Courage to Continue that Counts" There will be multiple moments that will come and go in your life and career that YOU may be striving or wishing for. Sometimes those moments will be amazing and you will wish they could last longer...sometimes they are awful or didn't work out the way you hoped for and that too will pass. Success or Failure or all points in between you will remember the journey more than the moments as well as those that shared the ride with you
Put YOUR Oxygen Mask on First Before Assisting Others Make time for self care because no one else will do it for YOU. This doesn't mean abandoning your obligations...family or friends at inopportune moments....it means YOU have to be the best YOU can be in order to help others when they need it most
YOU Are a Phoenix YOU aren't defined by YOUR career or WHO you are right now...YOU can reinvent yourself at any time and rise from the ashes brand new
Give Generously Expecting NOTHING in Return AND Accept Any Consequences That May Arise Many times over the years...I have to confess...that I worked harder than I should have....did more than what was expected... cared more about something than was reasonable...because of the story I told myself of how I would be appreciated...or rewarded...or noticed. This has manifested itself into one of my favorite sayings "NO Good Deed Goes Unpunished". So not only should you expect nothing in return but YOU need to consider how you may be punished for your deed because no one asked YOU to do what YOU did. In either case...don't over think things...give generously and with an open heart because YOU want to...not for how you may or may not be repaid
You Gotta Care....But NOT that Much I have embraced this one many time throughout the years and first heard it from Herb Cohen who wrote "Negotiate THIS" . Care about what you do and how you do it but don't get so wound about about things that it hurts YOU and YOUR personal brand.
In Closing...
Maybe I am splitting hairs on the difference between Advice and a Mantra. I would like to believe that finding...owning and repeating YOUR mantras are grounding elements throughout your life...that stand the test of time and apply in almost every situation. Advice feels like something fleeting that is given to you... even when you don't ask for it... while a mantra is something more powerful that you own and impacts you in more meaningful ways.
Agree?
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Do YOU think there is a difference between giving advice versus sharing your mantras or simply having a toolkit of favorite sayings or quotes?
How would YOU answer the question "Advice I would give my younger self" ? Is it different than listing your life mantras or are they one in the same?
Reading the 8 Mantras above...which ones do YOU use often or resonates most with YOU? What would you add or change?
Thanks for reading and remember...YOU make a difference!
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