Spring Forth in a New Direction in the New Work World
The saying “April showers bring May flowers” calls to mind many metaphors and happy memories of my early years growing up and watching my grandmother tend to her garden.
“April showers” can be interpreted literally, in that these rains do help the flowers grow, or metaphorically as the challenges in our lives that allow us to blossom. Spring has always been a time I have pondered fertility and rebirth. And nature gives us symbols of this process everywhere we look.
I remember my grandmother tilling the soil to remove all the debris and plant her lovely flowers in the spring. And like a spring garden, the phoenix is a symbol of rebirth. Through determination and perseverance, this awe-inspiring bird of ancient mythology and medieval literature rises from the ashes of a fiery death to become even more powerful than it was before—the embodiment of tenacity, persistence, and rebirth.
For many of us lately, our professional and personal lives have been through the fire. We’ve all experienced loss in some form, and at times, it has been hard to see our way forward.
But like the phoenix, no matter what season of life you happen to be in, you can emerge from the fire a better version of yourself. By transforming your mindset and refreshing your skill set, you can reclaim your personal and professional journeys.
Let’s take a look at how we can make that happen:
Reignite Your Mindset
Mindset is front and center when it comes to achieving success. A positive mindset and a willingness to share ideas that reflect your goals and desire to contribute will take you far in life. Set fire to the negativity and outdated beliefs about what others have done to you or must do for you. Focusing solely on yourself, rather than the team and community, will prevent you from thriving. Transforming your mindset is an important first step to moving your career journey as well as your personal life forward. I have observed in my many years as an employment counselor, and as a human being on this Earth, that when we are more about the greater good, wonderful new experiences are able to manifest and our lives tend to be more joyous and fulfilling!
Head in a New Direction
Old questions and concerns are often focused on the individual: How have I been treated? When will I get promoted? When will I receive increased wages or vacation benefits? These old questions that center around “me” do not work anymore and must be shed. Instead, ask questions that focus on the “we”: the business community, the groups and associations in which you participate, the teams you’re part of or looking to join. Ask how you can expand your skill set to make a bigger contribution to your company. Ask how you might help others, perhaps through volunteering or assisting a coworker struggling with a new system. Shedding the old focus on “me” and instead asking about the “we” will help you make a valuable contribution that is sure to be noticed.
Stretch Your Wings and Fly
While transforming your mindset is important, it needs to be complemented by a renewal of your skill set. To do so, you must stretch your wings out of your comfort zone to learn new skills and embrace what you might not yet do well. For example, how can you help your company become more efficient digitally, and what would you need to learn? Explore skills with which you don’t feel confident and consider what steps you might take to improve and gain confidence in them. For example, if you want to take flight as a presenter, consider joining Toastmasters or Rotary Club. Doing things that are temporarily uncomfortable can help you expand your skill set and allow you to offer more to your company and community.
Hunt Down New Opportunities
It is not enough to transform your mindset, renew your skill set and just sit around waiting for opportunities to come to you. Once you have emerged from the fire, you must use your new mindset and skill set to hunt down new opportunities. Get your ego out of the way, show up, be innovative, and make a concerted effort to demonstrate how what you want correlates with the requirements or desires of others. As author Timothy Pina says, “Be like the phoenix. From the midst of your ashes … get up and rise again!” Like the phoenix, you can embody tenacity, persistence, and rebirth. By reigniting your mindset, heading in a new direction, stretching your wings to take flight, and hunting down new opportunities, you can rise above any destructive fires to realize your dreams and goals in every aspect of your life.
I will always value those days being with my grandmother and watching her take such good care of her lovely garden. The lessons she taught me about nature and caring for her garden—or the garden of life—will continue to remind me of how we can all chose to spring forth in the New Work World and beyond!
