Remind yourself - you designed yourself

An old colleague who wasn’t happy with where her career had taken her, recently sought me out for some advice.  This same woman had ignored my advice years before, so I was surprised she came back to the same well.   Unfortunately, my advice to her was the same.

It should be of no surprise to someone that they end up where they’ve always been headed.  Every decision you’ve made, every step you’ve taken or haven’t taken, has brought you here. But too many folks seem to believe they’re a passenger, not a driver.

In her case, I’m afraid she is simply strapped in with absolute certainty that what lies in front of her isn’t where she wants to be — but completely unwilling to grab the wheel and change course.  So in the brilliant words of the philosopher Jay-Z, I told her — “remind yourself you designed yourself.”

We all get stuck — and when we do, we need to remind ourselves that the decisions we make decide our fate.  Don’t be a victim.  If you need to learn a new skill, go learn it.  If you’re afraid of becoming obsolete, find a way to become integral.  Learning doesn’t stop when we land a job, it begins. 

So redesign yourself and you just may find yourself.