There’s no “right" way, just your way
I used to look to successful people for examples of how to approach my career the “right way.”
It’s natural to look to others for advice or indicators of success. We use that information to help us know where we stand and design our path forward.
We can learn a lot from experts and successful people.
But blindly comparing your path to the path of others is a trap.
When you rely too much on comparison, you risk developing a mindset that edges out your instincts, your talents, and your original ideas.
That thing in our gut that tells you how and when to take action.
When what we believe doesn’t align with advice we’ve heard or how other successful people have done it, we sometimes second guess ourselves.
We run the risk of thinking if we’re not doing it a certain way, then we’re doing it the wrong way.
I did this for years. I compared myself to the people around me and made decisions about my career based solely on what I observed.
But here’s what I believe now: there’s no such thing as the right way. There’s just the way you choose to do it. The way that works for you.
When we get nervous about the path forward, we default to comparison and conformity. With so much uncertainty, we want to latch on to a proven method, something that’s safe.
But if you really want to become the best version of yourself, you have to create your own personal filter. A personal filter helps you process information through the lens of your own experience.
The things you observe, the comparisons you make, the advice you receive - it all gets run through your filter. And you can decide with confidence whether to use it, modify it, or discard it.
I built my filter by answering these four questions:
What do I value?
What’s my purpose?
What am I trying to accomplish?
What helps me show up at my best?
At first, I didn’t know how to answer any of them. And you might not either.
But that’s ok.
The important part is that you keep asking the questions. The more you ask, the sooner the answers present themselves.
Remember that there’s no right way. There’s just your way.
Go have a great workday.