We were winding up a Book Club meeting (Radical Candor by Kim Scott) when someone tossed out the question: “How do you bring your best self to work every day?”
Well, I don’t know if that is statistically possible and I’m not sure about the answer to that specific question BUT I do know my personal motivation for bringing my ‘better’ self to work every single day. It’s simple. It’s you. I owe it to you, ‘you’ in this case being a stakeholder to whom I owe a responsibility, to whom I’ve made a commitment, a promise. I am by nature a protector, a provider, a nurturer (though of ‘the lord helps those who help themselves’/tough love persuasion).
Basically, I will NOT let down my Team Members, my Customers, anyone who rightfully depends upon me to show up. I may not be my absolute best self every day, but I will always be there to answer the call of duty: first to come, last to leave, sanctuary and shelter in time of need. You can depend on me, I will not let you down; that is my creed. Solid, secure, steady, stability: that is my self-concept, the Rock of Gibraltar is my talisman.
Closing Quotes:
“The key to success is emotional stability.” – Warren Buffett. b. 1930
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot, 1888-1958
“The stability we cannot find in the world, we must create within our own persons.” – Nathaniel Branden. B. 1930, ‘The Power of Self-Esteem’
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher, ‘Lean Forward Into Your Life: Begin Each Day as If It Were on Purpose’
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier