Take a leap and see what happens
Leaps can be a daring adventure.
Leaps can be calculated and more of a sure bet.
But there’s one thing for sure. Even if the leap is an epic fail, you still learn something from the experience that will help you when you get ready to take the next one.
I recently listened to Jeff Sanders’ 5 AM Miracle podcast where he interviewed Noah Kagan on engineering a phenomenal day. You can listen to it here. I can’t remember the exact context, but a piece of their conversation centered around strengths and areas of improvement.
While it’s important to reflect on them for ourselves, it can be even more meaningful to ask others. Many times others see aspects of us that we don’t necessarily see in ourselves. I could either just continue to take stock of what I see in myself or I could move beyond myself to discover what others see.
The first step is the ask.
While it might seem easy to determine who you are going to ask, it isn’t. It’s a risk to put yourself out there to ask others not only to praise you for your attributes but also to scrutinize your shortcomings.
I didn’t want people that would just tell me what I wanted to hear and I wanted it to be a mix of people I work with professionally in different aspects of my responsibilities as an elementary school counselor. I wanted people who would be completely (and bluntly) honest about where I can improve. And the collegiality between us had to be at a point where pointing out my shortcomings wouldn’t harm our working relationship.
That’s a lot of pressure, but eventually I narrowed my scope down to seven people for this first round.
The second step is to craft the email.
So, I carefully worded the email. I explained why I chose them (outlined above), why I was doing it (to continue to grow professionally as a counselor, writer, and consultant), and what I hoped to gain (a clearer picture of who I am in those roles).
Once I set the introduction to the email, I asked the following two questions: What do you see as three of my strengths? What are three areas where I can improve?
I wanted them to feel comfortable in my intent as well as letting them know that this was completely optional. If they didn’t feel comfortable answering my two questions, then I was completely okay with them hitting the delete button. No harm, no foul.
And now I wait.
I sent the emails this afternoon. I’ve already heard back from two of the seven.
And that’s where the story ends…for now. Stay tuned for the results.
Part of the reason I’m asking for feedback is that I want to be a better version of myself each day and this experiment will strengthen how I can continue to spread my message of positive vibes and simple living.
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