Be the designer of how other people experience you.
Don’t let someone else do it for you.
Today, my oldest turned 10. It boggles my mind that 10 years have passed. Ten years ago, it was all so new. Those were days filled with fear, laughter, crying, love, exhaustion, and an adventure so fulfilling and wonderful. An enormous weight of responsibility and hardly a clue what to do…but here we are — we made it through and keep going.
I’m 40 now, a little bit older, and a little bit wiser — and I can tell you this: Nothing means more to me or gives me more purpose than the experience my children and spouse have of me.
I am the one in charge of how others experience me — and I want it to be a good one. First and foremost, my family deserves to have a great experience of me. Coming in at a very close second are the friends and colleagues in my professional network. I want them to have a good experience of me too.
But being the one in charge of how you’re experienced by others doesn’t come without its challenges. Life gets hard. We get frustrated with people. We say things we don’t mean. We fail hard and everyone tells us we should get back up. These challenges, unique to you, are your hills to climb.
Maybe you’re deciding on making a big move in your life or taking on something just as…
