Week 78: Choosing Your Legacy – #AlphaFemaleFriday

Week 78: Choosing Your Legacy – #AlphaFemaleFriday

“ WEEK 78 / 133 – 133 WEEKS TO SUCCESS “

You’ve heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs where you must fulfill certain basic functions before you can even begin to think of attempting to reach self-actualization (which most people never even reach in their lives.) In the same vain that we may strive to be our best selves, respect ourselves and others, and achieve our wildest dreams, there is also the pyramid of your career development. As we step out into the world and make photocopies and go on coffee runs, we also acquire the skills and education needed to understand and succeed in the workplace.

We network in our workplace with our coworkers, go to events and meet other professionals, and hopefully strive to have mutually beneficial relationships with our clients. We decide who we want to be and therefore create and cultivate our personal brand to follow suit, always keeping in mind the balancing circus act of work-life integration.

The other day I was sitting down with my notebook and pen in hand, feverishly taking notes, asking questions, and nodding my head, attempting to absorb the knowledge and wisdom from several other professionals who have had more years of business experience than I have had on this earth alone. A few weeks earlier, I was sitting down with a young college student and intern, and smiled to myself as I sat down with her and she scribbled down notes of knowledge that I was attempting to share with her.

I have always believed in paying it forward. They say that there are two secrets to success. One: do not reveal everything you know. While I certainly smirk at that cheeky point, I also think that while we can certainly teach people what we know, for them to executive that knowledge and do so well is a whole other situation. Take for example how many times I sat down in high school geometry class, trying to understand the point of proofs—no matter how many times my teacher reiterated the points patiently to me and virtually tried everything short of putting her brain into mine, I just did not get it.

Is it lonely at the top? It can be. Should it be? No matter what point we get to in your career, there’s no need to isolate ourselves and tuck our knowledge away into a locked trunk in an attic. Take it back to kindergarten basics: sharing is caring.

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.