It’s a New Year! Will There Be a New You?
One of my favorite things about January 1st is that it feels like a page has turned, and not just on the calendar. After wrapping up 2023, reflecting on successes and – yes – failures, we get to decide what comes next.
Who do you want to be in 2024?
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard was this: You get to make a choice. And if you don’t like the outcome, guess what? You get to make a different choice. I encourage you this year to choose growth, evolution, or even reinvention if that’s where your heart is leading you.
The fact is, all of us are more than just one thing. We’re more than one talent or our biggest achievement, just as we’re more than our worst flop or fatal flaw. Whether you know it already or not, you have options. Probably more than you can even imagine – so dream big!
Part of the challenge is that we tend to tell one story about our lives and our careers, and we get stuck in that narrative. We tell ourselves that who we are now is who we are forever, and it’s simply not true. Think back ten years, five years, or even one year. I bet you have grown and changed more than you realized!
Change = Challenge
I get it, I really do. That story you tell yourself makes it hard to see yourself in other roles or taking on new opportunities. But it’s important to stay open to all the possibilities because they can take you by surprise when you least expect it.
Here’s an example straight out of my 2023 look back. I spent the first half of the year continuing to build my coaching practice and decidedly not looking for a full-time job. But, as you probably know, I am a big fan of making new connections, and I constantly coach my clients to approach opportunities with curiosity about what’s possible (instead of looking for reasons to say no.)
Take note, friends: As women and as leaders, we must stop talking ourselves out of things before we get started!
An acquaintance emailed me out of the blue in August to connect me with the HR Director at Mobius Executive Leadership. She thought I would be a great fit for a role they were trying to fill but wasn’t sure if I’d be interested.
The truth is that I wasn’t sure if I would be interested either, given my full plate and growing business. But, just as I counsel my clients not to say no before uncovering the true purpose of a thing, I took the call.
That one conversation led to several more, culminating with the CEO and Co-Founder, Amy Fox. With each conversation, I was more drawn in. The ‘why’ became clearer. And I discovered that I wanted the role, even though I wasn’t sure how it would all work.
Spoiler Alert: It Worked Out!
I received the job offer. I said yes. In September 2023, I accepted a new role as the Global Director of Executive Coaching and Executive Retreats with Mobius Executive Leadership.
Here’s why: The company is beyond cool! Mobius is a premier leadership firm that brings the world’s leading transformational change practitioners together. It’s a global organization that connects me to experienced and renowned practitioners with whom my values and mission align, and the broad exposure was irresistible.
Most importantly, I can help expand Mobius’ coaching capacity, plan customized executive retreats, and expand my capacity as a coach while continuing serving Ascentim and its clients (i.e., YOU!)
I’m excited to see who I become and what new possibilities unfold because I said ‘yes’.
My question for you is, who will you become this year? Visualize success and don’t limit it to the story you tell yourself today. You are many things, with many stories and many versions of yourself yet to come!
Be positive, be open, and become who you were meant to be!
Lisa L. Baker is a professional life coach, career strategist, and keynote speaker. Lisa is the founder of Ascentim – a Maryland-based coaching practice that utilizes a unique G.R.O.W. process to help clients gain clarity, realize new possibilities, overcome obstacles, and win at life. Lisa shows high-performing professionals how to Level Up and Live the Life of Their Dreams.