For some, it’s a jog or a hike up the coastal mountain trail that will let you unwind, clear your head and breathe a little easier. For others, it’s strength training, yoga or Pilates that will enable you to exercise your mind and body, and release any pent-up energy. And for many others, it’s a long drive down the highway or a windy road that will let your mind wander, untangle old thoughts and dream up new possibilities. However you decide to close out and wind back up for the new year, it’s important to take a look at what got you here in the first place. You can’t always control what the weather blows your way, but you can respond with courage, integrity and perseverance, and use the experiences you gained while looking back in the rear view mirror as a way forward. Here are five things I experienced in the last year that have helped me learn more about myself, overcome a few lingering trepidations and become a stronger person today. 

Going back to my marketing roots: When deciding to join an organization or become part of a workforce, you make a commitment to make their mission your mission and when you do so, you meet people who share similar values, open doors to new opportunities and grow with a community of like-minded professionals. I had once joined the American Marketing Association, San Francisco Chapter (AMA SF) to learn and grow my career as a marketer after graduating from college. As a volunteer, I designed graphics, edited and read emails, and did whatever the Board had asked me to do. In doing so, I gained new skills, grew my network, moved up the corporate ladder and eventually became a Board member myself. But life happens, and sometimes you need a break from volunteer work to focus on yourself. A decade later, I never forgot that the AMA SF had given me an identity, career and a chance in marketing, and that became the reason why I rejoined the organization and went back to my marketing roots.   

Photo Credit: Gustavo Fernandez Photography

Taking a career break: Whether you willingly took a career break or your company willfully let you go, it’s important to take time for yourself aside from your daily meditations or weekend getaways. In my younger years where stress didn’t interrupt my sleep or boil over into the next week, a long weekend or even a one to two week vacation would do the trick and help me forget about my worries. As my responsibilities grew and I began to accept new challenges, my anxiety and stress levels increased significantly and that began blurring the lines between the work-life balance. That’s when I realized it was time for some much needed change. 

A survey by The American Institute of Stress found that 83 percent of US workers suffer from work-related stress and US businesses lose up to $300 billion yearly as a result of workplace stress. And according to Fast Company, Ginger reports that out of the 1200 workers they surveyed in 2019, over 48 percent have cried at work. 

If I could sum it up in five words, I’d say: It is not worth it. 

Summer Trip to Eastern Europe: Motovun

In surpassing my ten year mark in the professional world, I realized that I, along with most people, have been heads down busting my chops at work, taking online classes and getting a handful of certifications — all for the classic American dream of climbing the corporate ladder and achieving that lofty title I had wished for throughout my entire career. It was certainly an accomplishment and something that I was certainly proud of, but we, as humans, look to gain much more in life than a title, and that left me feeling slightly underwhelmed and the unsettling notion that I did all this for that? I felt tired, defeated and unsatisfied that I had reached a plateau this early on in my career. It was time for a new game plan and only time would help me discover that higher purpose in life. As former Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy, Tham Khai Meng would say, “A gentle reminder. Most things will work again if you unplug it for a while. This includes you.” With that, I took a career break and traveled the world to find myself. 

Fall Trip to Mexico City: San Miguel de Allende

Becoming gainfully employed with a new company: When you are 100 percent present, you can fully give yourself that opportunity to do something that excites you, and has purpose and meaning. You can look forward to each day and take it as it comes — even without coffee. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you can wake up each morning feeling motivated to get out of bed and look forward to starting the day. 

After looking back at my previous role and reflecting on my career journey, I realize that I’m still learning about myself and discovering the things I do and don’t like. After several discussions and interviews with very respectable and reputable companies, I made a decision to make ServiceNow my new career home. I thoroughly enjoyed all my interactions with the team — and appreciated the opportunity to interview broadly (enterprise marketing, product marketing, global campaigns, executive programs, account-based marketing). I got a wave of excitement from setting foot in the parking lot to walking through the lobby and sitting in the conference rooms. I was determined by the facial expressions and the sense of purpose within the building doors. With my energy and excitement level at an all-time high, I could only say yes (!)  

In the famous words of Andrew Yang, “Give yourself a chance to win.”

Leave no room for fear and self-doubt: “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change” says Jim Rohn. For many, change is scary. It raises your level of discomfort and creates a feeling of uneasiness. It breaks routine and standards. It moves your world and shifts your mindset. Oftentimes we feel fear, anxiety and self-doubt because we are unaware of the consequences that change will bring. I’m guilty of that more than I can count on my two hands and I want to change that mentality. And more often than not, when you weigh the consequences of change, it’s far from deadly and that’s all you need to know. If we can learn to remove fear and self-doubt from the equation, we can do more with ourselves and push the perimeters of our boundaries. We can have the courage to question our superiors, bring ideas to the table without consequence, share opinions that others can relate to, and even ask for that raise or promotion because the possibility of getting a yes is just on the opposite side of no. 

Flipping the good to bad ratio: Especially within the last year, the media and news has become an outlet that spreads more devastation than joy and that can take a toll on our personal lives. With social media amplifying the noise or creating more noise, it begins to rub off on our own outlook and how we interact with others. In one conversation, someone had mentioned possibly cancelling a session with her therapist because it had been a good month and there was just nothing bad to talk about. Why can’t someone walk into a session and just talk about the good in their lives? It’s a growing concern that we don’t celebrate and talk more about the good, and instead shine a spotlight on the bad. My suggestion to her was to flip the good to bad ratio, and walk into that session to talk about the good. Talk about what made your smile today or how good your weekend was or what it was like to just carve out ten minutes of alone time. Celebrate the good and be an incubator for more good to happen to yourself and others. 

Well, in just a few days we’re going to say goodbye to the last year and welcome a new decade of adventure. I’m excited by all the possibilities the new year will bring and I hope you are just as excited. But before we can leap into tomorrow, just take a moment to recognize everything and everyone who got you here today.