Proud moments are the building blocks of confidence and self-belief.
~Deepak Chopra
“I did it! I made it through and I’m still standing.”
Today, after 18+ months of ups and downs, starts and stops, and a whole lot of work, my client said these words to me. She had just received the green light on a major project she’s been leading and we were taking time to debrief.
This news was massive.
The details aren’t mine to share here, but the significance of this moment was not lost on either of us. The realization that she was (finally!) at the end of the project, that it was going ahead to the next stage, and that she was smiling as she shared the news, was incredible.
Fireworks. Cake. Flowers. Balloons. She deserved them all. 🥳
As we chatted this morning, we spent time looking back over her journey here — the learnings, the hard spots, the moments when things started to click — all culminating in this final moment when the stamp of approval came and she could breathe a deep sigh of relief.
She acknowledged how far she’d come and how much learning and growth she’d experienced. We gathered evidence of her successes — the small, seemingly inconsequential moments that would later turn out to be major ones, along with the hard-won challenges she bumped up against and battled throughout.
We both took a deep breath and shared a verbal high five — relishing in the reality that she did the BIG thing that felt so scary not that long ago, and that I got to bear witness and support her along the way.
As we rounded out our conversation, I could feel things shifting and her energy redirecting itself toward what might (or should) come next. Her smart, strategic brain was already thinking about next steps, action items and an implementation roll-out plan to get things moving.
She’d done the big thing, and now there were new big things to do.
No time to waste.
Better get on it.
Let’s get going.
“Hey,” I said. “Before you jump into phase two, I want to really encourage you to take time this week to mark this occasion and celebrate how far you’ve come. However you decide to do it is up to you — maybe you buy yourself something special, or you celebrate over dinner with friends, or you take a day off and reflect on your win — but I am asking you not to gloss over this as you move on to the next step. Please.”
“Yes,” she said. “I will, I promise.”
On to the next.
That’s what we know — what our world reminds us to focus on.
On to the next grade…
On to the next job…
On to the next game…
On to the next project…
On to the next relationship…
On to the next item on our never-ending to do list.
We’re not meant to pause and spend more than a few moments celebrating our wins, before we feel the pressure to move on to what’s next — whether we know what that is or not.
All that progress we just made? No big deal — onto the next.
And while it’s natural to cast our eyes ahead, setting our sights on the next goalpost, something vital gets lost in the rush: the fullness of the moment we’re in. And the quiet confidence that comes from pausing to acknowledge not just what we’ve achieved, but also who we’ve become in the process.
In our hurry to get to what’s next, we often bypass the good stuff:
The lessons we learned
The growth we experienced — personally and professionally
The setbacks we endured (and lived to tell the tale of)
The things we loved (and loathed) along the way
And all the wins — big and small — that carried us here.
This is what truly matters.
This is where our confidence takes root.
This is when we grow stronger, wise and better.
And this is what makes us better leaders — of ourselves and of others.
So much of life is lived in the in-between — between one milestone and the next, one project and the next, one version of ourselves and the next. But what would it look like to let the good linger for just a little longer? To hold the weight of our wins instead of glossing over them as fleeting moments in time?
The world may nudge us to keep moving, to keep striving, to keep achieving. But there’s power in resisting that pull, in sitting still with what’s already here. Because this moment — right now — isn’t just a checkpoint on the way to the next thing.
It’s the thing.
And you’re allowed to feel and celebrate it fully.
Part two: Leap-frogging over the bad, will arrive in your inbox next week.
Leader Links
A curated collection of links worth clicking.
— ICYMI: In my Ambition, Re-Imagined series » When riding the ambition swing makes you queasy
— This feels timely as the year comes to a close » There’s no such thing as a fresh start
— I’ve already shared my disdain for the phrase, “It is what it is” here. This piece gets at reasons why. The big idea: the simple trick that can sabotage your critical thinking
— How women can make their leadership more visible. This pairs nicely with Your work won’t speak for itself
— Resilience or emotional endurance? This piece makes the case for the latter. And pairs well with an old tweet of mine, circa 2021 (that feels just as true in 2024, no?).
Work with Me
If you’re looking to grow as a leader, let’s chat.
Being a leader is sometimes lonely, oftentimes challenging work. Especially right now.
People look to you for answers on complex (and not-so-complex) problems all day long. Whether they be clients, staff, the Executive Leadership Team or your community-at-large, it can get overwhelming to be on call for everyone else.
I’m your confidante, your expert guide, your cheerleader, your accountability partner, and your safe place to share the ups and downs of your life and leadership.
I’ll be the person that helps you cool down before you respond to feedback or a hard conversation, and I’ll help you find the words to communicate with clarity and confidence. I’ll help you problem-solve, re-imagine and plan for what’s next.
And I’ll hold your feet to the fire when you find yourself over-thinking, procrastinating or stuck in the mud.
I’ve got space in my calendar for a couple of new clients starting in June. If you’d like to explore working together, I’d love to chat. There are two main ways to work with me:
Leadership Coaching — 3, 6 or 9 month engagements
On Demand Voxer Coaching — monthly as needed (great over the summer months!)
Want to chat? Book a quick chat with me or hit reply and we’ll figure out if coaching is right for you.
Big congratulations to your client!!! 🎉 And great advice!
Sigh... the in-between... true true. Reminds me of The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis. ✨️