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Each day during the Olympics, I’ll post a nugget relating a value of sportsmanship and the Olympics to your professional life.
Today’s Olympic Nugget: Know when it's not meant to be and live to fight another day.
American Desi Davila did not finish the women's Marathon on Sunday. She knew very early on that it wasn't going to go well, so she decided not to risk injury and call it a day. Some may call that quitting. I call that knowing yourself and your limits and making an informed choice after taking the temperature of the whole situation. There are times when it's not worth the risk, and only you get to make the call.
When we are pursuing professional goals, that pesky thing called life can get in the way in lots of different forms: health issues (you or a loved one), unplanned occurrences (job loss, a new baby), other responsibilities eat up more time than you think, etc. Sometimes we, like athletes, need to take a look at the whole situation and decide if we're going to take the risk and drive through or slow down and take a detour.
Sometimes we need permission to take the detour. For example, if you've invested time and money into a certification and know you're not ready to sit for the exam and can save the money for another shot in a few months, it's OK to change your plans. You're not chickening out or taking the less valuable path. You are assessing the situation and risk and making the choice that is best for you. There's nothing wrong with that! Desi Davila will live to race another day, and so will you! Use your head to make the right decisions for you when things start feeling off.
Have you had to make a tough professional call lately because life happened? How did you make your choice?
Photo by saroy
Cecilia is a professional in the non-profit world that makes professional development part of her daily routine, just like brushing teeth, preparing a meal, or walking the dog. She knows what she wants out of her career and takes small steps daily to realize her goals. Follow Cecilia and learn how to see professional development as an ongoing process that you can work on a few minutes every day so you can be ready for desired opportunities at a moment’s notice. Updating your resume is not a chore with the Resume Reviver!
