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Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone

March 12, 2018 by Kelly Nash 18 Comments

Ahh, the comfort zone. A place where we feel cozy and safe with little to no stress. When it comes to being on the job, there’s comfort in sticking to what we know. There’s comfort in surrounding ourselves with people that may be further behind than us or being that person that everyone can rely on for answers. There’s comfort in well, being comfortable.

The thing is though, the comfort zone is nowhere close to where we want to be when it comes to our career. Reason being, if you’re not consistently learning or extending your skill set in your job, it’s going to be much more difficult to reach your full potential. Challenging yourself and pushing the limits of what you can do in your career is ultimately what’s going to set you up for success. Putting yourself out there or in uncomfortable situations is intimidating as hell, but it’s going to help you grow as a professional and lead you to even better jobs or roles.

Career girl typing on her laptop in bed

If you’re afraid of making mistakes or failing along the way, that’s okay. We’re human. We try, we fail, we pick ourselves back up. And we try again until we succeed. You can go so much farther in your career, and in life, if you’re trying, taking risks and pushing boundaries than you would if you’re just sitting in complacency.

You first need to recognize if you’re already in the comfort zone or on your way there. There’s been some close calls for me, but I’ve learned to make moves before I get too comfortable and I credit a lot of that to my success. I’ve shared below some of my experiences and some tips you may find helpful. Are you ready to get out of the comfort zone?

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone Pinterest Pin

Speak Up

Sharing your opinion and speaking up about your career can be difficult, especially if you’re fresh out of college or new to a company or team. However, this is your career we’re talking about and you have to learn to speak up. If you’re in a position that you’re so comfortable in that you’re no longer motivated or challenged, say something. You don’t want to get to a point where you’re just doing the bare minimum to get through the day. You also don’t want to get to a point in your career where you’re ever bored.

Talk to your manager or direct report and have an honest conversation about it. Know if it’s time to ask for more work or more responsibility. This could help lead to a promotion, as I referenced here. If your current role isn’t cutting it, say so. Talk to coworkers on other teams and ask them what their day to day looks to see if it’s something you’d be interested in. Look at internal job openings. Apply for the ones not only that you’re qualified for, but also ones that intrigue you and that you know will challenge you. Being vulnerable and honest could potentially open doors for you that perhaps you didn’t think were possible.

My Experience

A perfect example of this was in my most recent role, where I was one of two people at Salesforce servicing our U.S. advertising customers. Needless to say, I was part of a very niche part of the company, which allowed me to master the product I was servicing and become a true expert amongst my team. It was a great feeling, don’t get me wrong, but I knew I had to do something to expand my breadth of knowledge within the company. I saw my peers with much more knowledge across the board and I knew to become a more well-rounded Salesforce employee, I had to branch out. I set my eyes on an inspiring and much more technical role last November and then notified my current manager that I was going to apply.

Your manager is (or should be) looking out for your best interest and should support you in any decision you make when it comes to your career. Mine knew it was a promising career move and completely supported me in it. I ended up interviewing for the role and getting it (after a very intense interview process, might I add). I officially started the role last week, and now find myself being the ‘new kid’ with virtually no experience on this product. However, I’m thrilled about getting out of my comfort zone and am looking forward to growing my expertise within the company.

Upskill

I encourage you to always be learning. Be curious about how things work at your company. Ask questions when you don’t know the answer. Raise your hand to help, especially if it’s an opportunity to learn something new. Outside of work, look into certifications that may be applicable to your career. Take them. Maybe you’ve been longing to go back for an additional agree. Do it. Learn a new language if you work at a global company. Don’t allow yourself to tell you that you can’t. You CAN. Push yourself to think more, ask more and learn more. Do what you can to put your all into learning something new every day.

My Experience

A love of learning has always been a part of my DNA. My mom has told me over the years that even at the young age of 2 ½, I was determined to read a book from start to finish. I’d sit for hours going page by page attempting to read Dr. Seuss’s “The Foot Book” out loud. You’d think at that age, it’d be likely impossible to get it right. But I was so determined and stopped at nothing until I accomplished it. To this day in my career, I find myself being determined to do and understand more, even if it’s outside of my day to day role. I dedicate time and effort and take on opportunities to upskill on my own. For example, knowing that I was interested in this other product and role at Salesforce, I raised my hand on one of my past accounts a few months ago and mentioned I wanted to learn more. I asked for a product demo login, watched videos and read material about the product, and followed along on emails the best that I could to understand what the engagement with the customer looked like from start to finish. Taking that initiative is really going to help me as I ramp up on this new team now – or at least I hope!

Leave The Company

A lot of people stay at a company simply out of comfort. Maybe you’re in a position that enables you to get in and get out, with no motivation to do more. Maybe you’ve truly run out of options at your current company or there are no other roles that appeal to you. If that’s the case, now’s the time to recognize it may be time to look at external opportunities and leave your company, if you’re not already. Yes, job searching and interviewing is exhausting and it can be hard to put yourself in that mindset, but you have to think big picture. Will this new job be pushing you professionally? Will this new job be something you’re more interested in? Will this job ultimately help you reach your career goals? If so, focus on that and don’t let yourself get discouraged. Focus on the fact that you’re growing even through that job search process. You’re kicking that comfort zone to the curb.

My Experience

I realized at the last company I was at before Salesforce that I was no longer feeling challenged, despite doing two jobs in one. I felt like I was on autopilot and no longer was excited about the work I was doing. I looked into my options internally but unfortunately, there was no room to grow unless I wanted to get into sales. I toyed with the idea but ultimately decided sales wasn’t the right path for me. At that time, I also began noticing a shift in the advertising industry (social media advertising was blowing up) and I knew it was something needed to get experience in. As I mentioned in my post about how I’ve acquired my past jobs, it took me a long time to finally land my job at Salesforce, but it was 100% worth it. I was able to get out of the comfort zone and ultimately, I’ve grown more professionally these last 3.5 years than I have my entire career.

Are you feeling too comfortable in your job? What have you done in the past to get out of it? Does this post inspire you to get out of your comfort zone? Leave your thoughts in the comments! 

Pink lipstick stain

Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink
Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Filed Under: career & business, corporate 9-5 Tagged With: career, career advancement

About Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Comments

  1. Sandy Lo says

    March 12, 2018 at 11:05 am

    Great post!! So many of us struggle with going for more career-wise because we are comfortable where we are.

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 12, 2018 at 2:08 pm

      Exactly, Sandy. Thanks for your comment!

      Reply
  2. Meg says

    March 12, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    Great post!! I’m currently pushing some limits at work at the moment and it’s exhausting and scary but this was just the right motivation at just the right time!

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 12, 2018 at 2:09 pm

      Right?! It’s sooo scary but then you get through it and look back and can feel so accomplished!

      Reply
  3. jani says

    March 12, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    These are great recommendations! I agree it can be super hard to just take that one step but it’s often so so worth it! I think the continuous learning is such a great skill to have in life, we are often forced to conform and be happy with the basics but it’s not until we continue discovering things that we often find bigger, better things and we feel happier!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Jani from http://www.mylifeinmedicineblog.com

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 12, 2018 at 9:10 pm

      Continuous learning is the key to success!! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts!

      Reply
  4. Deanna says

    March 12, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Love this post! It’s so important to make sure you get out of your comfort zone every now and then!
    Personally, I love the thrill of getting out of my comfort zone!

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 16, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      I do too! It’s an uncomfortable feeling, but there’s also a bit of a thrill about learning something new and pushing yourself!

      Reply
  5. Leah says

    March 13, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    I loved this post. Thanks for sharing and encouraging us to get out of those comfortable places. Complacency can be very dangerous if we don’t watch out for it. Great practical advice!

    Leah
    http://www.leahelizabethblogs.com

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 13, 2018 at 8:14 pm

      Thanks so much, Leah! Truly appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. So happy to hear you loved it!

      Reply
  6. Erika Lancaster says

    March 13, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    Thanks so much for this inspiring article! Real growth does happen when we go out of our comfort zones and it’s so important to keep challenging ourselves to keep improving and learning. Everyone gets scared, but it’s the people who are willing to put that scared feeling to the side that succeed at anything worthwhile!

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 13, 2018 at 8:15 pm

      I truly agree, Erika! We have to scare ourselves and push ourselves through the uncomfortable to achieve success! Thanks so much for your comment!

      Reply
  7. Jessica says

    March 13, 2018 at 8:21 pm

    It’s very difficult to leave comfort zones, but necessary in order to move forward with success.
    Thank you for sharing your experiences!

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 13, 2018 at 8:28 pm

      Very true, Jessica! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Bernadette says

    March 14, 2018 at 4:00 am

    This was such a lovely post to read. I definitely find through reading and learning new skills it’s a great way to escape the comfort zone and it provides so many different options and ways of doing it. Sometimes the smallest steps out of the comfort zone end up being the biggest.

    http://www.themakeupaficionado.com

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 16, 2018 at 8:26 pm

      Thanks, Bernadette! Love that – the smallest steps out of the comfort zone end up being the biggest. Couldn’t be any more true!

      Reply
  9. Mom says

    March 16, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    So proud that you were able to get out of your comfort zone. You have come a long way from that 2 1/2 year old little girl. Guess we should have realized then that you were going to go far.

    Reply
    • Kelly Nash says

      March 16, 2018 at 8:26 pm

      Thanks, Mom! I like to think I knew way back when that I would always be this determined 🙂

      Reply

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Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink

Welcome to Lipstick & Ink®, your home for everything career, wellness and #realtalk inspired. I’m Kelly, a Chicago-based advertising tech professional, career advisor, writer, speaker, events host, and goal getter.

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𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙥𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠 & 𝙄𝙣𝙠 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣? When I started L&I three years ago, I wanted to be intentional about the branding and what it stood for. After careful thought, L&I was born along with a clear, intentional message and call to action for all women who interact with the brand: 𝘖𝘸𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 & 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬.
⠀
ʟɪᴘꜱᴛɪᴄᴋ - 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 💄⠀
There is power in wearing lipstick. A woman wearing lipstick embodies self-confidence and empowerment. She’s the woman who looks at herself in the mirror and thinks, I am powerful. She’s the woman who stands out in a crowd. She’s the woman who knows she can do anything she sets her mind to. With just a few swipes of her favorite color, she feels invigorated and ready to own her power and take on the world.
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ɪɴᴋ - 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 🖊⠀
There is power in a woman’s words and how she puts them to action. Thinking about what she wants out of life and putting it pen to paper creates vision and clarity. By writing in ink, she commits to making what she wants a reality. For a woman in pursuit of her goals and dreams is determined to make her mark.
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𝗟𝗶𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 & 𝗜𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀💋
"𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄'𝙢 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜." "𝙈𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛." "𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚." "𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙗 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙮."
⠀⠀
These are some of the reasons women hold back in promoting themselves in the workplace. 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻. Going from a small company to Salesforce seven years ago changed that all for me though. I was a small fish in a VERY big pond (and that's when we were under 20,000 employees - now we've surpassed over 50,000!).
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I quickly realized that 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. I had to share my wins. I had to manage up to manager and send the positive feedback I received from my clients and other employees. I had to showcase the value I brought to my clients, to my team, and to the company. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
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Here's the tea, friends. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴. It's showcasing your 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. It's delivering facts. It's sharing your learnings so you can help others. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆. In today’s corporate world, going to work, doing your job and hoping you get the recognition you deserve isn’t going to cut it anymore. If you want to advance in your career, get promoted and nab raises, you need to speak up and share your wins.
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If you're not promoting yourself, ask yourself why. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠?💋
Do you 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬? I recently joined a webinar by @insideoutincubator about the 𝟭𝟬 "𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀" 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘀 & 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆:
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☞ Rule 1: 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 - You doubt what you know & assume others know more than you.⠀
☞ Rule 2: 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 - You think you don't deserve to be in the spotlight or don't want others to think you're bragging.⠀
☞ Rule 3: 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐨 𝐗 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 - You fear being "found out" or don't contribute until you feel you have ALL the answers.⠀
☞ Rule 4: 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐭 - Even after you've been hired or promoted, you feel you have to go above and beyond, saying yes to everything, afraid to say no.⠀
☞ Rule 5: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 - Reaching out to specific people (i.e. leaders) will make you seem self-serving so you connect only with people you feel safe with.⠀
☞ Rule 6: 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐨-𝐃𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲 - You get stuck in reactive mode and don't give yourself time to work on more of the forward-looking strategic projects.⠀
☞ Rule 7: 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - You don't want to rub anyone the wrong way and constantly worry about other's feelings.⠀
☞ Rule 8: 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲 - You make yourself small and defer to others to dictate your path.⠀
☞ Rule 9: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫 - You believe you have to be productive 100% of the time and beat yourself up when you're not feeling your best.⠀
☞ Rule 10: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 - You take on everything and think you have to solve everyone's problems & say sorry way too often.
⠀
Which resonate with you? Some of these I've overcome the last few years, but it’s a kick in the butt reminder that there are a few (3, 4, 6, 10) I still struggle with & want to break! Which do you want to break?💋
[𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙶 𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚃] 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥. While certainly an overused term, it’s definitely not overrated. Personal branding is more important than ever as it helps you to 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧, 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧. Regardless if you work in the corporate world or consider yourself an entrepreneur (or both!), knowing and cultivating your personal brand is essential.
⠀
Because here’s the thing – you already have a personal brand, whether you realize it or not. 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱. However, understanding the power of your brand can be difficult and requires self-awareness, intention, and action.
⠀
If you’re unsure or curious about how to get started with building and boosting your brand, I've developed a 5 step formula to do just that! You can read more about these 5 steps and your best path forward in L&I's newest blog post, found via the link in my bio!💋
3 years ago today, I pressed “Publish” on Lips 3 years ago today, I pressed “Publish” on Lipstick & Ink. Even though it was only a blog at the time, I was terrified to put myself out there. I worried about what people would think about me, wondered if my site was good enough, and questioned if what I was writing would even resonate or help others.
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At the same time, it was exhilarating and freeing. I was finally writing again, something that had been a passion of mine since I was a kid. I was in my purpose, sharing my knowledge of how I had grown my career and guiding women on how they could do the same. And most of all, I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone, facing fears I had avoided for years.
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Since February 22, 2018, I have grown more than I thought possible. From my blog to expanding to events to speaking to advising clients to writing my first book, I continue to find ways to grow L&I and make an impact. And I can feel in my bones this is only the beginning.

Through these last 3 years, if I could share one piece of advice as to what I’ve learned , it’s this: OWN YOUR POWER. Own the power of yours that’s generated from within, not outside of yourself. Your authentic power. Don’t give your power away. Don’t allow the thoughts of others to get in your way. Don’t compare yourself to others and wonder how you will measure up. Don’t hold back on what you want to do because you are concerned about how others are going to feel about it.
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There is always a choice to make in terms of whether you decide to own your power or give it away. And these days, I choose my power. I choose me. My hope is that you too honor who you are and choose yourself. Because when you choose yourself, you set yourself free💋
We live in a world of 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 We live in a world of 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 - and let's be honest, we have gotten reaaal accustomed to it. So much so, that we may be easily disappointed when something doesn't immediately go our way - including when it comes to our careers. Whether it's seeking a promotion or landing a job at your dream company, we need to remember that it may take longer than we like or anticipate.
⠀
Most of the time, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚. This is why it's critical to ᴘʟᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴇᴅ early on to begin preparing to reach your next career goal. For example:⠀
🌱 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Start making an effort to connect with your manager periodically to discuss your career growth. Voice that you are aiming for a promotion. Show to him/her that you take your professional development seriously by discussing your goals and ways you can start taking on additional responsibilities. Try and start taking on the work of the role above yours. Keep a track record of your accomplishments and feedback (L&I has a free template FYI under Resources in my bio!).⠀
🌱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆: Research the company and learn about their mission, corporate values, and their offerings. Take their available certifications if available to put on your resume. Reach out and build relationships over time with people that currently work there to understand the culture and to let them know you are interested in working for their company. Get your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile professionally reviewed. Tailor your resume and yes, even your cover letter for the job you ultimately apply for.
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Both of these scenarios 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. But don't let that discourage you. What's something you're looking to accomplish in your career in the next 6 months? Don't delay - it's never too early to start preparing. Plant the seed now and watch yourself grow these next few months. Soon enough, after some hard work and patience, those 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 will come🌷💋
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