Series on Staying the Course On Your Goals:
STAY TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE
My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general; if you become a monk, you’ll end up as the Pope.” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso. – Pablo Picasso
Picasso stayed true to his passion and in so doing his very name became synonymous with being the top in his field. This quote is not only about striving to be the best. Picasso didn’t become a Da Vinci or a Michelangelo. He became his best self and made that mean quality. Therefore, we can both be our best and stay true to who we are.
Too often people focus their goals on changing themselves – thinner, richer, happier. However, it is really by knowing ourselves and strengthening what is already good about ourselves that we tap our best potential. If you’re prone to bad eating habits but disciplined about going to the gym, focus your strategy on exercise. Focus on what’s working, and let your confidence and expertise in that area propel your progress.
Instead many people focus on curing their weaknesses, and therefore try to activate the hardest part of the solution. While there is value to addressing developmental areas, harnessing one’s strengths yields powerful results often faster, easier, and more enjoyably than browbeating one’s weaknesses. Stay true to who you are, be the best of you, and let your best you achieve your goals.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is an Associate Director in HR at a Fortune 500 media company, an adjunct professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, and a life coach. Caroline can be reached at 212-502-8593 or at her website at www.thinkasinc.com.
