This week, Fresno welcomes back one of its largest conferences, the Central California Women’s Conference. It’s truly a cornerstone event and one that our firm looks forward to every year. Looking towards this event and learning more about former first lady, Maria Shriver, the event’s keynote speaker, I reflected on one of Maria’s famous quotes. “Today I hope you spend less time worrying about what you’re not doing and more time imagining what you, and only you, can do with your time here on this earth. Don’t let it run out. Make it count.”
As women, we tend to be hard on ourselves by only focusing on what we have not yet accomplished. We can get so caught up in what we haven’t done – that we forget to enjoy the satisfaction that comes with progress. Success is not simply a graduation, an awards ceremony, or a profit…it’s the path you paved to get there. Remember the following when creating your road to success:
1. Celebrate the Wins
No matter how big or small, take the opportunity to enjoy the fact that you are advancing. We hold ourselves to such a high standard that our expectations of success can be unrealistic – for anyone. Then we beat ourselves up over it because we are not achieving this goal as quickly as we anticipated, taking away from all that we have accomplished. Don’t do that!
2. It’s Okay to Cry
Keep your cool in a professional setting, but allow yourself to release emotion and cry in private. Sometimes a good cry is all you need to keep going. Women are emotional creatures, don’t apologize for it – manage it. If you try to bottle it all up, you will either self-destruct or explode. Find the right time and place to deal with how you are feeling and – Let. It. Go. You will feel much better and be more productive.
3. Forgive Yourself
If you made a bad decision…absolve yourself, learn from it, and move on. Do not stay in a negative place, grow from it. We all make mistakes, or even fail sometimes. It is inevitable, what is important is what you do next. Are you going to let it defeat or fuel you? Use the experience to your advantage, give yourself some grace, and do it better the next time around.
Imagine what you could do with this mindset? The only real measurable thing we have in this life is TIME. Don’t waste it, make it count!
I hope to see you at the WHH booth at the conference. Stop by for fun, CCWC swag!
By Puneetpal Kaur, Tax Manager at WHH
