The Way Forward Is Through Change
#LeadandLift | Episode 72 | James Hilliard
If you’ve subscribed to the Lead and Lift podcast, there’s a great chance that one of your primary concerns in life is personal growth. However, the path forward isn’t always clear. Our special guest, James Hilliard, shares with us how we could progress in our career and personal development by leaning more on who we are and what we do best.
You don’t need to have a lot of money in order to create a lot of change. James’ business shifted when he started having a personal mission. Everything changed for him when he stopped focusing on money and started looking at others and thinking about how he could serve them.
“If you want to know how to jump out of bed in the morning, stop thinking about how bad your life is, and know that there are so many people who need you to just be a better leader.” - James Hilliard
Giving to the world doesn’t require you to be wealthy. In fact, you can start today by doing something as simple as walking down to your local playground and picking up the trash.
The simple virtue of picking up trash might not look like it’s doing much for the world, but what you’re doing isn’t just cleaning, you’re showing people how we all ought to be. You’re setting a standard, inspiring them to be better and more responsible with their garbage.
Cultivate the desire in you to serve other people and do something that’s right in front of you and do it now. You are here for a reason and the sooner you jump into action with the desire to help the people around you, the quicker you’ll arrive at the purpose that you’ve been gifted.
Standing underneath a shady tree
Everybody comes to a point in their career where they get so good at their job that they could do it with their eyes closed. They might even look at their boss’s job and believe that they’re able to do it better. It’s frustrating to feel like you’re stuck in this position, not knowing what strategies you need to have in place to navigate that.
James calls this standing underneath a shady tree. If you ever feel like this, that means that you are ready for a transition. You are ready to step out into the sunlight and step into the arena, doing your best in an environment where you can flourish.
If you get to this point in your career where the path ahead of you is blocked and the company you work for doesn’t offer any opportunities for you to progress, then it’s time for transition.
Don’t let them keep you under the shade. The worst move for you would be to let yourself be placated by what your managers or HR departments will say to you. They might tell you to keep
your head down, do a good job, and promise that everything will be okay but don’t fall for it, especially if it’s been taking too long.
The point of transition is for you to get more fulfillment, freedom, purpose, and happiness out of life.
How to transition when people are keeping you under the shade
When a company doesn’t provide any opportunities or people are actively trying to block you from being able to progress, that’s when you know that it’s time to leave your position. This solution seems a bit too simple, but often the only way forward is through change.
To prepare yourself for transition, you need to work out some stuff internally. Go inward and ask yourself in what part of your life are you out of alignment. Another thing to consider is what kind of conversations should you be having right now in order to tip the scale in your favor.
If you want to know if management or HR is on your side, you’ve got to ask the right question and discern if these people are truly on your side, if they truly care about what’s best for you, or if they just want to keep you in line by giving you empty words and promises.
“The quality of your questions is the quality of your career or your mission.” - James Hilliard
Before you transition out of a company, give yourself some time to assess the situation. Ask around with quality questions in order for you to get all the facts that you need to make a truth-driven decision.
All our greatest days are ahead of us. If you decide that you want to start having those great days, but you feel paralyzed by fear, then it’s critical that you first deal with what’s going on inside.
Consider where you were five or ten years ago, it’s likely that you’re in a much better situation now and in the next five or ten years, you’re going to be in an incredible place.
Three things you need to grow in your career
When asked how we could overcome the feeling of not being ready, James asked back, “is anybody ready to become the prime minister or president of the country?” His point is that, maybe you are right that you’re not ready, but most people are not ready for something that they haven’t done before. However, when you take that next step, it’s guaranteed that you’ll grow into the job and become qualified as you become more experienced.
To grow in your career, James says that you need three things.
First, you need to make sure that you’re aligned with your authentic identity. In order to grow and be the best version of yourself, you’ve got to first be real to yourself. Trying to be someone else will hold you back.
Second, be connected to a team of people that support you and your mission. Make sure that the people that you hang around with are people whose concerns are also that of growth, progress, and development. You’ll know you are in the wrong crowd when all people talk about is gossip, negativity, judgment, or grumbling. Don’t waste your time in the mud with people not concerned about doing good, make time for networking, meeting new people, and seeing newer opportunities for growth.
“Be mindful of the people who are around you. Assess who we’re around, whether they're talking about growth and improvement and moving up, and also build more connections so that we can hear of other opportunities around us.” - Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath
Lastly, create. You are here for a reason. There’s a fire inside of you, a desire to do what you love - all you’ve got to do is harness that fire and start using it for the good of people. Don’t be afraid to take your talent and your strengths and put it out there in the world. People may criticize or judge you and some will be inspired and be thankful that you exist.
Embrace the good and the bad, the world needs to hear your voice. Again I reiterate, you are here for a reason.
Growth is your responsibility
“If we as individuals want to grow and want to find that joy and fulfillment, and do the thing that we were put here to do, we can't just let a company control that life, we need to step up and take the reins of our lives ourselves.” - Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath
We all have a personal responsibility to know our purpose and to let the world benefit from what makes us special. James says that there’s about a one in 400 million chance of us being here and that’s a gift. In relation to that, we also don’t often internalize that our time on earth is limited.
If you want to make your dreams come true, you’ve got to get serious about your personal development. Pay attention to the red flags that appear along the way so that we can pivot out of a bad situation rather than be forced to move in a different direction.
Start measuring what matters. Your checking account shouldn’t be your scorecard. What truly matters is your growth and how much closer you get every day to fulfilling your desire and purpose in this world.
The gift you have been given isn’t just all for you, it’s there to benefit the people around you and ultimately, the world.
It becomes difficult to get there if you’ve got your head down, so suffocated by your work that you couldn’t have any time to catch a breath. The best version of you is already in there, you just have to bring it out. You need to have a plan.
Going on this journey is a gift, a personal responsibility, and ultimately, a resource and a benefit to the world if you let it be. If you won’t do it for you, do it for your family, do it for your spouse or your kids.
Find a bigger reason to see the possibility for you because it’s so much greater than you think.
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Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath
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Hi! I'm Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath, your Certified High Performance Coach. You know when high achieving moms in leadership desire more joy, fulfillment and confidence in their personal life and business? I deliver that through high performance coaching. I am so happy that our paths have crossed!
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