Be Challenged & Lead On with Anupama (Part 1): How far have you already come?

Recently I was reading a book in which the author said:

"Think about an area in your life that you are making progress in, Don't focus on how far you have to go to reach your goal, but celebrate how far you have already come."

In this article, I would like to share with you about my own personal growth journey - how I got started and celebrate how far I have already come.

In Dec 2017, I was no longer employed and was in the job market like many of you are now. I did not know what lay ahead for me but as a woman of faith, I believed that I had a brighter future waiting for me. I did not have a mentor whom I could lean on to ask what next. I felt a bit alone as I started pondering over what next!

As I took time (2 weeks!) to reflect on my plans for the future, I was prompted to pursue further studies in my field of interest as a project manager and became PgMP Certified (Program Management Professional certification) in April 2018. I knew that I was ready to make a bigger impact on others and extend my influence beyond my immediate team members/colleagues. Getting this PMI certification was my way of proving to myself that I was ready for my next adventure!

In Aug 2018, I was still unemployed and my PgMP certification did not land me the job opportunity that I expected would come easily to me. I was disappointed with my job search strategy and decided to do something about it.

I decided to get started on a personal growth journey, I picked up this book written by John C. Maxwell titled "15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth" and started masterminding for 12 weeks with a friend. It was transformational as we became more Intentional about APPLYing the Laws Of Growth in our lives each week.

For example, Law Of Awareness taught me that I needed to know myyself to grow myself. I took my own DISC Assessment to get to know my strengths, my areas of improvement (which you might refer to as weaknesses) and my communication style. I learnt how to recognize different personality styles and communicate in such a way that I connected with others. I learnt that People are different but they are predictably different.

I decided to take it a step further and I became certified as a DISC Consultant so I can help others understand their own Communication Style and connect better with family, friends, team members, managers.

A few of my areas of improvement were to become more assertive and to learn how to:

• Rely on facts more than instincts
• Be more results oriented
• Exercise control over your actions, words and emotions
• Talk less, listen more
• Consider and evaluate ideas from other team members
• Concentrate on following through with tasks and details

I have come a long way since I started and my personal growth journey has just begun. I am unstoppable and so are you.... as a mentor and friend reminded me last year.

Never STOP being YOU...

That is what MAKES YOU UNSTOPPPABLE!

I want you to know that this holds TRUE for ME as much as it holds true for YOU...

My vision is to encourage you to do the same - Reflect back on your personal growth journey and celebrate how far you have already come. Share this message with a friend or a colleague who might be waiting for an affirmation from you to take that next step forward.

Next time I will share with you how you can create a community of like-minded individuals around you and help build genuine connections personally and professionally... even if you are an Introvert like me.

Last month, I was honored to be speaking to 300+ leaders in UAE and connect with many of them after the session as I spoke about the Law of Empowerment.

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