Message to my daughter - Focus on what you can control.

Last weekend my daughter graduated high school. I know I am biased, but she really is a beautiful, unique, and hard-working graduate. She has so much potential, and I am incredibly proud of her.

Although she is still at an age where she doesn’t really listen to her parents, the event had me reflecting on what advice I should give her as she grows into adulthood and becomes more independent.?

I would start with: while the world may seem overwhelming at times, it's important to focus on what you can control and influence rather than worrying about everything else.

In a rapidly changing world, it's easy to get caught up in the uncertainties and complexities of the future. Instead, channel your energy into identifying your passions, developing your skills, and cultivating a growth mindset. Seek out experiences that expand your horizons, both academically and personally.

Take charge of your education and continuously seek knowledge beyond the classroom. Leverage technology, embrace lifelong learning, and adapt to new ideas and technologies that shape our society. Stay curious and open-minded, for the world is full of endless possibilities.

While you cannot control external circumstances, you can control how you respond to them. Cultivate resilience, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. These qualities will serve you well as you navigate the ups and downs of life.

Do not be afraid of change, because change helps us form new perspectives, solve new challenges, and evolve into the people that we are meant to be.

Lastly, don't forget to find joy in the present moment. Take time to appreciate the small victories, celebrate your accomplishments, and cherish the relationships that make life meaningful.

The advice I want to give to my daughter as she graduates stands true for our all of us in our professional lives: Focus on what you can control. The ability to focus on the controllables is essential to success for any organization.

We cannot control many things in business or in life; this is why it’s so important for us to know what we can and cannot control and focus on what is controllable.

So what are some of the things that are within our control?

• We can control our attitude and external facing positivity levels
• We can control our customer focus and our passion to provide them our best service levels
• We can control how we spend our time and what we prioritize on
• We can control the level of expertise that we bring to our customers and our colleagues to solve their most pressing challenges
• We can control our daily habits and incremental progress
• We can control the ability to be proactive instead of reactive
• We can control our leadership and management behaviors

As my daughter’s life changes from being in high school and living at home to leaving home and going on a new adventure, I will keep reminding her that this is just the start. There are so many more things coming her way, many more adventures to go on, more people to meet, places to explore, and things to learn.

When many of us finish school and stop growing in visible ways, life can become all about routine. I don’t want that for her. I know that if she maintains a growth mindset, every change that comes her way is just another opportunity. If she approaches every new challenge as just that – a learning opportunity – I know that she will be successful.

The same is true for us in our career journeys. Growth does not need to come from role changes. It comes from how we address the opportunities in the moment. I can assure you, I get a lot of learning opportunities every day at Honeywell, and I know my reactions to them are very different to what they may have been earlier in my career when I still considered them challenges.

For example, the last few months I have found myself enjoying the challenge of learning more about digital solutions and how they help customers, and I feel the same about our emissions solutions. I am genuinely excited to have the opportunity to learn something new. Daily, I am provided the opportunities to learn about business and our industrial market from internal and external stakeholders. I am provided the opportunity to expand and grow as a leader as well as personally.

I would encourage all of us to follow the advice I have prepared for my daughter.

Focus on what you can control. Embrace lifelong learning, while being able to adapt to new ideas. Embrace change – to form new perspectives, solve new challenges, and evolve into the professionals?that we have the potential to be.