A Mid Year Work-Life Review

My summer vacation has come to an end, I am writing from the heart of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the year 2020 is on the horizon. What a time. A time for reflection. I recently saw a quote on Jay Shetty's IG profile reading "You are the CEO of your life. Hire, fire and promote accordingly." One person added in the comments — "Don't forget to give yourself a bonus." The quote resonated with me on so many levels as the appointed CEO of my life and I believe one could add more elements to the to-do list.

In line with that here are a few lessons I have learned over the past six months that I hope can help you also evaluate and restructure the work you do.

1. You have to know what you should be doing

In each one of us lies the creative power to bring to life whatever idea we put our minds to. However, with great power to create, comes the responsibility to choose. Trust me that you are not going crazy with all the ideas floating in your brain. It is very normal for a creative mind and Albert Einstein was not kidding when he said: "Creativity is intelligence having fun."

The best way to make sure your intelligence is not going to waste is to PRIORITIZE. Choose one or two projects/tasks that will produce the highest return and smash them. Brian Tracy, a bestseller and writer of Eat That Frog talks about the 80/20 rule on how to prioritize. He argues that out of all the ten things on your to-do list, only two of them will have the highest impact on your job, career, and life.

So how do you choose? Write down the ten things you want to do in the next six months, choose just two for now. The two choices you make should be ranked by high priority — high impact or high priority — less impact. Other activities once observed closer, will fit into less priority — less impact. Drop those for now.

2. Learn/ get better at what you should be doing

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss

Personal development and the creation of excellent work is and should not be cheap nor easy. It is hard work and yes it will cost you money, time and sometimes friends. But think about it like this, when you raise the bar in any area of your life some people and places will fall off and others will rise with you. It’s called life and life does not happen to you but for you. So go on and get better, read or listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Seek advice or coaching and then put all that knowledge into practice. Learn, learn, learn every day. For everything you seek to do, someone else is already doing at a level higher than you. This, however, is not to promote a mindset of competition against others, but it is to say that you should always seek to be the grandest version of yourself for when You become better everything you do becomes better too.

3. Team up / Work with others

Team playing was not a strength of mine in the first few years of my career. I felt so comfortable knowing what I knew and believed that I was good to go without any interruptions from people whose actions I could not control. It was only until later that I realized the power of team playing in creating mega incredible work ~ Nobody ever produced quality and sustainable work alone.

That being said, team playing is not romance, it’s about being in tune and having difficult but honest conversations with those you are working with. You will not find synchrony with everyone you work with, but when you do find your tribe, run with them. When things don't work out with your team, remember what Nelson Mandela said "In life, I never lose. I either win or I learn." That experience you will take somewhere else and make a difference.

4. Join/ build a community ~to GIVE

The secret to receiving what you are looking for is found in giving it. I am a community builder by nature and after working on bringing to life — The women in data Berlin — Black in Tech Berlin and My Career Path, I have to say that there is a need and hunger for communities where people interested in particular topics would like to join. If you feel there is one community/topic to be spoken about that is missing in your city, go ahead and create it. There is someone waiting to learn from your experience and vice versa. Don't remain a participant, get involved. Don't just remain a job seeker, you do possess the power to create much more. Do it with others.

5. Say NO

You have heard this over and over and it still stands as accurate. Learn to say no to anything that does not sit well with your inner self, but also that which is there to take without pouring something back.

6. Take care of yourself

Every day is a gift and that is why it’s called the present. Love yourself enough to :

• Eat healthy food
• Exercise
• Take time out to be alone
• Make some money — enough for you to be able to share it
• Sleep
• Sing/dance/ paint and more but in a nutshell — play

7. Give yourself and others TIME~

In conclusion

We teach what we need to learn as people. I have not achieved mastery in many of these areas, but what I have done is to bring and raise a little a bit of awareness to the things I do and the people I interact with. Every season will bring along new opportunities and a set of challenges, it is up to you to learn how to master and steer the ship aka your life in the direction you want irrespective of circumstances at sea.