How to use this information: Use this resource to help add structure to your day and maintain a sense of peace when things become overwhelming. Start your day with a heartfelt prayer and then leverage your strengths and values to create a strong personal and professional strategy when life and work become exhausting.
Prayer:
As the new week begins, I pray for opportunities of promotion and advancement in my work and healing and restoration in my family. With a keen focus on friendship, self-care and productivity I pray for minimal distractions, released guilt and ample opportunities to generate wealth. I pray for open doors that have remained closed and mountains of opposition to be removed. Lead me down a clear path to profitability.
Value: Friendship
Embrace the value of friendship to prevent isolation and loneliness and celebrate good times. Friendships can also provide support during bad times and increase your sense of belonging & purpose.
Self-Care Tip of the Day: Release feelings of guilt around self-love
It’s common for black women to experience feelings of guilt when it comes to doing the work to improve your well-being and take care of yourself. Society is great at making us feel like we are not deserving of good things unless we’ve worked ourselves tirelessly to receive them.
“She doesn’t beg, force or chase. She works, prays and has faith.”
Grab your journal and write down any feelings of guilt that arise when you take steps to take care of yourself. Ask yourself when and where did you learn to put the needs of others ahead of your own.
In the News:
In the Op-Ed, “It’s Time to Admit That Being Liked Is More Important Than Being Good at Your Job,” by Jasmine Browley, some very valid points were made about how you show up in various spaces and how that can affect you both positively and negatively in your personal and professional lives.
Read the post below and let me know your thoughts
There’s much to be said about being likable.
It seems simple enough, but if you are a thought-provoking person with a mission to improve the norm and positively affect society by speaking on discrepancies and injustices, you might find out that you are not liked much at all. You might be respected, but probably not liked.
As a professional woman who has dedicated her adult career to effecting change, resolving conflict and coaching for more efficient outcomes, I can admit that I absolutely love to help break down barriers and generate solutions that make things easier for others. My life’s work can be summed up in one simple biblical verse, “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you (me) live at peace with everyone.” This verse fuels my passion to diligently work in the space of excellence, BUT that also comes with a high, personal price tag.
During a conversation with a friend, I was left thinking about how I present myself to others. She told me that I was not very approachable and that I do not give off a warm and fuzzy feeling. We were talking about relationships, and I was excited about a new potential dating relationship.
It was the first time that anyone shared this information with me, about me, and it made me think about my relationships, the various circles that I am involved in, and how I show up in each situation.
Professionally, I often show up as an individual contributor with a neutral perspective. This helps me navigate through issues with ease to generate solutions for challenges that affect multiple parties, BUT what I’ve learned is that my neutrality often spills into my personal, social engagements too.
Admittedly, it can be hard to turn off my “change management” brain when it comes to personal relationships. My heart always wants to be supportive, but my mind wants the best possible outcome and is often thinking about how things could be improved or changed for the better.
Tips for Advancement:
Here are three easy to implement actions that you can incorporate into your work routine to create more likability for yourself while you continue to do great work.
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When connecting on a personal level, turn off your professional brain. Put down your mental notepad and stay present in the moment
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If you struggle with personal connection, ask those you trust to hold you accountable to show up as your best possible self
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Before you speak and provide feedback about a situation, ask yourself the following: “If this information was being shared about me, how would it make me feel.”
