You’re at Day 4 of our month-long Career Courage Challenge! Each day, I’ll be sharing a short challenge you can take to help build your courage and your career. Plus, I’ll be taking the challenges along with you—watch for my notes in the Comments, below, as well as on Facebook and LinkedIn, so chime in!
>>>>> GET YESTERDAY’S CHALLENGE HERE
(For more on why we’re doing this Challenge, click here.)
Career Courage Challenge, Day 4:
Write a Thank You to Someone Who Made a Difference in Your Career
YOUR CHALLENGE TODAY:
You didn’t get to where you are on all your own. Stop and think of someone who really made a difference for you in your career. Maybe it’s a former colleague, or boss. Maybe it’s a teacher, coach or even just a friend.
Today, let’s build our courage by telling them how they made a difference. Don’t worry about whether you’ll say it right. Just write a short note thanking them for the lessons, encouragement, advice–whatever they gave you that mattered. (I’ve included ideas on what to say in my video below.)
Extra points if you take pen and paper and write a snail mail note. The rare act of handwriting is more meaningful now than ever, and expressing our true appreciation for others is an act that always takes courage.
WATCH MORE IN MY VIDEO HERE:
Don’t forget to share your experience with today’s Challenge in the Comments below! I’m sharing mine each day, too, so chime in.
Know someone who should take the challenge, too? Point them to CareerCourageChallenge.com to sign up and get each day’s challenges in their inbox!
Why a Career Courage Challenge?
Here at RedCapeRevolution.com, we’ve focused on three main things that we all need to have to soar in our careers (things we’ve learned through our research and conversations with you):
- Gaining Clarity: really seeing and understanding what’s unique and special about you; what your superpowers are and how you can bring them to work;
- Building Confidence: feeling strong and sure about who you are, and what you’re doing now and in the future, and;
- Taking Control: choosing to take action on the things you want and need in your work and life.
But in last year’s reader survey, I asked, “If you could take a superpill that would help you overcome your biggest challenge, what would that pill do?” here’s what you said:[blockquote]The pill would give me the words and courage to express to our executives how damaging these yo-yo initiatives are.
It would give me courage to ask for opportunities when I meet people.
Sometimes small setbacks throw me into doubt. The pill would make me believe in me first.[/blockquote]
So it sounds like there’s a new C emerging: courage. And I’m right there with you, because I’m seeking courage, too.
To play bigger. Serve you better. Impact more people like you. To make hard choices about who I want to be, where I want to be, how I want to spend more of my time and where I need to spend less.
That’s why I wanted to experiment with this free, 30-Day Career Courage Challenge. I’m going to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and I hope you’ll play along with me, too. I hope you’ll share your experiences in the Comments below, on Facebook or LinkedIn, or by email.
I can’t wait to grow my courage muscles with you.
Today, I’m writing snail mail to a couple of my old bosses, who have been so influential in my career. Now, if I could only find my stamps . . .
Let me know if you’re taking the challenge!
[…] >>>>> GET YESTERDAY’S CHALLENGE HERE […]
Darcy,
A couple weeks ago, I wrote individual handwritten notes to all the faculty of the college at which I work thanking them. I started with wanting to write a few notes and then decided to write all 30 of them. And when I got done, I wrote a few to the other VPs and Deans at the college. They were all sent, too.
It is a great thing to write to even those who were not working in my best effort.