Up Front Coach

My reason was that I wanted to work in an environment that aligned with my values. Even though at the time, I had no idea what that even meant.

I hired a coach and five months later landed the best job of my entire career.

I learned something recently about peace. You can be a keeper or a maker.

I’ve been both.

A peacekeeper strives to maintain harmony, and in doing so, can be reluctant to share opinions and feelings for fear of how others may react or respond. Useful in some situations for sure, classic avoidance behavior in others. When I’ve shown up as peacekeeper, I’ve been focused on bringing harmony, and I realize now, what I was really doing was maintaining the status quo.

Peacemaking is different. It’s proactive. Peacemakers actively engage in conflict - within themselves and between others – with a goal of bringing resolution. They agreeably disagree and share their thoughts and feelings with honesty in a way that doesn’t diminish the other person. It’s a long game that requires courage and a desire to move forward.

My takeaway? Focus on being mindful over being reactive. That helps me read the room so I can see which peace is needed most.

In a transition, something ends, and that may require us to adjust how we think anout ourselves. Our identity. Being aware of our mindset through this process helps smooth the way. In a fixed mindset, we may feel like giving up when something seems too difficult, dismiss feedback as criticism, or feel threatened by the success of others. In this state, our focus is on proving ourselves. A growth mindset focuses on improving – persevering through challenges, being open to learning from missteps and mistakes, and defining success as learning and growing.