CELEBRATION: I Achieved a Huge Goal [#4 in Burned Out Series]
In March, I determined that I needed to take every negative emotion or thought captive and use it as an indicator to explore what I was feeling and thinking while determining my desired outcome for the experience.
The exercise helped me realize something very significant. My husband, Chris, and I achieved a HUGE goal recently. We have raised two of the most wonderful kiddos and they are now officially LAUNCHED into adulthood. Yes, we are true empty nesters.
Just over 25 years ago, we became parents when our daughter Sarah was born in November 1997 and 16 months later, our son, Packard, came along.
Yadda Yadda, I won’t bore you with ALL the details … suffice it to say, I am a proud mama! Here are my top three reasons:
Our sweet children are self-sufficient! Chris and I truly believe it was our responsibility to train up our kiddos so that they would move from dependence upon us to dependence upon God. I realize some of you, my precious readers, do not align with my faith. I respect and honor you for your beliefs. Yet, I hope all parents would agree, we would love to see our kiddos be self-sufficient. [Despite coming over for Memorial Day weekend and leaving with their favorite leftovers; that’s called mama love not dependency.]
Our children are using their strengths and giftings! I have been blessed with two very different kids. One is extraverted, the other introverted. One is analytical and the other is creative. One is independent while the other has a high social responsibility. These differences challenged us to understand them as unique individuals, yet as we celebrated and developed their unique strengths, they have found roles in the workforce that suit them well.
Our children have a heart for family, community, and work! There are a lot of things people say about Gen Z … they are an anxiety ridden generation, they don’t know how to work, and they are self-centered. I think you could say similar about every generation as they entered the workforce. It’s part of the life stage of being young. Yet, for every Gen Z person I have met that meets the stereotype, I have met more that don’t meet it. Including our children. Please hop off the negativity toward this generation. Instead, remember they are just entering the workforce, they need encouragement, and believe that they can succeed if you actually train and coach them! I am confident in my kids, many of their friends and their fellow GenZers – they care deeply for family, community and work.
And because of them, I am a better leader! They taught me that:
Every person I lead can be self-sufficient. It’s my responsibility to believe in them. And, it requires me to explain their role, train them, set clear expectations, AND hold them accountable.
Every person I lead should be using their gifts the majority of the time. It’s my responsibility to help identify, call out, and encourage them in their strengths. The only reason to talk about weaknesses is to prevent failure. Further, Gallup found that if a manager focuses on an employee’s strengths, the chances of them being actively disengaged at work are only 1 in 100!
Every person I lead is more than simply their work product. They are parents, children, friends, community volunteers, artists, gamers, athletes, and so much more. It is my responsibility to appreciate them for who they are while helping them grow in and to a role that best fits their needs as well as the needs of our team and organization.
I acknowledge that I haven’t celebrated enough – the small celebrations and the BIG wins. This is the shadow side of my strengths of problem solving, activator, and strategic. I truly believe the lack of celebration was ONE cause of my burnout, and pausing to celebrate more has been instrumental to me coming out of burn out! Thank you for celebrating with me.
What are you celebrating this season? I’d love to hear from you and celebrate with you!!
Always learning, always growing,
Susan