What we repeatedly do.
It is hard to believe that this is my 20th blog post and the one year anniversary of Whipps Consulting LLC.
I have come to find that I am the type of person that finds a goal, hobby, or passion and I jump right in without hesitation. This has pros and it has cons. One pro of jumping in without hesitation is that I don’t waste time overthinking what I am getting myself into. Many people suffer from FOF (fear of failure) and never take that first step toward something new.
Whipps Consulting has been no different. I jumped in because I believe in my message and I am passionate about unlocking the potential of all the people I serve. It’s that simple. A lot has been accomplished in one year. I have ten different curriculum topics ranging from managing change to coaching and mentorship. I have been able to work with almost a dozen different organizations over the past year and have been invited to provide leadership training at an international conference in May.
The picture on the left is from 2019. I was a person that was dejected and frustrated after feeling passed over for multiple opportunities at my current institution. I had just received my doctorate and had always exceeded expectations put on me at work. To a certain extent, I felt entitled to promotion and recognition. When I was passed over for opportunities, I was resentful and angry. Back then I was nervous, apprehensive, and spent way too much time invested in the opinions of others.
The picture on the right is me today. I am in a better place physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is evident in my confidence and the way I carry myself. I have learned that I am the only person in charge of my growth and success and can’t rely on the opinions of others. I am intentional on who I invest my time in and where I find my mentorship. I am grateful for my failures and shortcomings. They have taught me way more than if I was given the opportunities I thought I so desperately needed at the time.
The key to going from the 2019 version of myself to the current version of myself had nothing to do with the aspirations I had at the beginning. It was my conscious decision to change my daily habits. When you hear someone say you can manifest your own success by simply having a goal and believing in yourself, they are full of it. People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures- F.M. Alexander. There is no statement more true than this one in my opinion. Change starts with a goal, but only happens through what we repeatedly do. There is a lot of literature out there on habit forming but a general consensus is that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.
If I had one piece of advice to give someone who is looking to make lasting change I would say to do these three things.
Jump in. At the end of the day what is the worst that can happen? If you are suffering from fear of failure, know the regret if you didn’t do something is way worse than failing in the attempt.
Don’t invest in the opinions of those who don’t matter. It is important to have mentors, but you will find there are a lot of people out there with a lot of opinions, good or bad. Take stock of who is in your inner circle and be cognizant of who you let in.
Embrace the grind and be intentional about the habits you create. I don’t need to tell you what habits you need to cultivate. You already know them. It’s the decision to follow through with building those habits day in and day out that will make or break your journey. Be okay with knowing that it will take months, maybe years to create habits. Along the way, you will find you have cultivated lasting change.