Unlocking Your Next Level

When a new season arrives, walk into it dressed and ready for what’s coming.

Valorie Burton

As I started to craft this article on my flight back home recently, the story of the caterpillar immediately came to mind. This insect must endure the process of metamorphosis in order to unlock its God-given potential and experience a whole new level of capacity and perception. I don’t know about you; every time I visualize this image, my mind wanders to a painful process of birthing something new. A process that requires faith in the unknown, endurance, a degree of vulnerability and resilience, which collectively reeks with fear. I often reason that the caterpillar must have accepted the calling on its life ~ that it was simply born for more; and that its current state was not designed to be its future stage.

I have learnt overtime that small shifts in your thinking, and small changes to your energy, can lead to massive alterations of your end result. The truth is, your ability to unlock your next level requires this exact type of attitude. The path to unlocking your “next level” all starts in the mind and with the understanding that the journey to becoming all that God has called you to be comes with some “defining moments” that many times produce some discomfort and dear I say, pain.

Watering The Seed

On the heels of my third book anniversary, I took the time to reflect on the journey that authoring “LIFE LESSONS A Purpose Driven Leadership Journey” led me on and I can’t help but marvel at the power of transformation. Not only have my speaking engagements increased but so has the confidence to do something I never liked doing, public speaking. Despite the wealth of knowledge and experience already acquired overtime as a leader, I was in a season where I was purposefully making room and building capacity for a new set of aspirations and skills to be nurtured.

I set out with intention to water my gifts because I quickly realized that you can’t hide from anything that God’s called you to do. My passion for helping others to unlock their full potential not only saw me watering the seeds of others, but embracing the reality that a new version of me was also emerging. I embarked on a journey to use my power, my position and my influence to positively impact others; essentially, I made a conscious decision to carry the light.

Journeying To Purpose

As a leader, I have this saying when working through complex or confrontational issues, “let’s first deal with the current reality.” And if you follow me across any of my social media platforms, you know I keep it real by sharing varying life lessons to highlight the brutally honest fact that leadership is not for the faint of heart. The journey to unlocking your purpose is hard, and it may be even harder when you choose to shine your light for the world to see. I once heard another author express this point so eloquently, “we never stop fighting giants on the journey to purpose because giants just never stop coming.”

Every next level in your life will pose new challenges; either personally or professionally or both. The truest test of all time will be reflected in how you show up in the face of adversity. The reality is that life comes to us in seasons so we are forced to take the highs with the lows, albeit reluctantly. In reality, facing adversity and overcoming it successfully, does call for some degree of vulnerability.

Notwithstanding, the real challenge is in how we preserve our light when the low seasons drag us into the valley. We must be prepared to constantly remind ourselves “That we do not grow in the dark. Our growth happens when we make the conscious decision to step into the light and choose to keep watering and fertilizing ourselves until we begin to ignite the light of others.” (The Garden Within by Dr Anita Phillips)

Truthfully, a broader acknowledgment from within that your purpose is way bigger than you will help to keep you grounded, even if you lose your balance along the journey. The power to show vulnerability will also water your elasticity and resilience; all the while strengthening your “bounce-back-ability”.

Next Level Thinking

As you continue to evolve so should your thinking. Your ability to see life through different lens comes with an awakening of new encounters, experiences and an increased level of emotional intelligence.

I had the honor of sharing recently with a group of women some of the key life lessons that have guided my quest to success and during the many defining moments in my life. Here are 6Cs that collectively help to keep me grounded and continue to shape my outlook and daily actions in how I choose to show up.

✨Commitment

First, you must understand and establish a strong “why” that propels you into action. Understanding your why will give you the purpose, passion and perseverance to stay committed to your dreams and aspirations. Without commitment, you will find yourself wavering in pursuit of success, and ultimately this compromises your ability to unlock new levels along the journey.

✨Character

I agree wholeheartedly with John C. Maxwell when he argued that “Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent.” Talent wavers in new seasons; however, our character is underpinned by who we are; our personal values and beliefs system that determines how we show up in the world. For me, I always liken my character as foundational to my personal brand. The ability to stay true to who I am, while still managing to capture the hearts of others.

✨Competence

In the book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins speaks to competence in a way that has forever impacted my life. He shared how this hugely successful Wall Street leader showed up for work daily like it was his first day on the job. The ability to stay in a constant zone of learning is key to building up greater competence. This mindset and attitude helps to keep you curious and hungry for knowledge, which strengthens your ability to attract new opportunities, while building new levels of capacity. Simply put, personal growth often equals opportunity.

✨Confidence

There is power in pushing through moments that generate feelings of fear. In reality, each time I am asked to present to new audiences on new topics, my willingness to speak up as a junior leader, moments where I have to represent myself by asking for what I know I deserve, all trigger some degree of fear. What I have learnt overtime however, is that you have to do it afraid. This I how you build self-confidence. It comes with the practice of taking intentional action.

✨Consistency

We have all heard the phase “consistency is key to success”. For me building consistency in performance has been a staple ingredient along my professional journey. I also embrace the mantra that “you don’t have to be extreme; just be consistent.” Without consistency in your approach, it becomes really hard to positively influence others or lead to any real significant change in your life.

✨ Connections

As a mentor, I always suggest to my mentees that building their professional network must become a higher priority. I personally love to be in the presence of new perspectives and people with way more knowledge than me (even though this can feel intimidating at times). Certified Executive Coach and Author, Valerie Burton, shares that “strengthening your professional connections is a key to success in the world of work, regardless of your chosen field.” Interesting, from my observations, seeking to intentionally build new connections is almost as terrifying as public speaking for some persons. My advice for successfully building new connections is to first establish “what you can give and not what you can get, even if it may just be a compliment.”

As we transition from season to season or as we move to feed the desire to unlock new levels, we must first reaffirm our commitment to embracing the journey. The goal is forward motion as becoming stagnant should never be an option.

Growth is not linear! We can grow upward or even horizontally but one thing is for certain, our way of thinking and doing is what will determine our final destiny.

Are you ready to move into a new season? If your answer is yes, now ask yourself, “where do I want to be and what am I prepared to do differently?”