Don't Be Your Own Worst Enemy

The human condition pretty much guarantees that you will get in your own way at times… d

on’t make the problem worse by buying into labels that others slap on you! I know it’s tempting: you’re only the “Man in the Mirror” for a few minutes a day, while you are the “Man in the window” any time you interact with others, which is all the time. But you need to remember that as people, those others have the same faults and shortcomings as you do.

Think of the “Kid Who Ate Paste in Kindergarten.” That Kid may grow up to be valedictorian of his high school class (or her class, but what girl isn’t bright enough not to eat paste in kindergarten?)… but who do the other students see watching him give the graduation speech: the top student, or the Kid Who Ate Paste?

You can’t control the labels others through at you. Pay attention to trends in the feedback to make sure that your self-assessment is accurate, but don’t get hung up on specific comments that others make about you—good or bad. That’s a recipe for Making the Least of What’s Left of Your Career.

- Jason