“It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.” – Sally Field
Sometimes, in my preparations to give a speech, I catch myself in a spiral of concerns about whether the audience will like my points or if what I’m saying will resonate at all or if the information I share will be relevant enough for them and on and on. In the best of times, I catch the spiral before it goes too far down (it is never going up) and shift into reminding myself of other speeches that have gone very well and that it is really none of my business to be concerned with their reactions or judgment. My focus is on understanding the group’s needs from the meeting planner/coordinator and then taking the time to prepare a great speech that meets those needs.
You will thrive more if you first clearly understand the expectations of your assignment or project and then do your best to meet them. Your work may include asking for feedback and many other steps. Avoid projecting into the future and guessing about how you will be judged about the results. The more you can focus on doing your best in the current moment, the more the results will take care of themselves and the more productive you will be.
Here’s to more thriving and less being stuck in judgment from others this week!