Remember: Everything always works out better when I loosen my grip and have confidence in myself and the future.
That’s the best resolution I made last year and if I look back, it’s the one I wish I’d stuck to most often. Especially when times were tough. It’s been a challenging year with lots of setbacks. Likewise, lots of successes. It’s also easy to talk about confidence in an academic sense but this was only my second year of consulting. Success or failure does come down in part to a number in a spreadsheet. That said, the more confident I’ve grown, the more I’ve grown my quarterly numbers and I drew a graph in Excel. The line slopes up nice and evenly, and you can see it up above. It doesn’t tell you how hard it’s been to get here. It says: “keep doing what you’re doing, and all will become clear.”
As a consultant I’ve managed to secure a few longer-term gigs moving into 2022. And I’m proud of that. I’ve also worked for about 30 clients this year, all told. And I’m proud of having done a good job for each of them. I’m also very grateful for everything they taught me.
Of course, that doesn’t mean each relationship was all sunshine! I’ve realized how important it is to make sure there’s a click with clients before you start. They need to swipe you right, a bit like on Tinder (!), on a first impression. And if they don’t like you, that’s okay. There are plenty more fish in the sea. The one thing I’ve learned is that if there isn’t the spark, you can’t manufacture it. And if the spark is there, it’ll see you through the toughest of times.
The most frustrating relationship I had this year was one where I gave 110%. But when you’re not appreciated, you’re not appreciated. And in the end, I should have read the writing on the wall there earlier. The best relationship I’ve had all year began with a conversation where I used the Tinder analogy. “There might be other consultants out there who would suit you better,” I said. “And that’s okay. I know it’s your choice and there’s not a lot I can do to influence it.”
I guess it’s true that when you know your own value, but also, what you can’t do, then people also see it. And they’re inclined to trust you more. Feeling real confidence is new for me. Knowing that for every missed opportunity there’s another good one coming.
So, I’m going to re-make just that one resolution for next year.
Remember: Everything always works out better when I loosen my grip and have confidence in myself and the future.
And trust to providence. Happy 2022 to you, too. Let’s do some great work.
