SeattleCoach! "Connection. Curiosity. Challenge."
Hey there. You probably received the link to this page from someone who loves you.
I'm Patty Burgin, the founder and CEO of the SeattleCoach Network. We are a tribe of experienced professionals who have become executive coaches. And we have a soft spot in our hearts for young leaders like you who are catching the Adulting Train.
So last week I asked our wise, accomplished, fun-loving tribe what advice they might have for this year's graduates. Turns out they had some charming answers.
We invite you to look through the following list and to reflect on the entry that stops you. Your gut probably knows. You're welcome.
- Be pretty direct about what you want. (You can be direct and kind at the same time.)
- Find a sport you like and get good at it. You’ll meet great people.
- Be unhurried with the important stuff. Don’t cut corners.
- Remember that what you put on the internet machine will last forever. But you knew that.
- Handle your reputation with TLC.
- Let someone else get credit.
- Send thank you notes.
- Keep some stuff to yourself.
- Go out of your way.
- Your life is going to fly by. Just saying.
- More than what you say, people remember how you make them feel. So focus on giving them the good.
- Get involved. Fight for what you are passionate about, who knows, you just might change the world.
- Success may be the enemy of fulfillment. Don’t create a life for yourself that you feel the need to escape.
- Don’t assign ill intention to the acts of others.
- Don’t be too critical of what someone does – try to catch them doing the right thing and praise them.
- Be curious – it is the best chance to understand someone or something.
- Judging others is alienating others – let go of the need to do that constantly to others and yourself.
- Exercise empathy.
- Practice gratitude, all day, all the time, towards everyone.
- Dare to be bold and brave, you never know who you'll inspire.
- Assume others have good intentions. It makes navigating life more enjoyable.
- Surround yourself with great people who are great coaches. You will make each other better without trying.
- Don't believe everything you hear...or read. Use that fine brain of yours to come to your own conclusions based on your principles and values. Always be learning and experiencing life in-person, not just through the screen of your electronic device. Trust yourself, and know that in order to do that you'll need to distinguish between your inner wisdom and the wheedling voice of FOMO. Avoid "should" as much as possible. Either something's right for you, or it's not - never mind what others say you should do. Yes, I know, your parents aren't going to like that. Don't be unduly swayed by doomsday talk about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket. It's just us old people feeling sad because the world we knew is changing and that's hard to accept without a big dose of nostalgia. Be excited because what's coming is the world you get to shape and create. But be warned, it may not as easy as you think.
- All of us are smarter than any of us. Remind yourself of that periodically.
- Be inclined to trust your gut. Your head will often try to talk it out of what it knows. But it often knows best.
- Find your voice and don't be afraid to use it.
- (And last but not least), About your life partner: Don’t separate your heart from your values and vision for your life. That combination of dizzying attraction + shared values? Your match is out there.
SeattleCoaches who contributed their wisdom to the list (along with their links) . . .
P.S. Coaching with one of them might be a life-changing choice if . . .
- You're thinking about what you have to offer, and how you will make both a living and a difference,
- You're contemplating training programs, internships, majors, and/or on-ramp jobs,
- You’re exploring the intersection of your aptitudes + your interests,
- You're ready to set some key goals, to find your next steps, and get a little more comfortable with competition (and maybe even rejection).