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A Shift in Perspective
Sometimes in life, we get to listen to someone's story, and it is so inspiring that it creates a massive impact on us. For some reason, at that moment, their words make so much sense to us that something in our mindset shifts, and these words become a source of inspiration and motivation moving forward.
In March, celebrating Women's International Day, we delivered a series of three meetings for the women at Afifi Group. We discussed topics relevant to us as working women in today's world juggling many different demands and expectations in both professional and personal lives. We discussed issues such as defining success in life, perspective and the power of choice, opportunities, and the obstacles that hold us back.
We invited an outside guest with an extraordinary and inspiring story for our last meeting. We enjoyed listening to Rola Nassar-Bisharat, CPO at General Motors Israel and Strategic Alignment & Innovation at GM Global, talk about how seeking and creating her opportunities helped pave her professional success and impressive career.
I want to share with you some powerful words from Mrs. Nassar-Bisharat that I believe you will find valuable. Her advice was to shift our mindset from my gain to my contribution and ask ourselves, what value do I bring?
Let's take a few seconds and just let that thought sync in. What does it mean to shift our thinking from gain to contribution? and instead of asking, "what will I get out of this? we ask, "what can I give?"
It is human nature to think about needs, wants, and gains. However, Mrs. Nassar-Bisharat's point was that when we think about our contribution and step into our jobs with the mindset of bringing value combined with hard work, we make ourselves valuable for the job and the organization and become indispensable. We create a win-win situation.
I have been thinking recently about how we can apply this shift in perspective and mindset to all aspects of our lives. It's ultimately a shift from my gain to our gain. The wellbeing of all of us vs. mine and mine alone. Isn't this one of the biggest problems with our world today? People are hyper-focused on their own gain, their win, their needs, and their wants with little consideration for their communities. Giving, sharing, helping, and serving seem less and less important.
What value do I bring into a situation? What are my strengths?
What value do I bring into my relationships? What role do I fill?
What impact do I want to create in my life and this world? How can I help, be of service, and give?
When we start asking these follow-up questions, we are looking to increase our self-awareness to recognize our strengths, passions, and life purpose. Many cultures and many coaching models address the topic of "life purpose" and its direct connection to finding fulfillment in life. Although it's too long of a subject to cover in this blog post, I want to highlight one thing: Finding meaning in what we do, creating real value, and thinking of the contribution we bring are all connected to us living lives that help make a difference, fulfilling lives with a meaning bigger than ourselves.
So, what if we try to become more intentional in shifting our mindset from gain to contribution. For this month, I invite you to practice this in different parts of your life. Notice what it's like for you to make this shift. How does it affect you and others, and what can you learn about yourself?
Imagine if more and more people walk around this earth with this mindset to contribute and bring value. What kind of world can we create together then?
Sincerely,
Rasha Afifi-Talleh
Professional Coach,
ACC, CPCC, INHC, ORSC
