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You bet Betsy shines her light! And she wants every reader who picks up the book Get Up to not be afraid of shining their light either.
But whoa. I need to slow down.
Before I dive into the small but mighty quote that Betsy McLeod (@betsy.mcleod) shared, in chapter 5, there is so much behind this IT professional that you need to know.
Can you believe that Betsy has a second-degree black belt in Karate? When she’s not on the Dojo mat, Betsy can be found swooshing down a ski hill and treating herself to chocolate, Indian food, and sushi. After a long day, she loves taking luxurious baths with all kinds of Lush products.
Betsy sure sounds like she’s living quite the life. Accomplishing goals, enjoying the little things, and taking risks.
You bet Betsy shines her light! But, truth be told, it wasn’t easy for Betsy to get to this place.
Wait until you read this.
I am a confident, kind, optimistic woman who loves a challenge and learning new things. Married for 34 years. (But I have known my husband for over 40 years!) Together we have raised an independent, creative and intelligent young lady.
A) Your career in the IT field – I have always loved technology and I still do. However, the biggest lesson I’ve learned on the job has very little to do with IT, and everything to do with people. Any issue or misunderstanding can be resolved through communication. If something isn’t being done correctly or is taking too long, it’s probably because the requestor and the person doing the work don’t have the same understanding of the task.
B) Your marriage – Always give your partner the benefit of the doubt.
C) Raising your daughter – Your child is their own person. They may have completely different interests from you, and see life in a different way. I appreciate and learn from my daughter every day.
D) Your friendships – Make time for your friends. They know you the best and they love you in spite of your faults!
I am very proud of having successfully raised my daughter. Editor’s note: Is there a tissue nearby?
Normally, I get up, work out, have breakfast, then start work. As I work with a lot of people in Europe and India, there are a lot of meetings in the morning. Afternoons are more productive with work tasks and I try and get a break during the day and go for a walk. Evenings are for dinner, watching TV, and maybe sitting outside if it’s nice. I am approaching retirement and I think my days will look completely different then.
When I was in my teens, I lacked self-confidence and would never do anything that might make me stand out. I was a good student and got top marks in academic subjects; however, I didn’t think these things mattered that much in having a successful life. Editor’s note: So true!
I never put myself out there and would not try anything unless I was completely sure I would excel at it.
As I got older, I realized that every person has the ability to put their own unique spin on things and there isn’t one single way to excel. That gave me more confidence to finally start to try new things in my twenties and ‘shine my light’ in my own way.
When I started to direct my energy outward, rather than inward, my world opened up. I believe my teenage self would be astonished at what I’ve been able to accomplish just by putting myself out there and taking a chance.
A few of my ‘risk-taking adventures’ that I have done are:
Enjoying and appreciating the people that matter. Appreciating all things, especially the little things. Allowing yourself not to be “perfect” while you take that risk. And she does it so well.
Will you?