8 Tips to Flourish and Unlock Your True Potential

‘Most of us live our lives by accident – we live it as it happens. Fulfilment comes when we live our lives on purpose.’ – Simon Sinek. Flourishing in one’s professional life is a desirable goal that many of us aim to achieve. After all, success in our careers means more than just financial security – it provides satisfaction and self-fulfilment. While it is mostly about common sense but somehow it is not that easy to follow through as many facets of life can easily derail us from realizing our real potential.   So, what are the best practices for flourishing in both professional and personal life? Here are 8 tips to help you to flourish both professionally and personally:

1. Set Clear Goals

Are you clear about your own life goals? What about your professional goals? One of the most important aspects of professional success is having a clear understanding of your goals and ambitions. It all starts with self-awareness. I have written a separate blog post on the importance of being self-aware, please feel free to check it out. 

• Take some time to develop a clear set of objectives, whether it be related to job advancement or overall personal goals.
• Create a SMART action plan for achieving those goals. While it does not come naturally to many of us but journaling about our goals and regularly reviewing them makes a huge difference. Those who are successful are very clear about what they want to achieve which helps them to prioritize better and focus on the right aspects. 
•  Early in my professional life, I went through ‘7 Habits of highly effective people’ by Stephen R. Covey where the first two principles mentioned by the author were a) ‘Be proactive’ and b) ‘ Begin with the end in mind’. Effective goal setting based on clear values can go a long way in fulfilling the first 2 principles. 

2. Develop Your Personal Brand

Are you clear about what you stand for? What have you done to establish your personal brand? Can you do more? What support do you need?

 Building a strong personal brand can be a great way to set yourself apart from the competition. Once you are clear about who you are (self-awareness) and what you want (your goals and vision) you need to think carefully about how you want to be perceived and find out what makes you unique. 

• Work on creating a distinct message (what do you stand for, your opinion on some relevant topics, etc.) that resonates with your employers and colleagues. Express yourself clearly in work settings. Your personal brand provides clarity and confidence to your key stakeholders.
• Be mindful of your social media footprint as they play a role in establishing your brand whether you want it or not.

3. Practice Receiving Feedback

How comfortable are you regarding asking for feedback? When was the last time you proactively asked for feedback? What have you done when you received any constructive feedback?  

Many people struggle with receiving feedback – whether it’s constructive criticism or positive remarks – but developing this skill over time will not only help make working relationships stronger but also increase your confidence at work too! 

• Try looking at feedback objectively instead of being defensive. 
• Ask clarifying questions if needed but most importantly use the feedback received both positively or negatively as opportunities for growth rather than feeling threatened by them! Being open-minded and curious is extremely important in this regard. 

4. Invest Time Into Learning New Skills/ Invest in professional development 

What have you done recently to develop your skills? How are you staying relevant?

We often hear the term ‘Only constant is change’. The world is evolving at such a rapid pace that if you stand still, you will surely fall behind. On the other hand, there is so much information out there ( all online)  at times it can get overwhelming what to focus on and how to follow through. Based on the available statistics less than 10% of people complete any online course they purchase or subscribe to. That’s why the first 3 points I have mentioned are extremely crucial which will help you to invest in the right areas and filter out the rest of the stimulus effectively.  

• Fostering a growth mindset and being curious are key to your success (I will write more about mindset separately). 
• Learning new skills can also boost confidence levels which again is important when seeking progression within any given profession or even interviewing for jobs outside of one’s comfort zone. 
• This could include taking classes, obtaining certifications, attending industry-related events like conferences or workshops, subscribing to relevant magazines or educational sites  – anything that can add value to your current job role or position you for future opportunities. 

5. Develop Professional Relationships/ Effective Networking

What do you do to build and maintain your professional and personal network?

Networking is an integral part of achieving success in any field, allowing professionals from all walks of life to come together and promote their interests or causes. Building relationships with colleagues, industry contacts, potential employers, recruiters, etc., can often prove invaluable when seeking advancement or just generally finding out information about potential job opportunities. 

• Please remember the importance of cultivating relationships with other professionals outside of work; having contacts within multiple industries opens up more job prospects for consideration in the future as well as providing useful advice from experienced professionals who have been in similar circumstances before yourself.
• Make sure to stay active on LinkedIn to connect with influential people who can help open doors for you throughout your professional journey.  

6. Follow Through

Do you always follow through? How do you ensure your own accountability?

Sticking with projects through the completion of the final tasks is essential if you’re looking to build a successful career path. The term ‘Complete-Finisher’ is used quite often in this regard. On many occasions, I have observed professionals take on big projects, and achieve significant milestones but somehow do not close the loop with all the related stakeholders before moving on to another project or activity. 

• If you have committed anything to your stakeholders or even have had a discussion about any topic where someone is expecting you to deliver or at least come back with certain answers.
• Please do make sure to follow through no matter how big or small the work is. This helps to build your credibility which ultimately leads to other people trusting you with crucial work.  

7. Keep Track of Your Progress

Are you just going with the flow? How do you keep track of your progress? How often do you review? What habit have you developed to ensure you are holding yourself accountable?

As we get busier and busier with our lives it becomes harder to keep track of our goals (both personal and professional). Especially when it comes to personal goals it becomes even harder if we do not journal or keep note of our ambitions and related progress. We tend to skew towards fulfilling immediate work deadlines and then let the rest of our lives go with the flow.  

• Please make sure to assess where you currently stand at least once a month in terms of the goals that have been set out for yourself so far; this allows for an analysis that will inform any changes needed going forward such as re-framing objectives or strategies used towards achieving them if necessary 
• Regular Reviews help prevent feeling overwhelmed by tasks at hand and provide clarity when making decisions related to specific tasks/activities/projects etc.
•  Keeping track also helps identify wins along the way which ultimately creates an encouraging progress timeline leading up toward desired outcome(s). 

8. Take Breaks /Reflect and Recharge

What do you do to recharge? Are you doing enough? What else can you do to keep your energy level up?

Rest is essential for staying productive; long hours at work can lead to burnout so make sure to take breaks throughout the day as well as schedule time off work – even a few days away from the office can give much-needed clarity when dealing with stressful projects or occasions where creative solutions are needed but seem elusive due to mental exhaustion.

• Staying healthy via regular exercise is known not only helpful for physical benefits but also psychologically due to its endorphin-releasing effects helping with stress management & general well-being (which is key in enabling one’s full potential).
•  It’s immensely important to take care of your mental health when striving for success within the professional world; Seeking help from qualified mental health professionals is another option available if needed – remember there is no shame in asking for help! 
• Having a hobby outside work is also a great way to re-energize yourself. 

In conclusion, there are many paths available to those looking to excel professionally and personally; however if we consistently set clear goals, establish our personal brand, sharpen the art of receiving feedback,  invest in ourselves through professional development initiatives, network effectively, learn to follow through and track our progress and take care of our physical and mental health  — we are sure to find ourselves flourishing even through difficult times! Having an accountability partner or coach can also go a long way to help us to maintain focus in the right areas. I wish you success, health, joy and fulfilment.