BHAG and Investing in Yourself

A couple of weeks ago the CEO of the organization that I work at hosted an All Hands Meeting to recap the 2018 year. He has been the CEO for around 9 months and so far during his tenure the focus has been improving the organization and getting ready for the next chapter of its existence. The All Hands Meeting was an update on that process and the recap of the previous All Hands Meeting.

What struck me in the meeting was the mention that our organization needed a BHAG (big, hairy, aduacious goal) and that we needed to invest in ourselves. Even though these principles were directed towards the organization, I took the lessons to heart and saw how I could apply these principles to my own life

While talking about the organization’s BHAG, the CEO said that how can anyone support our efforts if we do not have a big dream that is inspiring us? What are we all working towards if we do not have a big goal?

This hit me. In terms of my professional life, I spent most of 2018 thinking about what my next step, career wise, would be. I still feel like I don’t have many answers yet and I am not any closer to figuring things out, but I KNOW I need a BHAG. I need something that sets my soul on fire. If I am not motivated and passion about something, how can I expect others to want to hire me or team up with me?

The meeting also spoke to me that it was okay to say my dream career, goals etc outloud. I don’t have to be ashamed of what I want. I can say it to myself and to others! If these are things that really inspire me and I want to achieve, I need to start believing in them before I can actually achieve them.

Not only do I need a big goal for myself, I also need to invest in myself. Our CEO hilighted areas that our organization needed improvements and we ourselves needed to address them. We needed to invest in ourself to help us grow and reach the next chapter of the orgnaization’s history.

I need to do the same. I need to invest in myself and bet on myself. If I don’t invest and believe in myself who will? I need to be my own biggest fan.

I don’t know what 2019 has in store for me, but I know what I need to start with: defining my goals and investing in myself.