How Well Are You Performing in Your Different Roles?

 How Well Are You Performing in Your Different Roles?

Each day, you play a number of different roles in both your professional and your personal life.

Your professional world is a large part of what you do – but if you’re striving for excellence¹ in this part of your life, it makes sense to strive for excellence in every area.

How are you doing in each area of your life? What are you committed to in each of those areas? What’s the gap or the creative tension between where you are and where you want to be?

As the people around us grow and change, our roles change too: as parents, children, siblings³ and spouses⁴. We need to be intentional⁵ in looking at the roles we have and the level of priority that we give to each. Being excellent at each of our roles means following a constantly moving, evolving target – bridging the gap between our current reality and our vision for the future.

Consider how you spend a typical day:  perhaps you go to the gym at 5am, work from 8am until 5pm, and then spend time with your family in the evening. How might you change and evolve in each of your current roles?

Professional Life

In my professional life, I’m not just a coach. I’m also a community leader, board member, and speaker.

As a community leader, I love to support individuals and organizations in Michigan to lead more fulfilling professional and personal lives.

As a board member for the Troy Chamber⁶ of Commerce, I am able to help many small businesses in my local area.

As a speaker, I can be a catalyst⁷ for change for a whole group of people by delivering a customized presentation to suit their needs.

As a coach, I’m part of a large network of coaches. Today, I can point to literally⁸ hundredsof coaches who I’ve influenced. To me, that’s the true power of community.

For example, I saw a new acquaintance on LinkedIn mention how awesome⁹ her coach was: it turned out I was her coach’s coach years ago. To see my contributions showing up in this way gives me an enormous amount of pleasure.

Sometimes we take on roles out of a sense of obligation. These can feel oppressive, like carrying a heavy weight. Other roles reflect our genuine self and are characterized by lightness and joy: they allow us to express ourselves with authenticity¹⁰ and delight.

How could you shift your perspective about the more difficult roles that you play? Could you bring a sense of playfulness to these? What could you learn from them?

Personal Life

In my personal life, I’m a husband, father, brother and son. Each role has its challenges – and its rewards.

As a husband, I’ve learnt to focus on becoming the person I need to be in the relationship, rather than thinking that my wife should be the person I want her to be.

As a father, I am honored and delighted by my children’s evolution and growth, even now that they’re both out of the house and doing astoundingly well.

As a son, I try to live by “honor thy mother and father” – and as I observe and embrace my parents’ life changes, I become increasingly aware of my own.

And as a brother, I try to stay in contact with my older sister and younger brother, and be the “glue” in my family.

Reflect on your own role as a partner, parent, sibling² or child. What opportunities have these relationships given you for growth? How do you live out your core values in your relationships with family members?

1 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

2 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

3 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

4 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

5 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

10 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。