Lesson 1: Crisis Management or Crisis Prevention? So you tripped over a rock and skinned your knee. You might get a band-aid to stop the bleeding, but wouldn’t it also help to make sure the obstacle is removed so it doesn’t happen again? There will always be obstacles in your way (aka bad moments), what matters is what you learn from them. Will you work on crisis management or crisis prevention?

Lesson 2: The Golden Standard. It’s good to have dreams and aspirations. It’s good to have those who you look up to. But if one day you “underpreform” or fall short don’t let it turn into a spiral of impostor syndrome. Data-wise, think, how many bad days have there been compared to the good days? Analyzing these data points, is it fair to conclude that you should give up and leave the profession? Probably not… Everyone has bad days, even those who you look up to. Remember the moment you fell in love with what you do. Which leads me to the most important lesson…

Lesson 3: The Rock Climbing Wall. The first time you go “bouldering,” (Rock Climbing) you might be able to do the basic climbs, coupled with a fear of heights and imminent exhaustion. This doesn’t mean that you will always be this bad, it just means that you’re starting out and it’s unfamiliar. The more you go, the stronger your muscles will get and the less you will fear falling. Which means that likewise, anything you’re learning will take time. You might cry – just like you might sweat. You might not quite know what you are good at yet – just like when you’re muscles are all sore. Eventually you will adapt and learn and be able to redirect so that your biggest challenge will turn into your biggest strength.