Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Strategy #4 Finish Strong. Start Fresh.

4 MIN READ

This article is the 5th and final one in a series. Read the introduction article:
​ "Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Womxn of Color ​in the Workplace."

​If you Acknowledge who you are, Accept the strengths and challenges in front of you, and develop a risk tolerance to Adapt to situations as they come, you’re in a pretty good place. But let’s go back to the first question that I had to ask myself - What Can I Give Up? This is why I say, Finish Strong. Finish whatever is holding you back with strength. This might be just what you need to move forward on something else. Be intentional about finishing whatever it is, and focus on ending it with a lesson to validate the effort. ​

And then, Start Fresh. Whatever it is you do next, let it be unencumbered by prior failures, even if they are now Strong Finishes. Start with fresh eyes. Start with fresh enthusiasm. Start with a fresh you. Start the next adventure fresh without any shame holding you back. Two goals as you Start Fresh are to learn your pace and method to Break Things Down and develop the inner strength, self-reliance, and community to Back Yourself Up.​

Break Things Down like a developer by figuring out the Owner, Size, and Priority of the work, question, or goal. If you want to let go of excel

spreadsheets and trade them in for Quickbooks Self-Employed or something: 

• Who is the right person to lead that work (it may not have to be you!)? 
• How much work is that really going to take (size small or medium or large)? 
• How priority is this over everything else that’s on the plate of the person that will own this (due this week or next quarter)?

​Once you know the owner, size, and the priority of this project you want to START, you can rumble with vulnerability as the great Brené Brown advises in Dare to Lead. You can let go of the need for this project to look and feel a certain way if you’re going to delegate it. You can let go of the anxiety of thinking about it right now if you know it’s not going to come up again for several weeks. I bet you will also realize that you have mad delegation and prioritization skills as well!

​Lastly, Back Yourself Up by building a strong bench of people that you can rely on to support you. If you can set up a formal advisory or committee, awesome. If you can find a mentor, wonderful. If you can join a community like a local commission or network like the Women’s Networking Alliance or the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute, way to step it up! The most important part is getting positive reinforcement and honest guidance from outside of yourself, while also building your inner monologue of positive vibes and affirmations. And whenever possible, build a diverse bench. It should have people that look like you and people that don’t look like you. It should have people that will agree with you on some things and people who will disagree with you on some things. Stack your bench with people who will look out for your best interest, which is not the same as Yes-people.

AdvancED Activity
Here are just a few of my favorite affirmations I’ve been sharing lately. Want some more? Contact me, I’ve got dozens!! Find the two or three quotes you like most and either 1) put them on your wall near your work space, 2) put them in your email signature so you can share with the world, 3) share the quote with someone else, or 4) any combination of these options.

• "Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it." ~ Brené Brown
• "Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is." ~ Anne Frank
• "I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story--I will." ~ Amy Schumer
• "The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me." ~ Ayn Rand
• "You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute." ~ Tina Fey
• "Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it." ~ Amy Poehler

You now have all of the strategies you need to begin to tackle any knowledge barriers or general challenges you may have face as a woman in business, education, law, medicine, etc. You already have the will and the grit to move forward; you only need to take the first step. Know that I believe in you and that I am taking those steps with you.

Sincerely,

Mer

​Related articles

• Article 1: Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Womxn of Color in the Workplace.
• Article 2: Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Strategy #1 Practice Mindfulness.
• Article 3: Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Strategy #2 Roll Call! Identify Yourself.
• Article 4: Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Strategy #3 Acknowledge. Accept. Adapt.
• Article 5: Breaking Knowledge Barriers Series: Strategy #4 Finish Strong. Start Fresh.

About Author: Meredith "Mer" Curry

Mer has always had a passion for education and helping historically underrepresented groups achieve access and success to higher opportunities. She has consulted nonprofits, educational institutions, and businesses in addition to her volunteerism and mentorship of students.
Learn more about Mer at www.meredithcurry.com.