Improving over time
Yesterday was my yearly performance review at work.
Although I’m thrilled with the outcome, I wasn’t sure what the result would be.
In fact, when I think about it, there are 2 possible ways it could turn out: either I improved throughout the year, or I didn’t.
Since we’re often one of the worst judges when it comes to ourselves, I was being too harsh, and in the end, I was wrong about the result. I have to improve in some areas, and I’m more than okay with that. We can always do better because there’s always room for improvement.
We can’t be at our best at every moment during the day: there are peaks and valleys.
I started reflecting on what I changed there during the year, and it comes down to these points:
My relationship with making mistakes
My desire to improve
There may be other factors to consider, but those 2 are the most apparent to me.
Making mistakes and accepting them as part of learning was pivotal to me. When you do something the wrong way, you might not look good in the eyes of others, and this judgment was the main reason I was petrified to act. Accepting that it’s okay to make mistakes is crucial, as long as you get experience and knowledge out of those.
As for the desire to become better, it has been with me for a few years now. The main driver, though, is, so I’m not caught off guard when I’m facing a problem or anything I don’t know much about yet. I like to understand how things work, so why not improve in many areas, right?
Overall, this is good news for two main reasons: I’m improving and what I’m doing so far seems to be working. Having feedback on what you do is not always possible, so I appreciate it.
What do you think? Let me know.