I recently coached a gentleman who has had a long and successful career. He was praised by the organization for his leadership, client retention skills, and appreciated by those at the firm for his genuine caring nature. But when he looked at himself, he was disappointed with where he was. Why? Years ago, his primary goal was to bring in new clients for his firm and his family. He achieved that in spades over those prior years, but now, in his latter career years, he was beating himself up and feeling discontented because he wasn’t adding as many new clients. He was overlooking all that he is today and focusing only on how his achievements of yesterday were not being achieved today.
Once he truly understood his worth to the firm – his leadership, his mentoring of newer producers, and his vast value to the culture of the firm – he was able to reset what fulfills him today, which is helping others and his firm accomplish great things.
Someone once said, “Yesterday’s trophies don’t win today’s prizes.” That may be true, but trying to repeat those same accomplishments that won those past trophies today might ignore all the greatness that is present in you and be the source of today’s discontent.