Balance Begins with an A…… Agility.

By Michael Taylor, Senior Account Executive at Microsoft, Founder of the Keepin' It 100 speaker series.

Agility is a noun often saved for athletic prowess or descriptions about luxury vehicles all wheel traction. Seldom is this meant or taught in the matriculation of those impressionable college students entering the workforce nor extended to those meandering through their careers in their respective rank/titles. Mix in the vast differentiations in social, racial, economic and personal development etc, and you have unintentionally cultivated an underbelly of rigidity for individuals when being alerted to their own internal emotional warning system.

There is a broad spectrum of coping mechanisms we have all developed as our reliable and personal effective tool kit when confronted or conflicted with internal emotions and external response options. You can bottle things in, brooding/worrying about the past, deflect, self-distance….you get my point. Where your true growth and happiness can be found to flourish is simpler than you would imagine, it's right there, living in the present. We all hold expectations, goals, thoughts or dreams not only of ourselves but what our future self will be despite any setbacks we may have encountered along the way. During this journey we can find ourselves being anchored in habits that just don’t serve us. I personally always remind myself, “You can’t measure YOUR success off someone else’s ruler”.

The true testament to attaining complete satisfaction in life/work or anything you do despite the inevitable pitfalls or setbacks, completely revolves around your response to them. Radical acceptance will be your prerequisite for change. This can begin with understanding that your internal dialogue will manifest your future life’s trajectory. We as humans have almost perfected the advice we give to family, friends or loved ones but so harshly critique and second guess our most guttural feelings or emotions. By unequivocally invoking self-compassion you are realigning yourself to honor your own truth as opposed to basing subjective critiques/comments to swirl around your mind, forming narratives that now shape your emotions, thoughts and responses.

By understanding and establishing what your own personal values are will undoubtedly set you up for success as these pillars will be your compass to choosing YOUR right path. Passed up on a promotion, overlooked for a specific role, completely denied from a proposal you worked your ass off on, not seeing yourself fitting into a certain group of people at work….these are just some scenarios where prominent emotions will arise and you have to create your baseline by disjointing your emotions from what your values are by labeling them. You may feel defeated, but this doesn’t equate to being overlooked intellectually or personally. “Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values and Your values become your destiny”-Gandhi.

Tapping into your emotional agility will serve you on so many levels both professionally and personally. Despite how amazing or crappy things have been for you on this life journey, we all struggle at some point. Masquerading those tough times with positive affirmations simply won't do yourself justice. Living in your now with clarity, grace and vulnerability to speak through those things that eat at you will only catapult your emotional and personal stock. Having some sort of distinction between internal chatter and how you feel will make your days better, life more purposeful and uplift those who surround you. Implementing this will not be easy but must be more so consistent so that you can honestly hold yourself to a standard that specifically serves you. Developing a keen sense of emotional agility can combat past demons while paving your path to an enriched life. Find solace in the narrative that distinctively represents you and is aligned with the values you want to uphold as this will keep you satiated from chatter looking to pull you off your route. Find the grace in what has sculpted you as this characterizing will provide your framework for how to be a fractionally better individual than you were yesterday. Find your balance but remember always be agile.

Michael Taylor

Michael is an experienced Account Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. Strong sales professional skilled in Digital Strategy, Sales, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Media Buying, and Market Research. He is currently a Senior Account Executive at Microsoft and is the Founder of the Keepin' It 100 speaker series. He has held previous roles with marquee companies including Pluto TV, Under Armour, TV One, NBCUniversal and ESPN.

Keepin' It 100

Founded and hosted by Michael Taylor, this free-flowing speaker series invites leaders in the industry beyond Microsoft to explore their journey of successfully navigating the corporate world while not necessarily fitting into the stereotypical board room setting. While conversations range in topics, they never stray from transparency, providing value and the brutal honesty from the lens of the minority. We intend to empower one another through our adversities, helping to create the framework on how to never lose yourself while endeavoring to cultivate your dreams. To register to attend an upcoming session, contact Michael via LinkedIn or email him at or email him at Michael.Taylor@microsoft.com.

Michael Taylor's Episode on THIS. with Shauna Griffiths. REAL TALK. REAL LEADERS.

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