Hold onto your joy.

Keep adapting, but don't lose your joy.

There's great advice in business about listening and adapting and trying new things until you find something that resonates with your audience. And I completely agree.

I advise my clients to write their end game in PEN and their strategies to get there in PENCIL.

Now, think about a time that you tried a strategy -- gave it your all -- and it didn't produce results. Bummer...

But you had fun while doing it. You really liked it. It brought you joy. Hmmm...

I ask you to reflect on your memory of that moment. And consider this.

The strategy didn't bring the sought outcome, but did another outcome take its place? Did you have an unintended consequence of finding a new passion?

Listen to those around you to adapt and adjust, of course. But only take that so far, please.

Don't let anyone steal your joy. Be involved in the listening and the learning and the adjusting, but don't ever invest so much in a strategy that it begins to hurt your heart or tie to your identity.

Your joy is yours. If you had fun, you had fun. Learn from the flop and hold on to the joy.

Originally a LinkedIn post.