A message from Cecilia

* Create Options for Yourself - Nothing is going to be handed to you. I wanted more for myself. I wanted to create multiple streams of income for myself. I wanted to have a role that had purpose. I wanted to be an industry leader. So I created those options for myself. I made the decision to leave a job that was comfortable and safe in order to have a career that provided me with a spectrum of opportunities and provided the purpose and fulfillment that I desired. People thought I was absolutely crazy to leave my corporate job. Sometimes in order to create those options for yourself you need to get out of your comfort zone. Leaving that safe comfort zone allowed me to be the CEO of a technology company.

* Surround Yourself with Positive People - If you want to get to the next level, there may be some people that you need to remove or distance yourself from. End toxic relationships that can distract you. Surround yourself with like-minded people that have similar goals and values. Iron sharpens Iron. There have been people that I had to remove from my circle of friends because they were not going to help me to grow personally or professionally and held me back in many ways. If you are going to take off you can’t have people that can keep you down.

* Be a Boss. Think Like an Owner - This is about thinking strategically vs. operationally. In order to achieve goals, you need to have a vision for what you want and execute a plan for how to achieve that vision. It’s abut thinking long term. Operational thinking is just getting through your day to day without thinking about the longer term vision. Being Operational is doing your job well, but that is not going to lead to real promotion. Thinking strategically is going above and beyond in your current role to deliver something impactful, thinking about what your next role is, and moving towards achieving that goal. What are you doing that is going to contribute towards increased revenue, improved profits, or more clients? This is impact ... this is how bosses and owners think.