Up the ladder, down the ladder.
Wherever you are in your professional life, it might be said that you are on some rung of the career ladder. The top and bottom rungs of that ladder may have been defined by you or, more likely, by society. But either way, you’re on a rung.
Naturally, we all want to do what one wants to do when on a ladder: CLIMB!
And so it is, perhaps quite naturally, that our focus tends to fall on what rung we’re on. How high are we? How close are we to the top? But there’s something far more important than where you are on the ladder, and that is – which way you’re looking.
Are you looking up the ladder, or down the ladder?
If you’re always looking up the ladder, then you are always looking at what you don’t have; at what you have yet to achieve.
If you’re always looking down the ladder, then you are always seeing how far you’ve come; how much you’ve learned.
Both views have something to offer. Looking up can provide motivation for growth. Looking down can provide gratitude and appreciation. The danger lies in only looking one way. Notice which way you tend to look, and just remember to look both ways.
Up the ladder, down the ladder.
