“As one goes through life, one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” Katherine Hepburn

Katherine!! Well said! Most people will read this quote and think, “Of course! I already know that.” And I don’t doubt that we all know that if we don’t paddle our own canoe, we won’t move, but knowing it and acting upon it are two very different things.

Most people in life aren’t “paddling”—I believe that to be 100% true. They are feverishly moving around in their canoe, they might even be making waves, but they definitely are not paddling. What, exactly, did Hepburn mean when she mentioned “paddling?” She was referencing the hard work, the work that advances careers and changes lives. She was talking about networking, goal setting (with deadlines), getting feedback, talking with our boss, having difficult conversations, making a plan, and more! THAT’S paddling!

So today we all get to decide whether we are SITTING in our canoe or PADDLING it. No one is going to paddle it for us—as a matter of fact, they can’t paddle it for us, nor would we want them to. So let’s grab the bleepin’ oar, decide where we want this canoe to go, and start paddling for it! Let’s make it happen!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth