A Resolution that Might Stick for 2022

Some of the most successful people have the mindset of being lifelong learners; they constantly learn new facts but also remain open-minded about updating their practices to make them better. Many of them cringe at the things they did 4-5 years ago, but that’s okay! That’s actually a good sign of significant growth.

However, there are two things Bryan would advise staying away from in your career as an HVAC technician: having a victim mentality and feeling like a savior.

In our careers, many of us have an expectation and feel entitled to that expectation. When we don’t receive what we expected, we may feel like victims. However, that’s not helpful to anyone and only fuels the vicious cycle of entitlement. Instead, try to avoid setting expectations for others and set expectations for *yourself* so that you will be able to handle the disappointments and unfulfilled promises of life in stride. (Ask yourself: “What will I do regardless of what my boss, coworkers, or customers do?”)

To avoid being consumed by the victim mentality, it’s best to keep investing in who you are as a person instead of depending on others for your growth; always try to be a better friend, spouse, parent, or person regardless of others’ promises and your life circumstances.

It’s also counterproductive to personal growth to see yourself as a savior or feel that being a savior makes your work worthwhile. Helping people, serving others, and doing work that matters is what we’ve signed up to do. People who want to be saviors want to be SEEN; being a savior is about recognition, not about doing good work. However, when you feel the need to be a hero all the time, reality will often not live up to that expectation, and it can be pretty depressing.

Instead of focusing on what you are owed or that next dopamine hit you get from saving the day, it’s more productive to focus on lifelong learning and self-improvement: reading new books, trying new tools, doing things you’ve never done before, and developing your internal character. When you develop your internal character, you can be confident in your work because you truly care and have good intentions, not because you want to be the hero.

With self-improvement, we can hope to reach a point where our self-worth is not dictated by the emotions of others or external circumstances.