💡 Only when the world feels upside down can you truly see what’s beneath your feet.💡
Eighteen months ago, my world turned upside down when I lost my job at Mastercard. For a long while, I felt uncertain and unsteady. What is a product manager without a product, after all? 🤔
But over time, people have helped me realized something very important: my path forward was the product I needed to manage. That shift in mindset – treating my own growth and direction as a product – pushed me to take on challenges I never imagined, bringing growth and fulfillment in ways I couldn’t have predicted.
A few takeaways that have stuck with me:
1️⃣ Keep your head up: The toughest decisions often lead to the most meaningful change. It’s not easy, but resilience starts with taking that first step forward. ✨
2️⃣ Be present in the moment: It’s tempting to focus on the “what ifs,” but real progress comes from focusing on “what’s right in front of you”. 🌱
3️⃣ Embrace the unknown: Oh boy… growth really means stepping into the uncomfortable. What scared me at first turned out to be exactly what I needed. 😳➡️💪
So, if you’re navigating a moment of change or uncertainty, I want you to know you’re not alone. It can feel overwhelming, but clarity often comes when you least expect it.
Honestly, I’m here to help. Whether you need advice, encouragement, or just someone to listen, I’d love to support you as you find your footing again—no strings attached. 🤝
Here’s to growth, resilience, and stepping boldly into the unknown in 2025. 🌟
hashtag#GrowthMindset hashtag#Resilience hashtag#CareerPivots hashtag#Leadership hashtag#SmallBus
✍️ Written by Walter Reid at https://www.walterreid.com
🧠 Creator of Designed to Be Understood at (LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/designed-to-be-understood-7330631123846197249 and (Substack) https://designedtobeunderstood.substack.com
🧠 Check out more writing by Walter Reid (Medium) https://medium.com/@walterareid
🔧 He is also a (subreddit) creator and moderator at: r/AIPlaybook at https://www.reddit.com/r/AIPlaybook for more tactical frameworks and prompt design tools. r/AIPlaybook at https://www.reddit.com/r/BeUnderstood/ for additional AI guidance. r/AdvancedLLM at https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedLLM/ where we discuss LangChain and CrewAI as well as other Agentic AI topics for everyone. r/PromptPlaybook at https://www.reddit.com/r/PromptPlaybook/ where I show advanced techniques for the advanced prompt (and context) engineers. Finally r/UnderstoodAI https://www.reddit.com/r/UnderstoodAI/ where we confront the idea that LLMs don’t understand us — they model us. But what happens when we start believing the model?