3. Volunteering for an Intimidating Project
Your company is looking for someone to head up a special project for the quarter—one that will require some extra hours, will involve regular presentations to the executive team, and, in general, will cause you a whole lot of stress over the next several weeks.
Looking at the situation in the present moment can take the decision one way: You don’t want to take on the extra stress, you don’t have the additional hours to commit to the project, and you’re not comfortable putting yourself out there in front of the C-suite yet.
But look at the decision in terms of the future: “If I look back on this in a few years, will I regret not taking the challenge?” Because if you do take the project, you’ll likely gain skills, confidence, and visibility to upper management that could benefit you for the rest of your career. And so, that stress and extra work—especially for only a couple months—may very well be worth it.
