Is this the year you up level?
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Some years ago, after we just moved into our new home, a coaching buddy of mine joined me for an all-day planning workshop. In jest she asked, now I had up-levelled my home, was I going to up level my friends next? She was joking, but she was onto something.
The idea of up levelling is not new, but the term may be less familiar. Let’s explore.
What does up level mean?
The term up level is often used online when talking about making changes and improvements to ourselves, our lives or our career/business. My children tell me gamers prefer the term level-up (they love to correct me! 😉). However, I prefer up level.
Up level is defined as having greater capabilities, or a higher version of something. To make progress or improve in a specific area of one's life; level up. Basically, up levelling means something is better than it was previously, that is, it’s improved.
Why would I want to up level?
Would you ask ‘why would I improve something’? Probably not. 😉 It’s human nature to want to improve. We only need to see the volume of improvement based articles, books, TV shows and the like to acknowledge the truth of this. Whether it be our surroundings (hello home improvement shows), our space and storage of belongings (Marie Kondo I’m looking at you), or ourselves (the multitude of self-development courses), we are drawn to improve all facets of our life. Improving or up levelling, is part of the human condition – we are wired to continually learn, test, challenge and grow.
Up levelling and growth mindset
Part of the way we up level our minds and approach to life is by having a growth mindset.
“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.”
Rather than settling for the status quo, or feeling that we have learnt everything, a growth mindset encourages us to continually learn and improve. And easy way to do this can be to seek feedback from peers and colleagues and then use that feedback in a constructive way to improve our work/projects/outcomes.
Ultimately, we all want to do our best in our career and personal lives. With a focus on growth and improvement we are already in the process of up levelling our lives.
How do I up level?
Up levelling can be big or small. Big up levelling can contribute to significant changes in your life, including moving house, overhauling your mindset and/or pursuing a new career or promotion. These large-scale up levels can mean undertaking wholesale changes in your career, life and relationships.
Now, that’s exciting and potentially hugely impactful. But it can also feel daunting, overwhelming or just plain hard.
I prefer to start with smaller up levelling. As with so many things in life, when we start small, we build the muscle for the activity. This is as true for up levelling as it is for exercising or decluttering (the other two areas where we are often encouraged to start small). When we focus on small changes, we build our up level muscle slowly.
Baby steps to up level your life
1. Don’t accept sub-standard items
A starting place for up levelling aspects of your life can include no longer accepting substandard items. Getting rid of the things that make you feel bad can be an easy first step. Whether they be clothes that don’t fit, items with stains on them, chipped crockery, towels that are scratchy or lounge cushions that are lumpy; they are small, fairly superficial items, but they are an easy place to start.
Choose to feel great and present with confidence
2. Choose to feel great
Other ways we can up level that don’t necessarily cost a lot of money but can have a huge impact, include choosing to wear the clothes that make us feel fantastic, every day. Not keeping certain items for best or wearing our best work clothes only for the meetings we deem ‘big and important’ enough. Rather, giving ourselves permission to show up each day as our best, most professional self - and relishing how confident we feel as a result.
3. Mindset, attitudes and behaviours
Once you have started with the easy wins, the slightly harder stuff is calling for you to up level it also. This is where mindset and attitude come in. As I’ve shared before, it’s okay to let go of things that no longer serve us. Especially during times of transition; letting go of past attitudes, emotions, behaviours or even people can be required in order for us to transform to our new, improved selves.
4. Leadership
Leadership is another area where we can up level. Whilst we may not feel like a leader when we consider our job title, however we are all leaders of our own lives. After all, we each decide what our life is going to look like. We can therefore up level our own thinking to be that of a leader.
5. Our professional image
How about the image you present to the world? Is this an area you may need to up level? If you are a professional, what do your photos currently say about you? These days all of us require professional headshot’s for our photos on corporate bios, LinkedIn profiles and other platforms. As the saying goes, first impressions count, and this is especially important when we are often connecting digitally before we meet in person. Is the image you present to the world an area you could up level?
6. Our career
Career up levelling is also another big one. Many of my clients choose to work with me so that they can up level their career. We commonly think of up levelling our career as going for a promotion. And that is absolutely valid! However, up levelling in our career can also be stepping into a bigger leadership role within our current job, retraining, undertaking further professional development or accepting a development opportunity project in order to up level our own skills.
7. Connection with our Values
Up levelling can include identifying and knowing our values and talents and using these each day in our workplace. This will look different for each of us, depending on our own values. But by way of example, a number of my clients have authenticity and personal integrity as core values. By re-connecting with these core values, they have up levelled the way they engage with the world by ensuring they are authentic, genuine and truly themselves in all they do – both in the workplace and in their life generally.
So where does that leave us?
Unlike my coaching buddy’s joking suggestion, I didn’t go ahead and up level my friends! However the idea of up levelling resonated, and after researching this post, I know I’ve always enjoyed the process of slowly updating, improving and up levelling aspects of my career via professional development, membership of a Mastermind, short courses, personal development, reading widely and so on. And now, every year as I consider my goals and intentions, I focus on up levelling one or two aspects of my career AND my life.
After all, as the quote says, “There is no arrival. Up levelling is an ongoing evolutionary process”.
Taking the next steps to up level your life
Where could you up level? Is this the year you up level your career, or life? Is this the year you invest in yourself, and your dreams?
I’d love to help you achieve the transformation you desire. Supporting people make the changes they desire and up level their life is what I do. With a variety of ways we can work together, from shorter intense sessions, 12 week coaching programs or a year long Mastermind, support is available in a format to suit you.
To learn more and see if we are a good fit to work together, book your complimentary consult today.
