Personal Records
Yesterday, I ran a 10k at my fastest time (or personal record for you running junkies). The ridiculous part is that I get embarrassed to actually tell people just how slow my fast is. I ran in 1 hour and 14 minutes which cut 10 minutes off my previous 10k time. It’s ridiculous to be embarrassed because I actually ran it. 2 years ago, I couldn’t run a half mile without losing my breathe. My personal record? Climb a set of stairs without taking a break.
Personal records aren’t so easy to come by in your every day. Through all the mundane, it’s easy to forget just how much you’ve accomplished; where you are now versus where you were just a few months ago. I wait for a big change — a promotion, a new job, or even an evolving relationship to identify growth. I struggle through every day without taking the time to recognize how significant a series of accomplishments can be. I keep trucking along as if nothing has changed and I haven’t evolved because it feels like a course of nature rather than something I’ve worked really hard for over days or months.
It’s even harder to remember that a personal record is just that – personal. It’s something I don’t need to benchmark against the girl who ran 20 marathons. It’s a benchmark to work toward for my own satisfaction, not competition.
“The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right. Which one are you?”
― Henry Ford
Kat Kibben View All →
Kat Kibben [they/them] is a keynote speaker, writing expert, and LGBTQIA+ advocate who teaches hiring teams how to write inclusive job postings that will get the right person to apply faster.
Before founding Three Ears Media, Katrina was a CMO, Technical Copywriter, and Managing Editor for leading companies like Monster, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. With 15+ years of recruitment marketing and training experience, Katrina knows how to turn talented recruiting teams into talented writers who write for people, not about work.
Today, Katrina is frequently featured as an HR and recruiting expert in publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes. They’ve been named to numerous lists, including LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Job Search & Careers. When not speaking, writing, or training, you’ll find Katrina traveling the country in their van or spending some much needed downtime with the dogs that inspired the name Three Ears Media.