Reinventing Your Story: Own Your Next Chapter

Life comes at you fast. Jobs shift, industries evolve, and sometimes, you have to make a move whether you planned for it or not. If you’re in a season of change, the question isn’t why is this happening? The real question is: What are you going to do next?

Too often, we wait for the “perfect” moment or the “right” opportunity. But let me be real with you. Success isn’t about waiting. It’s about taking action. The most powerful thing you can do right now is take control of your story, your skills, and your next steps.

Build Your Personal Backlog
In Agile, a backlog is a prioritized list of everything that needs to get done. It keeps teams focused on what’s important. You need one for your life.

Step 1: List Out Your Priorities
What matters most to you right now? Career growth? Financial freedom? More creativity? Write down the top five things you want to focus on in the next six months. If you don’t know, that’s your first backlog item. Figure it out.

Step 2: Break It Down
Big goals fail when they’re vague. Break them into specific, achievable steps. Want a new job? Your backlog should include things like updating your resume, reaching out to five people in your industry, learning a new skill. Each step should be small enough to complete in a short amount of time.

Time Box Your Goals
In Agile, we set time limits on work because if you don’t, things drag on forever. If you’ve been “thinking” about making a change for months or years, it’s time to time box it.

What’s one goal you can accomplish in the next two weeks? What’s something you can complete in 30 days? What can you commit to finishing in the next 90 days?

Set deadlines. Put them in your calendar. Treat them like non-negotiables.

Run Daily Stand Ups with Yourself
Agile teams start their day with a stand up, a quick check-in to review progress and blockers. You should be doing the same for yourself.

Every morning, ask yourself:

What did I accomplish yesterday?
What will I accomplish today?
What’s standing in my way?
This keeps you accountable. If you find yourself saying the same goal every day without progress, that’s a red flag. Either adjust the goal, break it down smaller, or remove distractions.

No More Excuses. Take Action
You are not stuck. You are not powerless. You are not waiting for permission.

The truth is, you already have what you need to take the next step. It’s just about organizing your priorities, setting deadlines, and holding yourself accountable.

So what’s the first item on your backlog? And when are you going to get it done?