Take the risk to ask for a short-term project like a GIG with your company to express your intelligence and contributions outside what they know about your skills and education. Since most people have a full-time job, a Gig job may be a project completely outside your normal scope of duties but one that your supervisor or company needs someone to tackle this challenge for them. You may just be that shining star person this year you company has been looking for.

If you enjoy learning and have a sense of curiosity and love diving into new topics, even outside the scope of what you normally do, this will give you an opportunity to bring a new measure of contribution to your employer.

If you are good at noticing patterns and are in the habit of spotting connections and trends that are often overlooked, big picture thinking will help you share wisdom that others have but may not have shared. Think big picture and see how this helps you stretch yourself.

Learn from everyone in your company and beyond. Get to know your executives like the CEO or CHRO or even your janitor. I owned a janitorial service in Tulsa with 250 employees and many of them were super stars who just supplemented their full-time jobs for a season. One of the things I learned was everyone has something of value to share. Be a person that cares to learn from others, and you will be wiser for being that person.

Master the ability to make complicated things easy to understand so others get it. Think about your current role and what you can share in a new and clearer way. When you can do something that is simple and clear, your wisdom shines.

Learn to adapt quickly to new situations that you will be taking on in a GIG project, do not let change throw you off. Find ways to stay flexible and look for ways forward, as you adapt to new and exciting information.

A few other things to remember as you stretch yourself and bring your contributions to the table for a brighter 2025.

Do not be afraid to question things that do not make sense to you. Just because it has been done that way in the past does not mean it is the best way. If you think differently, think about why. You may not be popular now, but history proves that things done differently may be better than ever with change and you can be that difference because you know the answer to the “why”.

Be open to a good debate, listen to opposing viewpoints and see them as opportunities to gain experience rather than fighting to win at all costs.

You will learn as you go, so do not let uncertainty stress you out. It is okay to not have all the answers up front. I have had answers that have changed after I thought I knew it all. There is always more to learn as we grow.

One of the real blessings is the random things you will learn that will become the useful things you remember down the road as you take on new projects and opportunities in your future. Your brain has amazing ability to serve you well. It has been said that most people use only 10% of our brain, but studies of the brain show it is a myth and that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive. So, activate every area of the brain you can, since it is an amazing gift to humanity from God for us to use.

You are smarter than you think and better looking too.

Trust yourself and keep growing and contributing with your marvelous brain in 2025.