Sunday, December 21, 2014

The obligatory (but still very important) New Year reflection . . . abbreviated!


The obligatory (but still very important) New Year reflection . . . abbreviated!

About this time of year, just about every leadership and personal effectiveness speaker, book author, success coach, blogger, etc. will encourage you to take time during the Holidays and reflect. They want you to reflect on everything from where you have been, where you are now, and where are you going (along with all sorts of heavy questions that are tough to get to during college football bowl season!). Now just because everyone is telling you to do this, it does not make them wrong! I am also guilty of such exhortations as well but perhaps in a bit more intentional manner.



Instead of a huge list of reflections based on every single interaction, meeting, or whatever, I want you to cut to the chase. Just because it’s the holidays, it does not mean you are relaxing. Seriously, I often look forward to getting back to work just to get my home back and relax! Obviously that feeling does not last very long but you get my point.

With that in mind, focus on just three key questions:

What IS working for you?
(These are activities, people, habits, etc. that you want to KEEP)

What’s NOT working for you?
(These will be those activities, people, habits, etc. that you want to minimize or STOP dealing with all together)

What COULD work for you?
(These are new habits, new growth areas, new relationships, new disciplines, etc. that you will want to START doing to take you to a higher level of performance, contentment, significance, etc.)

See, a pretty doable list!

Just take a quiet hour each day for three days to think on these things. I encourage you write them out (with just 3 or 4 items per listed in PRIORITY order) and after attach action items and target dates as appropriate. I encourage you to also break down a big KEEP, START, or STOP item in smaller parts so that they will actually be accomplished. This should not be a huge list, just an important one. Focus on those items that if accomplished, will allow the fiddly bits take care of themselves!

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! 

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM





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