It’s that time of the year when most of us become introspective about the year ahead.
Can I ask though, does that include some retrospection on 2019?
What secret (or not so secret) messages did the universe deliver you in 2019? Knowledge is power and knowing this prevents history repeating.
Grab your favourite notebook, a large coffee and a comfortable, quiet spot where you can invest some time to look back so you can set yourself up for looking forward and get the best out of 2020.
Dot points, paragraphs, interpretive dance – whatever works for you:
- two wins and three losses
- people who influenced you positively, people who influenced you negatively
- hard conversations had, hard conversations avoided
- opportunities won and missed
- spiritual highs and emotional lows
- moments of fear vs moments of flow
- unkept promises, and why?
If you’re really determined to get the biggest bang 2020 can offer, unpack work, home, health, spirituality and relationships, remembering that:
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.
Developing the courage to look at our lives as they really are, even the shitty bits, is the basis for true growth and change. Even if a resolution to the challenge doesn’t present itself immediately, your awareness is the most humble place to begin.
So now let’s talk about fireworks for you and yours in 2020.
I’m not a big fan of new year resolutions, only because I have found something far more powerful. I set goals throughout the year, but when it comes to 1 January, it’s about a theme.
Some years ago when my son was considering leaving school, I was struck by the fact that I might become an empty-nester at any moment, and faster than anticipated.
When I thought about how I had set both him and myself up for the monumental moment, I realised some adjustments were required if we were both to transition gracefully.
Okay, so it was 99% about me and 1% about him!
I asked myself what was required to let the umbilical cord out further than I ever had?
One simple phrase popped up: ‘Let go’.
From that moment on, I adopted that phrase as my theme or mantra in everything I did.
The effects were monumental, across my entire life!
Needless to say, when the moment did come, I was excited and truly ready to celebrate his spreading his wings. More importantly, because I had put in the mindfulness, he didn’t feel the need to rescue me from the potentially harsh reality of coming home to an empty house each night.
In 2018, my theme was ‘Move Fast, Break Things’. I confess I stole that from Mark Zuckerberg, and by the time New Year’s Eve rolled around, I was desperate to ditch it!
What did I learn that year?
I learned Mark Zuckerberg has people to move fast and break things for him, and that there are a lot of opportunities to move fast across 365 days.
I also learned that being an overachiever is not good, physically or emotionally! Sure, I got a lot done: I pushed myself outside my comfort zone over and over, and I came close to breaking the sound barrier. However, on the whole, my engine runs more smoothly with balance.
On that note, ‘Go You’ in 2020!
Have a blast, love hard, laugh till you wet yourself, and be true to what makes you deeply content because happiness is fleeting!
L.O.L.
PS If you’re a manager, on the day that 95% of your people are back in the office, buy a sticky bun and take some time to run your team through this exercise. You will be amazed at how it promotes engagement and positively influences your capacity to drive improvements and innovation in the coming year.
If you can, throw some random elements into the room such as a new painting or a few different coloured chairs. Current thinking is that just a few unusual elements in the room stimulates creativity. No need to redecorate, less is more.
Give me a shout if you’d like some help taking this to the next level. I’d love to get in the mosh pit with you and/or your team. It’s one of my favourite things to do as it ticks so many boxes; productivity, stress management, teamwork, engagement, innovation, continuous improvement to name a few.
You could also follow me on Facebook to watch a video I shot in beautiful Tasmania recently that explains what a Corporate Coach does. Just putting the polishing touches on it now.
Merry New Year!