Welcome to 2018!
We know that 2017 was a challenging year for many of you for various reasons and that you’re excited about the new year. Unfortunately, the change of date alone won’t provide a change in your life. BUT what will change your life is changing the way you go about leading your life and leading in your life.
In our December 11th post, Take Small Steps, we offered you a simple tool to begin to think about the areas of your life that you need to attend to in order to have greater meaning and satisfaction. If you haven’t done the exercise, give it a shot – even if you have done it all before, pausing as we begin a new year and reflecting on your life is powerful.
Once you’ve given some thought to what life would look like at a 10 and how that compares with your current life, you’ll have a sense of where your life needs some attention.
This week, we’d like you to think about how you talk about yourself, the stories you tell about who you are – everything from telling people about your history to sharing what you did over the weekend – and assess if you’re telling people who you’ve been historically or who you’re striving to be in the future.
Our stories to others reinforce our stories to ourselves.
If you’re looking to have greater success this year in your work, then refine your story to share how you’ve learned, where you’ve grown, and how you’re moving toward what matters to you.
Even sharing your weekend story may change from “I slept late and then took a hike” to “I’m not certain yet how I can make the move to greater responsibility in my organization so I went hiking to think through my options to lead at work.”
As we often remind our clients, everything is a communication and how you communicate to others is how you communicate to yourself.
You’ll feel different if you tell the story about hiking and strategizing about your options – and if that same day, you dress for work as if you’ve already been promoted, you’ll start to see your future self.
This is your year, not because the calendar changed but because you’re a leader in your work and your life. Make sure the stories you’re telling others, and therefore yourself, support the future you’re leading toward.
Looking forward to a new year together!
Contact us today!