Month: January 2020

(2-minute read time)

Today I found the perfect Thank You card.  For myself. 

Yep, I’m writing myself a Thank You card.  I want to thank me for the progress I have made on my goals so far this year.  Nope, I’m not done with my #Triumphant2020 goals. Not even close. But, I am closer than I was.  I’ve met milestones. And that requires celebration.

As leaders, we know employee recognition is important.  We’re aware that acknowledging the successes of our team members has significant impacts.  The right recognition can lead to increased engagement, higher quality work, lower attrition, higher profits and more.  

The positive results we see are rooted in science.  Each time humans earn a reward dopamine is released.  Humans like how dopamine feels so they repeat the behavior. 

We can make this simple law of nature work for ourselves and our goals as well.  

It’s not new, it’s not earth-shattering and I think that’s why we don’t actually do it.  It seems too easy, like it shouldn’t work. 

But it does work.  Every time we celebrate it reinforces the idea that success is attainable. It creates momentum to continue.  Even when it’s tough. We begin to think bigger, ultimately raising the limits for what’s possible in our lives.     

Yet we really do not do this well or, let’s be honest, ever.  

We have extremely believable reasons for not doing it.   We don’t have time… It’s too complicated to plan… It’s not really necessary…  There are more important things to be done…  

What we are really saying is “I don’t think it’s worth the effort.”  

But, what if it is worth it? Test me on this.  Assign yourself a milestone somewhere on the path of your #Triumphant2020 goal.  Decide right now what the reward will be (I’m helping you out with a pretty awesome list of 7 ideas, just click here).  Then, all you have to do is follow-through.  

What you’ll find is that there’s joy, fun, and excitement all along the way to the end goal – not just at the finish line as we often mistakenly believe.  You’ll become excited to keep moving forward.  You’ll actually WANT to put forth the effort to get that next milestone.  And why not?? There’s a celebration waiting – and it’s exactly the kind you like.    

If you have any questions or need a hand along the way I can definitely help, just click here to schedule a free, 30-minute discovery session.

(2-minute read time) 

“I’m reminded,” he begins, “of a famous cartoon. It’s of a prisoner, shaking the bars, desperately trying to get out—but to his right and left, it’s open, no bars.”

He pauses, allowing the image to sink in.

“All the prisoner has to do is walk around. But still, he frantically shakes the bars. That’s most of us. We feel completely stuck, trapped in our emotional cells, but there’s a way out—as long as we’re willing to see it.”

I read Lori Gottlieb’s book “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” last year and at first, the excerpt above just did not make sense to me.  The author’s therapist is telling her that she, like the prisoner, can escape her turmoil.

If there’s a way out why doesn’t the prisoner just take it?

Then, I was reminded of my own hangups and habits.  The ones I still haven’t shaken. The ones that keep me shackled.  The ones that I could slay if I just became willing enough to step to the left or right.

Have you ever noticed yourself trying to solve the same problem, or a similar version of the same problem, over and over again in your life?

Here’s why you are not putting a stop to it once and for all.  

It’s actually more convenient to have the problem.  There’s a benefit, a secondary gain, in keeping the problem.  

For example, Carlye desperately wants to change up her career.  She says she feels “trapped”. She’s been wanting this for a few years now. She wants a higher-level position in a completely different industry.  And yet, she still finds herself in the same position at the same company.  

For her, meeting her goal of getting a new position in a new industry means letting go of the comfort of knowing what each workday brings.  It means taking responsibility for creating the change. It means figuring out how and taking on risk.  

Short-term it’s far more comfortable to stay behind the bars of her current career than it is to put forth the effort to step left or right. 

Long-term success is built upon our willingness to step left or right, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable to do so.  

Which way will you step today?  Need a hand? I can definitely help, just click here to schedule a free, 30-minute discovery session.

(2-minute read time) 

It was shortly before Christmas when I came across a pile of clothes I’ve been needing to sort through and donate.  I found the pile as I was preparing the guest room for holiday visitors. Getting that room ready was just one of what felt like a bazillion tasks that all needed to be done ASAP.  I looked at the pile and sighed. It had been waiting for me to take action for a long time.    

I almost shoved it on the top shelf of the closet so I could move on to the other things that needed my attention.  “It can wait a while longer,” I thought.  

But then, I remembered a profound lesson from 2019.  A lesson I’m committed to bringing into 2020. One I think could benefit all of us. 

It’s a simple statement from James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits”:  

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”   — James Clear 

One of my 2020 goals is to organize my home a bit more, clear some clutter, create more space.  I set out to eliminate 400 items by the end of March. I’m not sure I even have that many things I want to donate or toss, but that’s my goal.  I suspect I’m going to be surprised at how quickly 400 items add up.

With Mr. Clear’s lesson at the forefront of my mind, I knew that shoving the pile of clothes in the closet was NOT the vote I wanted to cast.  

It would have been easy to talk myself out of casting the best vote. It was still 2019, not even time yet to start working on my 2020 goal.  The clothes I got rid of wouldn’t even count towards the 400 (because I hadn’t set the number yet).  However, that all mattered much less than the impact of the choice I was about to make. By seeing my actions as a vote either for or against becoming the person who completes her declutter goal… it was a game-changer.   

I want to be a person who follows through, does what she says she’s going to do, and achieves her goals.  Who doesn’t?  

So, I sorted through the clothes.  I voted for my future self.   A small vote, but I think every vote counts.

Which version of you are you voting for today?  Could you use a hand casting your best vote? I can definitely help, just click here to schedule a free, 30-minute discovery session.    

(2-minute read time) 

Last week I encouraged you to choose a goal for 2020 just because it’s something you really want to achieve.  I told you that it doesn’t have to be altruistic or worthwhile in the eyes of other people. You go after it just because you want to.

But what happens when the “want to” wears off?

You know it often does.  Countless studies show we give up on our goals and resolutions within just a few days or weeks of making them.  But, we don’t start off that way. We start off all enthusiastic. We are committed. We see the possibility.  

Then, if we’re brave, we make a plan. 

And that, my friends, is where most of us set ourselves up for failure – the plan, or the lack thereof. 

Most often I see one of two things happen…

1. There is no plan – You’ve heard all the greats say it… It goes something like this: “A goal without a plan is just a wish, dream, hope (insert intangible, amorphous noun here)”.  Without some sort of tangible next steps we just aren’t likely to arrive at the intended destination.        
2. The plan isn’t a good one – When we are actually in the mood to make a plan we typically aren’t anticipating obstacles.  We’re running on positivity and in the moment, as we are making the plan, we’re motivated. We might fall into the trap of expecting we’ll feel this same way throughout the pursuit of our goal.  In that case, we overlook planning for the obstacles, challenges, stumbling blocks that inevitably come.   

If our plan is dependant upon us feeling as good as we did when we made the plan, then it’s a bad plan.   

You and I both know life happens.  Things don’t go according to plan. They take longer than we thought or circumstances change.  

Face it, things go wrong and our motivation drops.    

We have to anticipate challenges.   We have to envision strategies for these obstacles. Both circumstantial and emotional obstacles must be accounted for.

You don’t need more willpower or discipline in 2020. 

What you need is a plan that accounts for the peaks and valleys of the journey. 

A practical plan for when real life happens.  

Most of us can use a hand in creating this kind of plan.  If that’s you, I can definitely help, just click here to schedule a free, 30-minute discovery session.