Reflection for 2010 Direction
|
|
I have an idea to make your life easier this year: Design 2010 as the year you desire rather than letting the winds and whims of circumstance determine your future. Start right now, keeping it simple with the technique I'll describe. It's similar to techniques I use with my clients and even my own company, LodeStar Universal.
Give this exercise 25-30 minutes. No kidding. That's all. Every minute you spend is money in the bank. You'll leapfrog over the other 99.9 percent out there wondering what next year might bring. The alternative? You could end up slamming headfirst into 2010 (ouch) or floundering in QI (boring). The process I'll describe works as well for your personal life as for company planning. Excuses that there's no time to plan are now moot. Of course, if you prefer faster, stronger results, the information at the end of this article provides additional information on private coaching through the process.
Ready?
1. Grab your 2009 calendar, or look at any 2009 calendar. I keep a copy
of last year's calendar for this reason.
2. Take out two blank pieces of paper, or use Word on your computer if
you prefer. Personally, I like to hold a pen in my hand and touch
paper when I'm doing work such as this. Write down the name of
each month. Abbreviate, or write down the number as in 1-09, 2-09.
Do what's easiest for you. These are titles, so leave a little space
after each month. Underline the month, so the title stands out.
3. In the space underneath each month, write 1-to-3 of the most
important things you feel you accomplished. If nothing comes easily
to mind, leave it blank; and move on to the next month. The point
is reflect, and move on. Reflect, and move on. You can come back to
a month if your memory is triggered to remember something you
forgot.
For example, looking back at last January, two things pop up for me.
I figured out how to solve a significant sports injury. The pain was
slowing me way down. Understanding the diagnosis and how to heal
it was a huge relief. I also did the planning to launch my weekly
professional pleasures this last year. (See the quote in the
headline.) These were two biggies for me. So under January, I've
put: #1 - Resolved shoulder injury with acupuncture, moxibustion,
and yoga. #2 - Set strategy, organized delivery mechanism with
subscriber base, and wrote first quarter of Packets and Pauses....
There was a bit more I wrote down, but this gives you an idea.
4. Once you have filled in as many months as you can, take
a deep breath and ask yourself these questions:
- As I review this past year, what did I find the most fulfilling and emotionally rewarding?
- What was the most economically rewarding?
- What are five things I learned last year I can carry forward into next year?
That's it. Four steps and about 25 minutes.
Plunging into 2010 without taking stock can place you on a dedicated pate to bump your head, take a hard economic hit, not to mention wound your heart. Obviously, there is more you can do to plan, but this approach is a masterful way to start the year. Even if you do nothing further, you will be astonished at the results. Try it. What better do you have to do in the next few minutes?
|
Schedule Your Annual Executive Retreat Now!
|
EXECUTIVE RETREATS require an experienced hand from outside the organization to work through concerns, personality differences, and to hold the team accountable. It's hard for an "insider" to diffuse the behavior of a difficult personality. It's almost impossible for an "insider" to balance all the different interests and opinions. An "insider," by definition, has greater bias than someone from the outside.
Please let Alex Ramsey know when you would like to set a time to talk about creating an EXECUTIVE Planning RETREAT for you. The benefits of a well-designed retreat are powerful and long lasting:
- The executive team unites around a strong action plan
- Employees are confident about what they need to do and are extremely productive
- Even when the world turns topsy-turvy, a strategy is in place to weather the challenges
During several executive retreats we conducted recently, outcomes included:
- Weathering near-collapse to completely revitalize strategy
- Eliminating extreme divisiveness within the executive ranks and uniting into an effective team
- Aligning conflicting objectives, creating the greatest economic success the firm ever experienced
Contact Alex by phone at 214.696.3510 or by email to discuss your upcoming EXECUTIVE RETREAT.
|
| Upcoming Programs |
|
January Planning Program: Start your year with a planning session that allows you to reflect on 2009, build on your strengths and design 2010 to be your best year ever. This is a two-session program. Call 214.696.3510 or email alex@lodestaruniversal.com for more information.
January Coaching Program: Start your year on a strong footing with this affordable, month-long coaching program to set goals, enhance self-esteem, and create a game plan to accomplish objectives. You can't afford to miss this opportunity to create! Call 214.696.3510 or email alex@lodestaruniversal.com for more information.
January Webinar: 10-Slides, 10-Minutes: Insider Secrets to Create the Perfect Investor Pitch. How Alex Ramsey has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs present winning investor pitches and raise millions of dollars. Call 214.696.3510 or email alex@lodestaruniversal.com for more information.
|
| Additional Offerings from Alex |
|
Packets and Pauses: Weekly Tips
You frame it. You speak it. They get it. Weekly communication tips.
LodeStar Universal Newsletter
Monthly ideas for improving performance and leadership.
|
|
|
Pass It On, Please...
We're all in the people business, trying to make this a better world in which to live and work. If the feedback from those we work with and who receive this is any indication, we're making good progress!
It's my goal to get as many people as possible to sign up for this monthly newsletter and for my weekly communication tips, Packets and Pauses. You can help.
PLEASE FORWARD your issues to your coworkers, friends, or anyone who could use the principles and skills I teach.
And tell them THEY CAN SIGN UP FOR THEIR OWN FREE SUBSCRIPTION. All they have to do is click here or cut and paste this http://www.lodestaruniversal.com address into their web browser. It will take them to my web site where they can sign up.
Reprint These Ideas In Your Own Publication
I encourage you to reprint my tips in your own e-mail, online newsletters, or conventionally-printed publications. It's free and legal as long as proper credit is given. All you have to do is include the following notation along with the reprint of my material: "Reprinted with permission from LodeStar Universal and Alex Ramsey's Internet newsletter. For your own personal, free subscription to the go to http://www.lodestaruniversal.com."
Privacy Policy
Your e-mail address is absolutely confidential. We will NEVER give, sell or share your address with anyone. |
|
|
|
Want more Alex Ramsey "intelligence," read Leadership Mojo, her blog.
Want more information on programs and services, go to LodeStar Universal and check it out.
Want weekly tips for more effective speaking? Sign up for Alex Ramsey's Packets and Pauses. |
|
|
Forward this email to a friend today... |
|
|
|
Join Alex Ramsey's weekly communication tips
Packets + Pauses.
For signing up, receive as a gift Alex Ramsey's special report: My List: The Best Business Books, a must for every professional's library. |
|
|
