Take The Best & Leave The Rest...2023

Take the best & leave the rest...

Apparently I'm not the only one slowly unfolding from one year to the next.

Last week, it was clear how many people were still home with kids, yawning after NYE, playing with new presents. It was the new year, and still downtime. Traffic was quiet. So we went for an exhilarating but quiet hike including these awesome steps out in the middle of the quiet woods. They made a slippery steep hill much more manageable.

This week is a bit more awake, active, responsive and the traffic is back to busy.
So, there has a been time to flip through old notes, to chat with colleagues about last year's learnings and this year's fresh ideas. Clients are reflective, some eager, some pensive about what comes next.

Last week, I mentioned reflecting on the past year with the spirit of "take the best, leave the rest," a spark that keeps showing up.

Here is some of the 'Best' on my mind today, and from good people around me:

- 1- Who needs you on your feet, doing your best? We will make ripples wherever we go, and we have some control on the ripples we send out. And for some people, YOU showing up grounded, focused, and brave - that's going to make a difference. Are you available where you're needed most, where your impact is invaluable? Who needs you?
- 2- You are your best advocate, your best cheerleader. This is like the old idea of putting on the oxygen mask so you're able to help others (and show up like in the first point). No one, even the ones who love you best or longest can know as well as you do what you need, or where you're going. Not their fault, not a problem - but it is you who needs to be your best advocate.
-3- Perfection is the enemy of DONE - I want things to be just right for you, for me, for the projects I'm part of. And I'm learning to recognize when Good Enough is just that. So you might hear more from me this year. And if you encourage evaluation and next steps for everything, things just get better. The flip side is worth thinking about too...
- 4- Something worth doing is worth doing well. Good enough is ok, but make it worthwhile, let go of clutter- ideas, time spent, tasks done, - when it's keeping you from what you love best, and what you care about most. I work with people to learn their deepest values and use them like a Compass, a guide for their energy and their attention. When you've 'decluttered,' and you've got your compass, you can give your whole heart, your clear focus, your superpower to the people, projects and issues that matter most.
-5- Get in Your Zone - you might be capable of some things. You might be excellent at some things, but you are a genius at a couple of key things. When you value them, and master them, AND share your time with others working in their genius areas, we are on to something. For the colossal issues in our work and families, our communities, our world, we move forward together, harnessing our superpowers.

I'm remembering the 2nd point - you are your best advocate. And so…

-6- Groundedness feels like my final point. Rest, laughter, healthy choices, optimism, and moments of focused calm give us the breathing space and downtime we all need, and it mulitplies. 1 minute here and there in your day relieves frustration, anxiety, mental stress, overwhelm. 5 minutes. 10 minutes of intentional downtime with an app, or a video or PQ's (ask me!) multiplies your capacity and your Spirit.

For the record, in this photo, I turned and looked back at where we'd come from - we came down those steps. That hill was already accomplished. The photo was a way to say 'ha! look what we did!'

Whether you are trying to stir up your energy, capacity and spirit to lead well this year, or pull together a team; whether you are charting a forward course with your partner or sweetheart and want to make it brilliant, whether your team is the kids around you and a group of friends who appreciate your time, I hope these ideas feel valuable. I hope you're looking back and seeing accomplishments and the steps that mattered along the way, and I hope these ideas give you some next right steps.

I coach people who want to make a difference, leaders who want to inspire and teams who want to be effective. Often you're one and the same. Happy to help!

You’ve come a long way, baby!

What have you learned, what will you take forward, and how will you travel on?