I love this quote from John F. Kennedy - “conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
Whilst we can all agree that we are in s significant period of disruption on a grand scale, it also presents us with new opportunities. Disruption uproots and changes how we think, behave, do business, learn and go about our day-to-day.
Harvard Business School professor and disruption guru Clayton Christensen says that “a disruption displaces an existing market, industry, or technology and produces something new and more efficient and worthwhile. It is at once destructive and creative.”
We all have elements of both a fixed and growth mindset, however if we are able to approach disruption with more of a growth mindset then we are more readily able to embrace challenges and persist in the face of setbacks. As a result, we have more control over pursuing what we want to achieve and can develop appropriate strategies to continue to move forward. Whereas a fixed mindset is likely to result in inactivity as there is a tendency to avoid challenges and to give up easily.
2020 Review
When you think back to 2020, identify and list all of your accomplishments, regardless of how small they are, in every area of your life:
· are there any patterns or commonalities?
· did you learn any new skills?
· did you develop any new relationships that helped you take a different perspective?
· did you learn anything new about your skills, interests and passions?
For me, I noticed that I was at my most effective when I had daily structure and routine, plus regular interaction with others. I learnt to use Zoom and Teams more extensively, to facilitate a co-coaching forum remotely and I expanded my network at a greater speed than ever before due to increased accessibility of remote working and connecting. This included coaching clients in other countries and broadening my perspective. I became clearer about my business purpose and what I am truly passionate about.
Reflections for 2021
When you review your list of accomplishments and think about the year ahead:
· has anything shifted for you?
· what have you learnt about yourself?
· what were people asking/paying you to do? Did this identify a new strength?
· where is this leading you?
· are your core values still the same?
For me, I noticed that whilst I am fairly comfortable working remotely and have more space for creative thinking, I miss the face-to-face interaction with colleagues, attending workshops and networking events – I bounce off others and have a higher energy level, whereas I was starting to become a little insular beforehand. I’ve learnt which times of the day I am at my most optimal and now schedule activities accordingly. I found that friends and colleagues shared their personal struggles with me, and we discussed strategies I had used before either with clients or for myself. It wasn’t a new strength as such, but it did reinforce that people find me approachable, trustworthy and supportive. As a result of the conversations I had, it made me revisit my purpose and values and think about the types of clients I can truly help.
Wheel of Life
You may already be familiar with the Wheel of Life activity but if not, the purpose is to evaluate your current levels of satisfaction (out of 10) across the key aspects of your life (e.g. Career, Money, Health, Friends & Family, etc.) and then assess whether there are any areas of your life that you wish to experience a greater level of satisfaction. See example below:
Next, think about what changes you could make. What will you:
· Stop: e.g. anything that doesn’t serve you or take you toward your goal/s
· Start: e.g. something that will have a positive impact and energise you
· Continue: e.g. anything that works well for you; maybe something you could leverage further
Developing New Habits
The speed of developing a new habit pattern can largely be determined by the intensity of the emotion that accompanies the decision to begin to act in a particular way. In general, it’s thought that on average it takes circa. 21 days to develop a habit pattern of medium complexity. So, persevere with any changes you want to make and don’t lose heart. Celebrate the small milestones that are taking you closer to what you want to achieve.
2021 Breakthrough Goal
I’m currently reading The Motivation Manifestation by Brendon Burchard and I love this quote - “why, having been endowed with the courageous heart of a lion, do we live as mice?”
I recently read an article about identifying a “breakthrough” goal for 2021. The definition was something that could catapult you to a new level (examples were financially or professionally). I’m all for dreaming big. We all have so much potential; latent qualities or abilities that we can develop to lead to future success. If you had unlimited resources and could not fail, what would your breakthrough goal for 2021 be?
· How would your life change if you accomplished it?
· What would this goal do for your career or business?
· What would it enable you to do, have, feel or achieve?
If you need a little steerage in setting and achieving your breakthrough goal for 2021, this article from Lifehack highlights ‘3 essential steps to set and achieve your big goals’, there’s also the option to download a free guide on skyrocketing your productivity.
I’m off to plan my 2021 breakthrough goal, what about you…?
If anything here resonates with you and you would like to explore coaching or an NLP breakthrough day, please do get in touch for an informal no-obligation exploratory call - 07791 863092 / gemmacrofts@talenta.me.uk
