A Framework for the Year to Come
As we step into February, I invite you to reflect on your start to 2021 and ask:
So often in these opening weeks of 2021, we’ve all heard the Groundhog Day sentiment: it feels like nothing’s changed. It’s more of the same-old. And if that’s been your experience too, I invite you to remind yourself just how much of our reality is ours to create.
And to do that, we need to take OWNERSHIP. We need to demonstrate AGENCY.
What’s working well? What needs a tweak?
On a scale of 1 – 10, so far this year:
- How pleased are you with your progress on key goals and major projects?
- How well have your done establishing your systems and rediscovering your rhythm?
- What level of consistency have you brought to your energy, health and wellbeing?
If your self-assessment is something that pleases you: fantastic! And I strongly encourage you to acknowledge and celebrate that fact.
Often with driven and ambitious people like you and I, the need for progress and momentum has us instantly moving-on to the next thing. The next thing. And the next thing after that.
And I deeply value making progress and achieving results. But when I don’t stop to acknowledge my achievements, I rob myself of the all-important reward component of my internal feedback loop.
Not only does that deny myself the feel-good factor of accomplishment. It hampers my ability to achieve more in the future. A double whammy!
So, take a moment to acknowledge the good results from January! 🙌
And if your scores aren’t quite where you’d want them: what learning can you take from January to carry into February?
- The areas of life and work that need greater time and deeper focus are …
- The personal and professional relationships that need special attention are …
- The core fundamentals that would most benefit from sustained consistency are …
- The systems and tools that would streamline life and work are …
PERFORMANCE = POTENTIAL – INTERFERENCE
It’s so useful to take stock and conduct mini reviews on what needs adding and improving. But let’s also think about what needs REMOVING.
In particular, you might like to think about the INTERFERENCE that’s blocking your would-be ideal start to 2021. Do any of these challenges sound familiar? …
Put a mental circle around the 2 or 3 that are your most frequent nemeses. Which are most often the cause of derailed intentions and unfinished tasks?
Those might be your kryptonite – and we want to be aware and have strategies in place to minimise their impact.
And that process begins by understanding we ALREADY HAVE A STRATEGY in place. A strategy that creates the interference. So:
How are you DOING your interference?
And from a place of awareness + responsibility for your self-defeating interference strategies, think:
What systems, tactics and tools do I need at the trigger moments of my interference strategies?
3 pillars of a winning mindset
Tactics, techniques, systems and tools are great. But the real difference-maker is how we’re doing the thinking in the moment. So, here are 3 pillars of the mindset you might like to carry into the rest of 2021:
COMMITMENT as a decision. A moment in time. And it’s something we ALL have the capacity for: to be able to place ANYTHING in that committed part of us.
CONSISTENCY as the bedrock of top performance. Any area of life in which we are struggling often just needs greater consistency. Bake that into your project for the year.
AGENCY as the event of self-leadership: “coming from the inside out” and being wholly on our agenda. Its foundation is built from INTENTIONALITY.
A framework for the year to come
For those of you for whom these thinking tools and performance strategies are ringing true, here’s a link to my newly-created GPS 365 Framework that I designed exactly for those moments when we’re in danger of DRIFTING. Those inflection points where we need a little structure and strategy to define our path and stay on track. Because that’s usually all that’s needed: a little structure and strategy to reintroduce FOCUS.
Grab the training series and step-through the self-coaching work to get clarity on your Key Goals, your Major Projects and your personal Success Systems. You’ll find the 3-part video training series online and freely available at: https://academy.thoughtsparkperformance.com/gps365.
Wishing you all a monster February full of focus, flow and meaningful output!
Dan.
Thanks for reading!
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