If you read last week’s three thoughts you already know that recently I had to say goodbye to my cat Charlotte of 17 years. It’s incredible how much attachment we as humans can have to animals and how much they provide for us over the years. Certainly they give us more than we give, when you consider the emotional support and unbending loyalty they they have for their humans.
The end of the year is quickly coming to a close and this is the time of the year that people start to ease into the holidays and take stock of the year that was. While more people are likely to make New Year’s resolutions than look at their year in review, the two are really symbiotic if you want to maximize your momentum going into next year.
This week’s leadership challenge goes hand in hand with our three thoughts of the week in which we recognize we have come face to face with a productivity plateau and we need to take the next step to continue to climb the mountain again.
Procrastination is a gift of mine. I love putting something on the bottom of my list that needs to be done but I don’t want to do. I mean it’s on my list, but I will find 30 other things that absolutely have to be done before that task that I loathe.
Starting a new habit may be one of the harder leadership challenges but perhaps one of the most important. Learning how to start a positive habit is key to being able to follow through in doing the things you want to do to thrive and feel fulfilled. As James Clear writes in his book, Atomic Habits, it really is all about starting the action that makes sure you get to the finish line.
Why is it that we are constantly putting off the things we want to do most? I can’t work out today because I have to take the kids to practice. I can’t read this book because the dishes have to be done. It’s true, life might be busy and many of us seemingly don’t have the free time, but the necessary stuff seems to get done. We keep kicking the can down the road, however on the things truly make us feel alive.
We love to keep things locked up in our minds where only we can see it. You have this great idea, and you let it sit there and marinate. You think about it quite frequently and you know in your heart of hearts that it is a good idea. Except that it never leaves your head.
Successful and ambitious people have a huge future problem. They are always living in it. Striving fro the next big goal, promotion, or life achievement can cause us to always be looking ahead.
Why are we so afraid of asking for something and being told no? We worry and obsess about the possibility of rejection so much that it often freezes us from asking for something in the first place. The reality is that the consequences of asking for something and not getting it are virtually zero in most cases. Still, we worry about how people will perceive us, or maybe more importantly, how we will perceive ourselves.