I've been working hard the last few years to expand the various facets of my work. There's a difference between growing wide and growing deep. If a tree seed develops roots
that cover a football field, but they don't eventually go deep, they will not provide the security and stability that tree needs for growth in the future.
With year-end review and goal-setting season upon us, I've been
analyzing what my business root system looks like. Is it wide or deep? This is a great question for all of us, and can apply to personal or business growth.
In business, I have many roots at surface level.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm spreading myself too thin to have a big impact in any one of those areas?
Coaches along the way have asked me to identify which part of my work is most important to me—my number
one—and spend my time accordingly.
We can do all things, but not all things at once.
My answer has changed over the years. While it’s hard to choose a number one between speaking, writing, coaching, painting and facilitating retreats, I know without any hesitation that the one thing I cannot live without right now is creating art.
However, I love everything I do! My growth opportunity is to continually improve on how I allocate my time and energy to make sure I use the gift of time in proportion to what feeds my spirit the most.
Stopping to assess the progress of our lives and all that we care about is a smart thing to do, but that doesn’t mean I always do it. This year I have the willingness and I want to encourage you to join me.
A year-end review can be as simple as noticing in this moment in time where we are, how we got here, and where we're headed (in any category of living or working that we want to assess). We then consider if we like the answers we find, and if not, what would need to be different?
I will continue to sort out my answers, but I offer the same questions to you on this last day of 2024.
Do I want to grow wide or deep?
What area of my
life or work needs my focus and energy the most right now?
Is what I'm doing today going to lead me to where I want to be three years from now?
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how Fearing the End
Ruins the Present. A totally different perspective on that is not fearing the end, and taking the future for granted, because we assume we will have tomorrow. I went to a funeral a few weeks ago of a dear friend's father. A celebration of life is always a great opportunity for reflection.
Do you ever think about legacy—what people will think and say about you when you're gone? What they will miss? I like to contemplate what I want those answers to be, when I’m in the year-end review process.
Today can be an opportunity to reflect on where you've been, and where you're headed, and whether or not that lines up with your values, and the impact you want to have on friends, family members, and even strangers.
Take five minutes today to contemplate your past, present and future. If you feel reluctance, make an agreement with yourself to just start. Find a comfortable spot with pen and paper in hand, set a timer for five minutes on your phone, watch or oven, and title your page, Where I'm at and where I want to go. Or, What I want more of, and what I want
less of.
Be open to what comes. When five minutes ends, you can decide if you want to stop or set the timer for another five minutes.
Slow progress is better than no progress.
Happy New Year’s Eve!
New eBook Available for Pre-Order!
Small Steps, Big Wins: Your Guide to Clarifying and Achieving Goals with Ease
I created a new video for my Micro Magic
group coaching, sharing powerful tips for effective goal-setting and why some goals are more prone to sucess than others. A portion of the video offers an inside look into a real coaching session, moving someone with big goals from overwhelm to daily action.
The video turned out so well that I am making the transcript available in eBook form for $2.99. Read a full description here on Amazon, where you can also pre-order the book today! (I may make the video available publicly in the future.)
