When we step back and look at something, someone, or a decision we are looking through the lens of “Perspective” on that person, place, or thing. I am wondering how often you take a good hard look at the things you have done, said, thought, put into practice, and lived this past year in 2024? Another term we can use is “Reflection,” on these decisions, practices, words, and actions that come to mind as “standouts” that resulted in wins, losses, or being put in limbo, in our professional and personal lives.
Next month, I will post my annual “End of the Year” blog where we do some hard assessment of this past year, but for now, I want you to close your eyes and just ask yourself this: “What Person, Place or Thing brings a smile to your face when you “reflect” on 2024?” And then, “What Person, Place or Thing puts a scowl on your brow, we a vow of “I’m never going to do that again!”
One of my mentors said this in a weekly session to our group:
“Our challenges are not meant to destroy us; rather, they are there to test, hone, and make us stronger in every area of our lives.”
Now, look back through the perspective of that statement above. What does your reasoning think, NOT your emotional triggering mechanism, your reasoning? You made the decision to do, say, or thing and that itself set things into motion that resulted in a “negative consequence.” Right? Whether you believe that or not, does not make it less true.
Now, look back on your reflection and think about what gave you a “SMILE.” I can bet you were persistent in repeating that act, word, or decision repeatedly to get that same dopamine hit in your brain. Right? You bet you did!
It is about our perspective and our persistence. Sometimes, when we want something and we have a skewed view of realistic outcomes, we need to pause and re-evaluate the entire thing. We must stop and take an assessment of our will and our desire vs the risk if the decision results in a negative outcome. Sadly, there are a host of other factors that often nag at us, and we skip this step altogether.
If I ask you this: “What are your core values?” Can you honestly immediately answer with say 3, 6, or 10 values? Are you living and working to your highest potential each day in your life? My experience with those I coach and mentor, their answer goes something like this: “What do you mean by core values?” That answer really focuses on the real fundamental issue in the conversation.
Where does a person learn, understand, and see Values modeled and explained in their lives? In our culture today and for the past two generations, this has been laid aside with the disintegration of the family, two-parent households, divisiveness in our day-to-day living, conversation, respect for law and order in society, and a plethora of other factors. You see, it is not just ONE THING! It is a series of small exits in life that throw everything off course, and we are then so far from the CORE we no longer know what the CORE is.
What we default/ PERSIST doing, saying, or thinking then becomes our PERSPECTIVE in our personal lives and our professional lives. Are you getting a clearer picture of our conversation now?
Each of you reading this blog is a “leader” in a certain capacity in every area of your life, both public and private, and there are always “eyes” on you, watching what you say, do, and think. Never forget that! These things bring a certain level of communication [which is verbal and non-verbal] and a connection to those who are watching you and your leadership. When we move from “telling” to “asking,” we change the dynamic of the conversation, the decision-making process, and the outcome of what happens.
Are you tracking with me here?
This conversation gives you traction in your professional life and will soften what your leadership looks and sounds like in your personal life. I know the world is all about being in the boxing ring to win. Achieve glory and bag the big bucks, but in the end, these things will not put that smile on your face, or if it does, it will be temporary. Why, you ask? Because you, as a human, are never satisfied, you have a thirst for MORE, MORE, MORE!
As leaders, you must transition from being a “Soloist” in the orchestra to the “Conductor.” We all begin somewhere. Perhaps you began your life by earning a wage, working in a fast-food place, or being a paid volunteer in some community entity. You had something you wanted, perhaps a very old used vehicle, and you worked hard and long hours to save up to buy that car. You had a sense of pride and accomplishment. Then, take the other perspective of a kid whose parents just gave him/her the very latest model of the “in” car for their 16th birthday without any strings attached. Their PRIDE was from a different perspective of “entitlement,” vs “hard work.”
That brings me to this section and question of my November Blog Post: What is your level of development in your growth plan here at the end of 2024? For 24 years, I have blogged, coached, mentored, and given training on the power of continual life-long learning and growth. Where are you today? Do you want to know how to be a lifelong learner, or do you want to just continue as you are today, wandering through the desert of life, hoping and wishing that something would change, and you are the one who is unwilling to change through personal and professional growth?
It is never too late to begin. You know the idea of “retirement” is not a natural thing nor a natural way of thinking. Retirement was invented for a reason, a political reason. No one talks about this at all, and I doubt 99% of the people around you even know why it was “invented/created” in 1932 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Here’s a brief timeline from Fisher Investments.
What’s my point here? You can Google this information and see for yourself what transpired. If you happen to take a religious look at the idea of retiring and living your life in a manner to which you believe you are entitled to, that’s another story altogether! In fact, most religions in the world do not have this concept at all. We are born, live, work, serve our fellow man, and then die. Nowhere are we to step back, stop being production, and let someone else take care of us.
Again, this is about using our “PERSPECTIVE.” What we continue to do becomes the rut in which we live, work, and play in, in our lives.
I will leave you with this to ponder here in November 2024: If you are looking for someone to help you level up your leadership with a new perspective and hold you accountable through your consistency and persistence, give me a call or drop me an email and let’s set the framework for 2025!
I CAN GUARANTEE IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK, YOU WILL BE LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF THOSE AROUND YOU IN 2025!
If you are looking for a mentor or coach to help you with your microphone, send me an email, and we can discuss the effective use of that microphone in your hands!
janice@janicebastanicoaching.com
8914 Collina Ct.
Granite Bay, CA 95746
908-229-3797
www.janicebastanicoaching.com
www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/janicebastani
