On January 18, I announced the theme for 2019 as The Year of Responsibility. I wrote the following:
Like a summer morning sunrise, the promise of a fresh start, a new calendar presses us to keep moving. The early weeks of our New Year vanish. We are writing Chapter 2019 of the Story, ready or not. What will it take to write the Story you want to tell? What will it take to achieve your full potential? What will it take for your team or organization to maximize this year’s opportunities?
Part of the answer is a commitment to take responsibility. As Stephen Covey would say, “The key is taking responsibility and initiative, deciding what your life is about and prioritizing your life around the most important things.”
Responsibility means you have the freedom to answer for your role in the Story.
Now a few moments later, we’ve raced through 52 weeks. Ready or not, we race toward the historic transition of a new decade and a new year. But first, let me ask, how did you do?
Are you writing the story you want to tell?
FIVE REALITIES OF THE STORY
To refresh your memory and provide a framework, here are the five realities of the Story.
- Everybody has a Story
- Every day you add to the Story
- Today, you will influence someone’s Story
- There’s always more to the Story
- You are responsible to write your Story
While 2019 is almost history, as long as your heart beats and you fill your lungs with another breath, you get to keep writing.
You are responsible for writing your story.
THE NEXT LEVEL JOURNEY
I encourage you to reflect on the three simple but powerful questions. The exercise is to help you celebrate, avoid insanity (keep doing the same thing while expecting different results), and gain some clarity for 2020.
Get your journal out, create some space to think, and watch what happens.
- What got you Here?
- What are you grateful for today?
- Who do you appreciate?
- Who do you want to celebrate?
- What do you want to celebrate?
- Who helped you get here?
- What are you most proud of so far in your life?
- What was the hard part of the past year?
- What did you learn from that experience?
- How have you grown as a person?
- How did you make a difference?
- What keyword best describes last year?
- What does There look like?
- Where is your opportunity to get better?
- Where do you need to improve your performance?
- What would you like to do more of in 2020?
- What does success mean to you next year?
- What do you want to stop, start, and keep doing?
- What “one thing” will make 2020 a significant chapter in your story?
- How will you get There?
- Where do you see disruption?
- Where do you feel challenged?
- What habits or behaviors do you need to develop?
- What new habits/behaviors do you want to start?
- Which unproductive habits/behaviors do you want to stop?
- What do you need to let go of?
Life is a journey from Here to There.
CREATE SPACE TO THINK
If you want extra credit, expand your review to include the 2010-2019 decade.
As J. C. R. Licklider notes: “People overestimate what can be done in one year, and underestimate what can be done in ten.”
Here’s to your celebration, course correction, and Next Level 2020.
How can I help you write the Story you want to tell?
Celebrating life,
Steve
Transform disruption into clarity for life and work!
Order my new book Leaders Create Space today. Check it out on Amazon!
Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash