Hello Reader,
How are you now that the first week of 2021 is unfolding and many of us are even beginning to return to work?
Christmas and New Year, pleasant though they are, seem to create a time warp where it’s difficult to know what day of the week it is and, I for one am pleased to welcome a greater structure to my week as it is shaped by the ebb and flow of my work activities.
At this time of year we often think about resolutions – I’ve never been a big fan. The fact that the majority of resolutions are ditched by the end of January shows that I’m not alone. But I am a fan of setting intentions and maybe my professional intentions for 2021 can be summed up as outreach…
I enjoy my work very much. I love the fact that what I do changes things for others. I love delivering training sessions and get huge satisfaction from working one to one with people who want to grow. In 2021 I intend to increase my capacity for working with people facing particular professional challenges.
And these last few months have certainly presented some interesting challenges. Questions I’ve been asked include: “How do I motivate my team when we’re all on Zoom”, “How do you prepare for a virtual job interview?”, “My manager says I’m not good at expressing a sense of vision – can you help me?” and yes, of course, that classic question, “Am I too late, too old to go for this?”.
Questions, doubts, challenges – these are the situations that often give us greatest opportunity to grow and develop. Many of us discovered that in facing the challenges of 2020 we did things that we never thought we would or could do. We are more resilient and creative than we believed and I certainly found that in my business life in particular.
In 2020 my clients also experienced great moments of success – one pivoted their health training business to an online model in less than a week and is continuing to expand her vision not limited by geographic boundaries. Another who came to me because she felt she had no professional voice or impact was later voted the most influential person in her organisation. A third client was appointed to a senior management position after presenting in interview a clear and compelling vision for the development of the organisation. I was delighted to help all three.
So what challenge are you currently facing and can I help with that?
My personal intentions for 2021 centre around health.
In the 18 months before our first lockdown I’d made great progress with my physical health, good eating habits, lots of exercise and I discovered a particular and unexpected joy in working out with weights. All that stopped suddenly with lockdown, shielding my vulnerable sister meant visits to the gym were now out of bounds. And although summer saw me very busy in my vegetable garden, the intensity of activity was nowhere near comparable and so, everything has sort of slipped… literally.
So in 2021 I’m choosing a focus on health. Back to better eating habits and a commitment to find ways to be more active.
So outreach and health. My professional and personal intentions for 2021.
What would you choose as your intentions or words for 2021 and why? Do let me know, I’d be delighted to hear from you!
Margaret