The Year Of Good Choices
Last year was tumultuous. It was about adapting and embracing change, both chosen and thrust. It was about living under new conditions and circumstances – within the world and within my personal world and I can say with certainty, I survived it with a positive attitude, damn it.
Still.. 2010, don’t let the door hit you on the way out! 2011 is a whole new ballgame and I have learned some valuable lessons. This is the Year of Good Choices.
1. There is a method to making good choices and good choices determine the quality of life. Every minute there are choices and just the act of considering them aligns you more closely with what you really want to be and do.
2. Planning is an imperative. I have always shunned planning. How can you plan a summer vacation in the winter if by that time you might get hit by a bus? This leads to…so I won’t budget to get hit by a bus. It’s cheaper and safer to stay home. But when everyone else is gone and I’m alone on burn-out – I can’t believe this was a good choice. This has been one of my unfounded, subconscious beliefs. I’m an entrepreneur, I don’t have time or money for this..but miraculously I have time and money to do other things..and if I didn’t do those things, I could do other things. Which leads me to the intention of planning. “If” is the central word. Life can be lived with – “I will” “I will” is a goal. “If” is living on default. Stuff happens. You can’t NOT plan because there’s an IF because there’s always an IF.
This is the Year of “I wills”
For the first time, I’m going to get my life on a calendar and choose what I want to do with it. I’ve never seen theater in New York, never visited Savannah, never researched the culture of American cities or even been to the Smithsonian. Certainly I can (oops) I will put one of those on my calendar.
3. Is travel one of my values? NO. Am I attracted to a Get-away? No. What I want is a Go-To. And that’s why travel made the list. Because without having personal time to refresh and Go-To, I can’t maintain my own standard of work. The choice is not – either burn-out or nance into the sunset. The choice is - if I want to be at my best and work more clearly I have to take care of myself and taking care of myself means making choices that do so.
4. Planning works well in business too! Sitting with Marcia Sutter and downloading a calendar of first quarter made what could have been a frantic next day, a day of accomplishment. Why? Because in the entrepreneur’s mind EVERYTHING has to be done at once or it won’t get done. Doing EVERYTHING leads to brain freeze – brain freeze leads to default, default means you go nancing on the Internet..and possibly end up buying something..which could have been allocated to a travel budget and then you’re behind on your work. And if you don’t buy anything, your time still has value, so you’ve literally spent your currency on nothing.
BUT by planning the next day and the day after that (etc.) I could sit down, do the job that hit the daily goals, knowing that the next day I had other goals and that they wouldn’t all whirl together.
In the Year of Good Choices, whirling is the enemy. And to think..last year I thought it was a bus.
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“There is a method to making good choices and good choices determine the quality of life.” I like that. Seems that most of the devices and developments designed to make our lives easier push us towards the ‘whirling’ side of life. Choosing provides something to grab hold of and pull — kind of an anti-whirl antidote.
Fred, you’ve had an amazing year of changes – and changes of your choosing. What was your process? How did you plant your flag in the sand?
I loved this post, and it’s great to see you writing again. I, too, had some changes thrust at me in 2010 and have survived to tell the tale.
Do come to NY to theater. It’s the best experience. I’d love to join you when you do. I’ve been seeing plays in NYC since Mary Martin starred in Sound of Music. Still have ALL the playbills, too.
Jane, I can’t think of anything MORE fun. I will most def let you know..in advance..so we can put it in the calendar. My fave is well-written small plays of quiet brilliance but admit I’ve never been to Broadway either. The hills are alive! Thank you for the invite. I’m taking you up on it!
When I read, “BUT by planning the next day and the day after that (etc.) I could sit down, do the job that hit the daily goals, knowing that the next day I had other goals and that they wouldn’t all whirl together.” I heard an “Amen, sister!” reverberate in my office.
Great post, Lennie. You are an amazing storyteller.
Wish I had sage advice on that. I think it boils down to the simple, learn from the past but don’t be chained to it philosophy. Always look forward for a new opportunity. I did just read a post by Janice Cartier that I liked… (www.janicecartier.com) where she related moving forward to chucking a spear at a map and then plowing towards it… I kind of liked that analogy.
Oh Jan, I have you looking over my shoulder more than you even want to know. I often think, what would Jan do? This truly has been a breakthrough insight. Thank you darling for all the patience you’ve needed to keep me organized.
No whirl here.
Great post Lennie! I too had an “Amen sister” moment reading this.
I always say coaching is 90% awareness so you can make a conscious choice. It’s SO easy for us humans to live unconsciously and just go through the crazed, over-full to do lists of our day.
Choosing what to say yes to and what to say no to is a big grown-up skill that most of us grown-ups still find really hard to do. Sounds like your approach will make all the difference this year!
Vaya con Dios!
Elene, yesterday I needed to make a hard choice. Hard as in definite, as in altering the course of a business relationship and I saw this as both strategic and personal. So I called you – not only to gain your perspective, but to guide mine. Within 15 minutes of discussion, I knew what I had done was correct and more importantly why it was the right thing to do. Your clarity saved me from further reflecting on something that was done well and ready to put to bed. Thank you!