It’s an active state…the act of becoming. Stepping further and further into yourself, becoming more and more of the person/spirit/sage/parent/leader/writer/friend/salsa dancer you want to be. It is an active act. And if done intentionally, a really powerful one.

Who will you “become” in 2012? I notice that as 2011 comes to an end and 2012 is around the bend, people (present company included) talk about what they will “do” in 2012, what they want to “have” by the end of 2012, what goals and intentions they will set. They break it into quarters and months and fiscal years. Draw charts and vision boards, mind map it, set up accountability systems, all sorts of cool stuff. It’s juicy. And important. And powerful…

Want an even juicier place to look? Who will you become in 2012?

Becoming is different. It’s bigger than what you’ll do or what you’ll have – because it’s who you are. It’s you – at your core – no lies, no facades, just you. We’re always becoming something – how intentional we are about it determines the outlook that we’ll bring to the table and the level of success we’ll have. And here’s the really cool thing, the size of the game you play determines who you will become – so play big. Real big. Set those New Year’s intentions, and goals, and outcomes…go on, do it – it’s so good to do. And in the process, check in – who will you become?

Are the goals and outcomes you’re designing for yourself big enough to make you play a bigger game? Big enough to challenge you to become an even bigger version of your big beautiful self? Big enough to challenge you to DO more great things, and to BEcome even more??? Are they? If not, go back, dream big – and act.

Want examples of what this might look like? Have examples? Chime in and we’ll go from there.

To becoming.

“Adding value”. A commonly used term used by people in business. You hear about it from vendors, organizations, products and services, and in employee performance conversations and sales pitch meetings. Adding value: the value added benefit this person/thing brings to the table. If you look up the definition, you’ll get a bunch of finessed words, which to me all point to one simple thing – how do you make the “thing” that your contributing to…better? How do you make it shine? How do you make an extra special difference?

An invitation for 2012 (if you so choose) is to put an extra fine lens this year on adding value to the services and offerings you provide…and to really look at what that truly means for you. To “add value” – that’s an amazing thing. It’s special. It makes someone’s life better. An outcome better. An organization better. A team better. It makes something better. Making an organization better to work for/with, making a product better for people, making a team better and happier just by the way you lead, making your relationships more connected and collaborative and…special. That is an honor. That is special.

Ready to play? Step into the question for yourself: What does it mean to add value? How do I want to do it? What is most meaningful? How do the people around me want/need me to “add value”? (Note: feel free to use “add value” or “make it better/stellar/wowzicle” as it resonates.)

And more specific questions – with one in particular you likely have not thought about…What is it to “add value” to your organization? To make it better. What is it to add value to your culture? What is it to add value to that project you’re working on or that person you’re working with? To your employee perks? To your client relationships? To your family? And to yourself? Yes, to yourself. Because while adding value is super important, and never a thing to be taken for granted - a promise (kept) of adding value for yourself is just as important.

For 2012, what is the value you want to add for yourself? Add it. Get specific. Make it better. Make it good. Dream a little dream and then realize it’s closer than you think. That personal “value added” will only amplify your ability to add extra value to all the people, businesses, relationships, products, clients, and more. You must add value for yourself if you are to be able to add great value for others. Go for it.

Life is simple. Our brains and egos don’t want us to think it is, but it actually is pretty simple. When you unpack all the stories about relationships, events, failures, wins, people, places, and things…and just get to the bottom of it, it’s pretty simple.

Simply put – I believe that at their core people want to connect, have an impact, see forward action and results in their lives, feel good, and experience joy. I also believe that one of the best ways to create these outcomes comes from deciding what you want, and then getting clear on how to get there. Of course you have to breathe first. Maybe even take a step (or 10) back, and ask yourself the big – and not so big – questions.

Five simple – and yes, sometimes not so simple – questions to ponder on this Monday morning:

1. What do you want?
2. Why do you want it?
3. When do you want it by?
4. WHO will you have to BE to create it?
5. How will you create it? (Who will create it with you?)

Like these questions? Want to know more? Comment below and I’ll share more of where these questions come from, and HOW to integrate them, in my next post. Happy Monday all! xo

I thought I’d do something very different on this blog for a bit. Consider this an experiment on multiple levels. We’re actually in the process of giving my site and blog a full “facelift”, so things are a-changing here, and today I feel compelled to play.

Quick preview: a 60 day blog series integrating energy/leadership development with my personal aha’s/experiences from doing a Bikram Yoga Challenge while training for a 1/2 Marathon all at the same time. I get some serious clarity when I push myself physically, and integrate business, leadership & the body. It’s no surprise that this has had such a strong impact on the work I do with people. In this series I’ll be linking leadership/Bikram yoga/running (lead/beek/run) to share some ideas that 1) I hope are fun, 2) will serve you in your own business and life, 3) will provide space for us to learn together and create more connection, and 4) will push me out of my own comfort zone in bringing you more deeply into my internal quirks!

A little background: What I know is that my energy, success, effectiveness, and personal levels of joy and groundedness directly correlate with my level of activity, what I eat, and how well I do at “getting in front of” and “leading” in my life and relationships.  The more I ground in this way, the more intentional I am, the cleaner I eat – the more my energy soars, the more grounded I feel, the better I am in my relationships and leadership, and the more my business and life thrive. This is the virtuous cycle, as I’ve shared with many of you, and one that I work with clients on just about everyday. And of course, as we all teach what we need to learn, this virtuous cycle is on the front lines with me daily.

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One of my past executive clients, who is a very strong advocate for this work and a trusted mentor and adviser, said to me recently, as we discussed some of the opportunities of this work: “Why would people think they need to build and save up for retirement and financial well-being, but not build and ‘save up’ for their every day health, resiliency and energetic and emotional well-being? It’s no different. Why would people work so hard to grow their careers and businesses, and even their people, yet not commit to growing themselves internally, in their leadership, and in their relationships? Again, no different.” I have to agree. It all seems quite important to me.

The work that I do is kind of a funny thing. People often don’t realize they need it until they’re in some kind of a situation where the pain of not doing something about it is greater than the comfort of staying comfortable. Or on the flip side, they want it, right from the get-go, because they want to optimize, sustain, and push the limits of what’s possible.

It’s kind of similar to health, which is one of those things that 1) people often take for granted until something happens, or, 2) don’t realize just HOW GOOD they can feel when they start attending to it, or, 3) know they feel/perform well, and want more. When I used to work in health and productivity and with heart disease patients, people often didn’t come to the “party” until there was some kind of cardiovascular event that got them to the “party”…and fast. When I worked with athletes, they’d come to the “party”, because they needed it – they wanted to optimize their game. Years ago, when I worked in Corporate America, we got people to the “party” in order to help them lower their health care costs and prevent illness and injury. Sometimes they came to the party because they wanted to feel or look better. There were several different entry points to the “party of self-care” for all of these, but often it wasn’t the most obvious entry point. And always, they realized once they got there, how much better they felt and what was possible.

What is possible? And how does it apply to your leadership? Read More »