Finish Strong in 2010…and Play a Bigger Game in 2011

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Tags: Accountability Partnership, business coaching, Celebrate, Challenge, Creator, Entrepreneur, Intention, Leadership, Small business owner

What would you like to be telling me one year from now (on November 29, 2011) in the major areas of your life, career and business?  Here”s what I would like to be telling you:

I am the mother of a healthy 9 month old baby and I love being a mother; I am working with amazing coaching clients and my business didn’t suffer because I took 6 months of maternity leave; I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have never felt better/ healthier; I have met a great guy and we really enjoy spending time together.

This past Friday, several business owners and professionals came together to “Finish Strong in 2010…and Play a Bigger Game in 2011″.  Denise Desmeules and I facilitated the workshop and coached participants to create their own vision.

Since the process works so well, I want to share it here as my holiday offering to you. It’s a 6 step process to Finish Strong in 2010…and Play a Bigger Game in 2011.  Granted, it’s easier to do with a coach in a concentrated focus session or workshop AND you can definitely do it on your own:

1. Acknowledge what you are proud of in 2010- I am proud of my tenacity in becoming pregnant and my courage in business. What are you proud of?
2. Take a snap shot of your current reality- there’s a great tool called the Wheel of Life (I have also made one called the Wheel of Business) to help you quickly rate your satisfaction with all the important areas. This simple exercise can be very telling. What’s calling your attention?
3. Transport yourself into your bigger future- I recommend actually moving to a new physical location (leave that current reality behind) and envision yourself one year (or two, or three..you decide) into the future.  This phase has no limitations and a dreamy quality. Let yourself go!  In each of the areas of your wheel,  what do you want to be saying at x date in the future ? Write one sentence about each area in the wheel.  Remember…present tense only!  By now, one or two areas are likely really standing out as the areas you need to focus on. Pick one area for now and work through the rest of the steps. You can always come back and worth through steps 3-6 for other areas. Bonus step:  You might want to draw your bigger future.  This can be an image, a symbol, a metaphor or a bunch of powerful words on a piece of paper.  The point is to let your creativity run and capture your dream in picture format rather than just words. 
4. Get clear on the benefits and costs- this step is muy importante! List out what acheiving your bigger future will bring you.  On the flip side, get good and clear what it will cost you not to realize your bigger future.
5. Reduce the tension through action planning- the first step here is to state a S.M.A.R.T. goal and then brainstorm possible actions before you narrow the field.  From your brainstormed list, pick a few actions that resonate with you and will truly help move toward your bigger future. And for goodness sake, pick a timeline and tell someone who will help you stay accountable to yourself (again, coaching is great for this AND you can do it with a colleague, a friend, a partner…as long as it’s someone you trust).
6. Enter the land of commitment!- the final step is as important as every step before it.  Simply stated: who do you need to BE in order to achieve your bigger future?  Receptive? Tenacious? Open-minded? Free? Passionate? You get to decide what quality will serve you best.  Again, I recommend actually drawing a metaphorical line in the floor and stepping over it.  Once in the land of commitment, you have a much greater probability of creating your bigger future.

 What are you proud of? What’s your current reality? What do you want? What will you have when you get it? What will it cost you if you don’t get it? What steps do you need to take to get where you want to go? And finally, who do you need to BE?  Your future is waiting.  How can I help?

_________

P.S. By doing steps 2 and 3, you create a gap between where you are now (your current reality) and where you want to be (your bigger future).  This is good because nature seeks to resolve this tension according to Robert Fritz. Think of an elastic band stretched between your two hands. The tension reduces when your two hands come together. Same deal for your current reality and your bigger future.  The closer they come together, the less tension there will be.

P.S.S. It bears mentioning that when I use “bigger future’ it doesn’t mean bigger = more. Your bigger future might mean less responsibility, fewer material goods etc. 

Related posts:

1. Are You (Your business) Heading Toward Greatness or Doom?
2. Risk/ Reward: The Entrepreneur's R&R- Savon Populaire
3. Creating a Meaningful Life
4. Are You on the Flywheel or the Doom Loop?
5. What I Learned This Week: The Hero’s Journey

Comments (2 comments)

• Betty Allen says:

  December 3, 2010 at 2:24 pm

  Thanks, what a great tool. I believe that 12 months from now I’ll get an e-mail from you telling me that 2011 was all you had hoped and wanted it to be. When I can quiet myself down I’ll take a shot at the Wheel of Life. Holidays are upn us – we head north on 12/8
• What Are You Thinking About? | Chandler coaches says:

  December 6, 2010 at 10:26 pm

  [...] Finish Strong in 2010…and Play a Bigger Game in 2011 [...]