We have to talk
4 Steps to being Deliberate
Happy New Year! New beginnings, new plans, new dreams… We have to talk.
We all have fear. We all have habits that don’t serve us – putting off tasks, avoiding difficult conversations, blaming…the economy, our boss, our spouse.
You are part of something bigger than yourself and you want to feel like something is different, better, and stronger because you exist. But we all need help to be in the moment, cherish our closest relationships and honor the nobility of our work through artful relationship building.
You are extraordinarily important to me and I want 2014 to be the year you take DELIBERATE STEPS, small and specific. From now on things are going to be different. YES! Let’s make this the year you say, “From now on….” and mean it!
Here are 4 Steps to Being Deliberate in 2104
1. Deliberately pick your 2014 Word of the Year.
Early each year I consider how I want this next year to be..overall. I want a word that captures this feeling… sets the stage for the year. ‘Abundance’ ‘joy’ ‘focus’ ‘implement’ are words that have served me in the past. This year I selected, ‘deliberate.’ What one word describes your overriding feelings and goals for 2014? Write it down and post it!
2. Deliberately apply your Word of the Year.
You have SO many opportunities and options for how to use your time, what to eat, how to spend your money and where to focus your attention. I want to make each choice DELIBERATELY, not offhandedly. Keep moving forward, (thank you, Dr. King) DELIBERATELY. “I will do my relationship action pl ans for my top prospects with a vengeance for the next hour. Then I will call a friend, go on Facebook, walk about the office, whatever…but I will DELIBERATELY stop and do something else.” Deliberately work AND play! Drop the guilt because you are doing what you intended to do deliberately. Don’t absentmindedly reach for that monster donut, DELIBERATELY eat that great treat – or deliberately choose not to. How can you take your word and apply it?
3. Deliberately adopt the Power of One.
Elaine Beaubien, college professor, and CEO of Management Training Seminars shares that we are what we repeatedly do. “Excellence is not an act, but a habit” said Aristotle. You have the power to create your DELIBERATE performance regardless of the ‘culture’ or your boss, or whatever.
Amanda Gore, an inspirational speaker and coach shares one question you can ask that will change your work culture. It is, “What’s the best thing that happened to you today?” Seems it also works around the dinner table.
4. Deliberately plan and set high expectations.
YOU create your donor experiences – are the extraordinary? Are you carefully planning monthly ‘touches’ that you (or someone you enlist as your partner) carry out? Do these lead your major donors to the major giving option you have helped vision with them? Are you communicating DELIBERATELY – with a message that is clear and concise? Set your bold giving action goals. Deliberately STATE your expectations for yourself.
In 2012, after a disappointing Rose Bowl loss with my Wisconsin Badgers, Russell Wilson said, “To lose the way we did is only going to make me stronger in the future and help me figure out something else down the road. Maybe win the Super Bowl.” Look for him with the Seahawks this weekend… in the Super Bowl. I’ll be cheering him on!
This year I will deliberately be reaching out to you more…encouraging you to invest time and resources into your own growth. If you’re not growing, you’re dying. With one small, but deliberate step, you can make, ‘From now on’ changes that you want to make, stick!
