By Kristine Adala- WYLDE Consultant.
How was 2021 for you?
This is a typical question people ask when the year is ending.
We often judge a year by the events that took place, and in so doing we fail to grasp the implications of our verdict - we just gave the power to something outside our control.
Rather than ask what 2021 did for your business, your family, your health, how about asking what you brought to 2021? Did you bring your focus, resilience, and energy?
When faced with adverse situations did you look them in the eye and rise to become equal to the challenge or did you fold under the weight of circumstances that came your way and shrink to a lesser version of yourself.
Change is An Interesting Concept
Whatever 2021 brought with it, one thing that was inevitable was change. This is the one thing we can count on in life, yet it seems to throw us off the most because most times, change is outside our control.
As we obsess about the areas that blindsided us, throwing our well-thought plans out the window; the policies that changed and how this affected our ability to execute our business plans, the radically shifting economic environment and opportunities gained or lost because of the pandemic, the changing dynamics of our teams and relationships, we would be wise to acknowledge and audit how we grew.
For the sake of gaining a balanced perspective, do an evaluation of 2021, be analytical in your observations.
· What did you accomplish; who have you become?
· Which additional skill sets did you grow in order to thrive?
· What about the myriad of areas that stretched your creativity, leadership, discipline, spirituality and financial resources. How have those situations transformed you?
You may have faced situations where the labor required of you was grueling, the tasks demanding, the pressure unrelenting and the needs never-ending, all seeming to stretch you beyond your ability to cope. Have you acknowledged how this shaped you? Your patience levels have probably been stretched, causing you to emerge into a more tempered version of yourself. You may have built greater levels of endurance when you had to wait longer than usual for expected results.
In a year when there was a lot of loss and tragedy due to the covid 19 pandemic, have you found yourself giving more time to your spiritual needs? In the wake of death and disease, priority and focus may have radically shifted to things that are more enduring. Maybe you crushed some targets, meeting strategic life goals and experiencing significant success in the middle of never ending demands on your time, energy and resources, and this has given you renewed faith in the power of a gracious God who is truly working on your behalf behind the scenes. You may have had to work around cashflow challenges while delivering with excellence and on time, with the result of boosting stakeholder confidence in your products and services. Perhaps you experienced a financially robust year due to innovation and exposing huge potential for greater business.
If you take the time to do your audit well, really looking at the details, you are likely to find that the long haul has grown you in ways that are shaping you to look more and more like someone you respect and admire.
Take a moment to look at the man in the mirror. Honor the gift you have received. You have just undergone the process by which the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, and the eagle gains its pinons.
Reckon With the Eagle In You
Eagles do not flap their wings to ascend into the sky. They position themselves by spreading their wings to align with a strong current of wind that will lift them soaring into the blue. Other birds fly under the current, or avoid it altogether, preferring to wait out the strong wind then proceed with their flight once the opposition is over.
The eagle is wired differently.
Rather than perceiving the current an obstacle, the eagle uses it as a source of momentum, riding it and soaring with significantly less effort to heights that other birds cannot ascend to where it can access a better quality of air and greater freedom from predators and nuisances.
Did you come out with the feeling that 2021 was an exacting year? If yes, pay attention! Here lies your key to a chart stopping 2022
As you reset, re-strategize and reposition for 2022, do so in alignment with the eagle vision, eagle talent and eagle strength that emerged within you as you navigated 2021
Refuse to hold court with chicken-sized goals and plans that are oblivious to the stature of the person that you are evolving into.
Articulate, Acknowledge, Appreciate
While it doesn't have to be flaunted or paraded with the aim of lessening others, one sure key to establish a mindset of mediocrity is to fail to contemplate the many opportunities that daily expose to us the person we have become. In a culture where humility is equated with silence, the acknowledgement of one's greatness is a struggle for many.
What did you accomplish in 2021? How have you grown? Who have you become?
Articulate it. Think broadly about your achievements and accomplishments for 2021, then narrow down into the details of how you achieved the desired results. Clarify your achievements.
Acknowledge it. It took an effort on your part to rise to the challenge and deliver. There are times when you stepped out of your comfort zone, gained new skills, and grew into a more efficient version of yourself. Do not brush over this. Make an inventory of the skills you have gained in 2021 and factor them into your growth goals for 2022.
Appreciate it. Attach value to the efforts you made that produced the results you got in 2021. Record wins and celebrate them.
What is the next step in developing yourself? Whatever you do, be intentional.
New ways will open new doors. 2021 didn't just happen - you also did.
Photo by Pixabay