September 2007

September is always a month that holds a lot of excitement and promise in my mind.  It is as if everyone gets back in the swing of things after the slower-paced days of summer.  Recently I’ve been thinking about what I’ve accomplished so far this year and what I want to focus on for the rest of the year.  Approaching that in a systematic way (and with the support and guidance of a coach) helps me to ensure that I am doing and being what I want as I move forward.

There are five steps in my process; the first is to review all my goals and intentions that I made for this year.  I carefully go through each discreet goal and note where I am on it.  I also notice if the goal itself was specific enough, measurable, realistic, and framed correctly.  Next, I reevaluate how I am spending my time and energy.  What goals are taking up a lot of my resources (time, talent, energy, intellect, etc.) and what am I getting back in return?  What behaviors or thinking habits are distracting me from my goals?  To aid in this reevaluation, I have kept a detailed time log for a couple of weeks to see exactly where and how I spend my time (now that is an eye-opening exercise!). 

I am taking time to reflect on what goals truly support my mission (To recognize, strengthen, and encourage the gifts and greatness in myself and others.) and this year’s theme (Reach High, Play Big). Years of experience have taught me that when I am not aligning my actions with my mission, things go awry.  I lose interest.  It takes a lot more effort to try to meet a goal that is not reflective of what I want my work and life to be about.  Next, I revise, as needed, so that I am focused on what really matters to me.  I might revise my priorities, or a deadline, or an approach to a goal.  Finally, I renew my commitment to the tweaked goals.  I get excited about them again.  When I am focused and committed to what truly is important to me, my work is joyful and powerful.

Are there any goals that you want to revisit as we head into the final months of 2007?  If so, I am happy to support you in a process to review, reevaluate, reflect, revise, and renew.  Have a productive and focused month.

Sharon
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