An important primer to this blog post is that it’s taken me nearly 4 weeks to complete this exercise. No doubt, my marketing team is losing their mind as we head into nearly the 2nd month of the year. That said, 2021 required more than a casual reflection before I publicly state my intention for 2022.
My goals are different this year. Sure, I’ve put some placeholders along the way for big events – company milestones, long-endurance races, and a long-awaited family vacation. But, unlike years past, these are merely events, but my resolve is focused away from the usual feats of greatness, endurance or efficiency. I want to support others’ journeys, I want to be more grounded myself, and I want to be a leader that creates space to have people do their best work. I intend to get there by:
- Practicing Patience – Be the best I can be right now, focusing on the process, not always on the end-game.
- Practicing Compassion – Smile more frequently, assume positive intent, and honor each day as the gift it truly is. Be a bigger part of my community – both personally and professionally.
- Practicing Focus – Eliminate distractions. Love the word “no”. Be great, not just good.
- Practicing Humility – Give others a chance to lead. Step back and see them shine.
- Practicing Vulnerability – I am not my successes and I am not invincible. I am human and have the same emotions and struggles as everyone else.
To me, I resolve that I can’t control the world, I can only control my response to it. That ‘Zero Excuses’ is all about the process, creating habits to do small things consistently, with the big things coming as a thoughtful by-product. It doesn’t mean perfection, rather, it means the wisdom to know that there are always going to be headwinds, and December of 2022 will likely look nothing like I predict. And I choose to be OK with that fact. I know I’ll fall off the path many times, but I intend to get back on it again.
