Two years ago, Lynn Flinn of EWF International in Tulsa, OK wrote the following in her business' newsletter. It's so powerful I wanted to bring it back again this year as 2012 comes to a close.
So, here goes…Lynn's year-end advice for leaders:
• Do something that you are afraid to do. Run through the fear rather than running away from it.
• Take a personal risk. Tell someone something you've always wished you'd said to them.
• Write a note to someone who inspires you but probably doesn't know it.
• Pick one characteristic about yourself that you'd like to change and earnestly work on changing it. It is really hard to change a behavior, but it is possible if you are aware, patient and persistent in making a change.
• Realize when you are not engaged and re-engage. Turn off the television, turn off the cell phone, and pay attention to the people around you.
• Smile and talk to strangers that you meet. It is amazing how much shorter a long line feels when you are talking to someone versus focusing on how long the line is.
• Meditate, pray, relax, exercise, hike, laugh or whatever brings you peace. Some people say they are just too busy to do these things, but taking time for self-renewal shows self-awareness, not selfishness.
• Take a trip somewhere that you've never been. It could even be a place you've never visited in your home town. How many experiences have you overlooked in your own town, because you just keep going to the same familiar places?
• Do something meaningful for a non-profit organization. Volunteers are the lifeblood of non-profit organizations. If everyone volunteers a few hours a week, think how much non-profits can accomplish.
• Don't get stuck in the same old routine. Shake it up and do something different. Something as simple as taking a different route to work or going someplace new for lunch makes life a little more interesting.
Thanks Lynn for this great end-of-the-year advice.
EWF International provides professionally facilitated peer advisory groups for women business owners and executives.
