Happy Sunday Everyone.
Is it strange that I can remember listening to Prince sing “we’re going to party like its 1999”, and thinking how far in the future that was? and now its 18 years behind us….WOW….well Happy 2017 to everyone.
I’m not one for new year resolutions. Not to say I haven’t had them but I can’t remember a single one that I actually executed on. I am however trying something new in 2017. I’m putting 2 themes in place for 2017 to carry me through the entire year, and I expect far beyond. My two themes for 2017 are discipline and curiosity.
Discipline: I’m not sure if there is such thing as a morning person or a night owl….I’ve always thought of the “I’m not a morning person” as an excuse….probably because I would be categorized as a morning person. I enjoy the mornings. A perfect morning for me is 4:30 wake up, meditation, prayer, journal, 4 mile run, and then come back and read for 15-20 minutes. in 2016 I did this 2 or 3 days a week, so 50% of the time on average. Which means of 260 business days, I consciously chose to start the day with a win 130 days, which also means I chose to unconsciously start the day with a loss the other 50%. I absolutely, without question, had great days when I followed my plan. I drive into work feeling on top of the world, I’m happier, I feel better, my brain works better, I’m kinder to my family, my team….everyone. So why the other 50% of the time would I choose to hit the snooze button (aka the defeat button), or not set the alarm the night before? then drive into work, see the morning runner, and start to grow angry at myself…regret before the day even begins, the exact opposite of what I mentioned above….makes no sense. This is my only discipline for 2017, I will do this every business morning. I am certain, after many of experiences, both positive and negative, this is the single disciplined decision I need to make daily to create everything else good around me.
Curiosity: I mentioned this to my mom, who I would categorize as a realist…..I believe she interpreted curiosity as “Hunter just told me he’s going into the woods, building a tree house, and is not coming down until he finds himself”…..this is not what I mean. I will be more curious in 2017. What does this mean? If I’m more curious about peoples stories, I’m talking less, I’m asking great questions, I’m building relationships. If I’m more curious about my kids interests, I’m a better dad. If I stop saying “I don’t know” to my kids questions, and curiously work with them to find answers, I’m growing, they’re growing. If I’m more curious about why clients go somewhere else, or what they loved about working with me, I’m going to get better. If I’m more curious about what my competitors are doing better than me, I’m going to learn from that. If I’m more curious about my trade, about my industry, I’m more knowledgeable, and that makes me more valuable. When I think about the BIG people in my life; the people I admire, respect, and want to learn from, they tend to be “more curious”. Worth noting, they’re curious about both people and things, not just things.
I’m working on working on less. With what we all do, coaching, reading, working on business etc….it can become serial self-improvement, which is better than serial self-destruction, but we have to find the balance and enjoy our life….these two themes are just what I need. Perhaps you might think of a theme or two you’re going to focus on in 2017.
P.S. IF you want to read a great book “A Curious Mind” by Brian Grazer….Ron Howard’s business partner. Best read of 2016 for me.