9 Reflective Practices to Sharpen your Focus and Inhabit your Vision in 2020.

Now is the perfect time to look backwards and forwards to gain the focus necessary to progress towards your goals.

I have got into the habit, over the last 18 months, of taking time out every Saturday morning – from 15 minutes up to a couple of hours – to absorb what I’ve learnt, said and done and think about what I haven’t or should have. Then bring together the various strands into a cohesive plan for the following week.

This week I’m using this process to plan the coming year. I’ve crossed off the goals I have achieved and am clarifying where to put my focus next.

There’s no doubt that as I’ve got older, my priorities have changed. Up until recently, it was only about ensuring that I was in the right place, at the right time, doing the things that I felt deep down, I was meant to. As long as they aligned with my Vision, I was happy.

Re-defining your Focus:

I will always free-flow as much as possible, however I am now assessing my year and commitments through a more practical, highly strategic lens. Having brought up my son and re-launched my career, I have had to dig deep (and still am) to find out who I am now, and what I really want the next stage of my life to look like.

Without the luxury of time I had 20 years ago, getting all my ducks in a row has never been more important.

In order to support this process, I do this:

Let go of the past but keep the lessons:

As Oscar Wilde said, “experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” It’s important to keep the fire of your positive, empowering experiences burning bright. It gives power to our present. This is especially important when we doubt our decisions, because they give us the courage to keep moving forwards and trust. The negative emotions mistakes can generate, reports scientist Jill Bolte Taylor, only physically last for 90 seconds. The more you choose to loop back into them, the longer they last.  

With mistakes you’ve made; forgive yourself swiftly, learn fast and keep moving.

Look at life through a different lens:

Reading a book can give you a fresh perspective. So can talking to someone new. Everything you are now is made up of many things, such as; your beliefs, actions, thoughts, experiences, culture, groups, relationships and society. To lead our lives and be the kind of leader that others will respect and follow, we have to embrace the new, the unfamiliar.

Original thought, strategic/creative problem solving, courageous action and deep insights come from outside our comfort zone.

Evaluate the possibilities:

Once you have taken a step back, embraced the lessons without dwelling on the past and looked through a new lens, you’ll be presented with possibilities and options. This is exciting. Be a reporter and observer and sift through them whilst being mindful of your Vision and Focus. At this point, you’ll likely feel a pull. Rather than jumping in, let this new direction sit with you. See if it takes root.

Just enough (but not too much) stretch:

You want to find the balance; enough stretch that it’s initially uncomfortable, but not too much that you feel out of your depth. What’s unknown (uncomfortable) quickly becomes comfortable, so small, steady steps are best.

I tell my delegates to imagine stretching an elastic band it as far as it will go, then a little further. Feel your way, just like going down the gym and stretching your muscles.

You can always go a bit further and do more than you realise.

Put together a realistic Plan, aligned with your Vision:

Planning is key.

1.      How will you organise this new information, experience and self-awareness?

2.      Where does it fit into your 2020 Vision and Focus?

3.      How and where can you apply it?

4.      What outcomes could you expect?

5.      How can it best serve you and others and ultimately, how quickly can you action it?

I’m in the process of planning Q1. It’s distilled from the process that I have described here, which will be fleshed out with my weekly Saturday reflective practice. As I take up my new position in early January, I’ll be keeping a record of everything that I’m doing, both within and outside of my job description. This helps me see how far I’ve progressed, what new skills I’ve learnt, and any existing ones I’ve developed. It’s also a useful tool for when you come to your yearly appraisal, or when you need to report on what you’ve accomplished.

Seek out new Challenges:

A leader is always seeking out new challenges and solving problems that will give the organisation or business centre a better ROI. Be pro-active and determined in your approach. Be guided by your insights, growth, increasing self-awareness and drill down into projects, processes, people and products to determine where tweaks and improvements can be made. Build these actions into your weekly plan.

Make new Connections:

When I was facilitating resilience workshops, at least 25% of my delegates knew that this would benefit their career progression - but weren’t doing it. So I set them a challenge to deliberately and consistently choose people they wouldn’t normally talk to and engage them in conversation. You can be strategic about this and/or do it for pleasure. By the time I’d left the following week, 17% had reported back on their positive experiences of acquiring new allies, mentors, suggestions and perspectives. One office feud was laid to rest, one stalemate resolved and 12% said it re-kindled their passion for work.

New connections can increase visibility, help us deconstruct and improve what we do best (often unconsciously), accelerate career progression and stimulate original thought and insight.

Assess Your Beliefs:

The beliefs I held yesterday are not the same as I hold today, neither will they be the same tomorrow. A useful and enlightening exercise can be to work your way quickly down through the beliefs you hold about everything, suspend them for an instant, then re-build new ones. Having done this once, I can say that it was overwhelmingly worth the effort and attention.

Don’t take your beliefs for granted or be complacent. Question honestly whether they still serve you. If not, change them. It’s liberating.

Celebrate the Wins:

And celebrate them often. Life is too short not to. Celebrate with friends, by gifting yourself something beautiful or with an early night. Do anything that re-charges you, raises your energy and makes you appreciate yourself more.

Celebrating yourself increases your capacity to give as well as receive.

To everyone who has read, commented and liked my blogs this year, thank you. I’ve enjoyed writing them. I hope that 2020 brings you steady growth, freedom and flexibility, prosperity, and cherished memories. Happy New Year!

Alison Roberts is an ex-entrepreneur with 35 years’ experience as a Global L&D Leadership Consultant, Sales Director/Trainer, Account Manager, Executive & Business Mentor and Public Speaker. She is passionate about Women in Leadership and specialises in developing and empowering future leaders and high-potentials. She is at her best when solving complex problems and challenging the status quo. Connect with Alison on LinkedIn, Facebook and the Web

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