Issue #136: On Lifting a Weight vs. Carrying It, the Power of a “Macklemore Moment,” and More

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INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)

What weight are you carrying? What slow-burning, in-the-background problem, is eating at you, always parked in the quiet, dark spaces, blocking access to full-on happiness? What issue feels like a constant burden, unaddressed, unrelenting? Maybe it’s an expectation others have of you, that you have no interest in fulfilling. Maybe it’s something you must do that you keep putting off. Maybe it’s a worry about a relationship, a job, or a past mis-step. All of it, any of it, is the weight you carry.

But an amazing thing happens when you face that burden head-on and address it; with a choice, an action, a forward step - no matter how difficult any of those might be. Said another way, happiness finds its way in when you stop carrying that weight, and you start lifting it.

Lifting it, by being brave, by making that decision, or taking that action, or confronting that truth, none of which you’ve been looking forward to - so you can move forward, to, joy.

A dear friend shared a story with me of how she addressed a weight she’d been carrying, with a difficult choice, an unwanted expectation shed, and how thereafter, it no longer felt like a weight she carried, but one that had been lifted. I told her I'd never been prouder of her.

I want that for you, too.

IMPERFECTIONS (a struggle of mine I’ve turned into a positive)

I’ve been out of corporate life for over seven years now, living my best entrepreneurial life. I love what I do now, but that doesn’t keep me from, every once-in-a-while, wishing for some elements of the good ol’ days, when I was surrounded by a bevy of co-workers that I really liked, that I had sooo much fun with. I call these my “Macklemore Moments,” named after grammy-award winning artist Macklemore’s hit song, Good Old Days (in which he laments days gone by, singing, “you don’t know…what you've got…until it goes...until it’s gone").

I now turn these moments into appreciation-fuel. I immediately think of something else in my life, that if I were to look back upon 10 years from now, I’d say, “You know, those were the good ‘ol days, when…” It instantly boosts my sense of appreciation for that thing, in the here and now. It reminds me to soak up every ounce of joy from those corresponding moments that I can, because I know they won’t always be there.

What are you experiencing in your life, right now, that you’d look back on with the fondest of memories, perhaps even wistfully lamenting that the time/circumstance are days gone by? Whatever it is, draw from the power of a future “Macklemore Moment” to appreciate the present, even more.

IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)

You’ve probably heard of the KPI – key performance indicator. It’s a standard measure in today’s corporate world, one of the most important tools in the leaders’ toolkit. But a reader and author friend , Stephanie Herrera, alerted me to an alternate way to think of the KPI. If you want to be a truly successful leader, remember the other KPI’s:

? Keep People Informed

? Keep People Involved

? Keep People Inspired

? Keep People Interested

That’s pretty much the essence of good leadership. So, keep these four KPI’s in mind, and you’ll Keep Professionally Improving.

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