My 2021 wishes for you, one for every month

Well hello (aka Great Mind),

What a hairy, upside down, gnashing of teeth kind of year it’s been. I mean really!. It’s time to turn the page with 12 brand new wishes for you and your 2021, one for each month.

If you haven’t reviewed my wishes for you from 2020 you can do that here first.

From my corner of the globe to yours, from my heart to yours, a meeting of the minds, a refreshing of the spirit as we take a look back and then a deep breath as we turn the page on 2020 with 12 brand new wishes for 2021.

January – Learn, Laugh, and Lead

• The perfector trifecta, I wish you much learning, laughing, and leading
• Learning because we need to be soaking up learning, always
• Laughter because it’s medicine for the heart and soul
• Leading because the world needs your action now
• Here’s how you can do all three→
• Learning in the time of coronavirus
• Laughing in the time of corona
• Leading during covid

February – Teams

• Teams are the foundation for great work, collaboration, creativity and an endless well of ideas … when they’re functioning well.
• Pay attention to your virtual teams, just as you would your IRL (in real life) teams
• Check out all these resources to help you do just that →
• Learning and Development Roundtable: Virtual team building in the time of COVID – yes it’s possible and here’s how
• Virtual teamwork in the time of COVID – Turning you and your team right side up again (part one),
• Part two
• Part three

March – Perspective

• Oh how I adore a good perspective shifter a.k.a. something or someone that makes us see the same thing in an entirely different way. Something that expands our world view beyond the tip of our nose.
• As we navigate these challenging times, taking on other’s perspectives is gold, both for you and for them.
• As we mark International Women’s Day this month, let’s actively seek to expand both our perspective and our world view.
• Your secret sauce for overcoming procrastination (hint: it has to do with your perspective)
• Ten lessons from my Maasai friend, spurred by taking fresh kill from a lion part one, and part two

April – Advice to our younger self

• We are often incredibly hard on ourselves. "If only I’d…." "Why didn’t I think to …" "I can’t believe I didn’t…" That inner voice can be mean, spiteful and insensitive. For this month, practice replacing him or her with advice your future self would give you or advice you’d give your younger self.
• Take inspiration. Be kind. Be gentle.
• This idea was inspired by Dr. Cris Wildermuth, Associate Professor at Drake University,
• What advice would you give your younger self?

May – Say no to perfection

• There are four lies that could very well be standing in between you and done, each a big, whopper of a lie (thanks to Jon Acuff’s "Finish, Gift Yourself the Gift of Done").

1. Quit if it isn’t perfect
2. Your goals should be bigger
3. You can do it all
4. Fun doesn’t count

• Prepare to take a metaphorical fly swatter and flick those buzzing, irritating lies that are swarming around your head like an annoying fly and give perfectionism the boot.  
• Lies perfection tells us

June – Connection, Collaboration, and Creativity

• Connection, collaboration and creativity are three bedfellows.
• They go together like a peanut butter jelly sandwich.
• More connection leads to more collaboration which leads to more creativity.
• And who doesn’t want more of that?
• The world needs you to connect, collaborate and be creative, especially this month, which includes World Environment Day.  
• Three bedfellows: connection, collaboration, creativity + a hallway

July – Inspiration

• Here’s a chance to grab a dose of powerful inspiration in times of need. Make use of this inspiration during tough situations.
• When we’re held back …We go further.
• When we’re not taken seriously …We prove them wrong.
• When we don’t fit the situation …We change the situation.
• When we know things won’t always go our way …We find a way.
• When things aren’t fair ..We come together for change.
• No matter how bad things get …We come back stronger.
• Nothing can stop …What we can do together. Edited from a Nike (yes I know) ad.
• A powerful dose of inspiration for when you need it most

August – Humanity

• In honour of August’s World Humanitarian day, let’s celebrate all of humanity AND those that are typically left out, denied opportunities and full expression of their very selves.
• Let’s have those necessary and needed tough conversations.
• Let’s rise, together.
• What a former child soldier has to teach us all about teamwork and humanity
• To my white friends and colleagues

September – Habits

• Habits can swing both ways.  They can make your personal and work life flow with ease or they can throw a ratchet into all your spinning sprockets, bringing things to a grinding halt.
• Think about the positive habits you currently have and the impact they have on your life. Then think about the habits you want to gain, in order to stop those ratchets bunging up your progress.
• Creating habits can be a whole lot easier if you follow the eight suggestions below from Matt Davella’s video.
• Habits; we all need them, especially now

October – Leave no one behind

• Have you ever been in a workshop where you felt left out, embarrassed, ashamed or not included? Thanks to modern neuroscience we know that those conditions do anything BUT set the stage for learning.
• Sometimes it’s a case of having a blind-spot (4 ways to take a bite out of your blind spot).  
• While sometimes it’s how our culture influences us and our teaching; remember when you stood with a ruler between your nose & theirs? How culture influences teaching.
• Being inclusive is easier than you think and it’s actually a whole lotta fun. Like serious fun. Here’s how to start.
• Leave no one behind
• Leave no one behind: 4 inclusive, accessible steps to teaching workshops (Part one)
• Part two)

November – How to be okay when it’s not okay

• "How we make sense of the world, is in part based on how we make sense of ambiguity, that hazy space between ignorance and daily rituals," says Jamie Holmes in his excellent book Nonsense: the Power of Not Knowing.  
• Are you wondering how to put up with ambiguity? Then find out through this simple mantra - How to be okay when things are not okay.
• How to be okay when things are not okay

December – Rejuvenate

• We have learned to do a lot of things but how to literally make time is not one of them. Time is one of our most precious resources yet we often don’t pay it the attention it deserves. How do you spend your time? How do you rejuvenate? How do you feel about time?  
• I’ve been focusing on how I manage my time recently and have been experimenting with some new tools.
• I’ve also been thinking about breaks. As in I don’t take them very often. Can you relate?
• Check out this link below for your very own downloadable break encourager; Twenty-four little cards to rejuvenate you and your day

Now go on and learn, laugh and lead.

Learn

• Click on the posts above that call to you and check out the linked resources.

Laugh

• I continue to have faith in you. I really do.

Lead

• Thank you for your commitment to learning, laughing and leading. Pass on your superpowers, share your strengths, maintain hope and curiousity, rest, relax and approach 2021 with vim, vigor and curiosity.

Work With Me

You’re ready to start taking that beloved subject matter expertise of yours and start teaching it to others. I’m here to help.

Who I work with

I work with big thinking change makers from all sorts of fields.

Example:

• I work with wildly creative digital content strategists who are itching to help others learn their insider secrets.
• I work with storytellers who are brilliant at bridging divides and who are yearning to get their ideas onto a bigger stage.
• I work with folks like you!

My clients are experts but not teachers. They have big plans for teaching engaging workshops that position them as a leader in their field and generate the change they want to see in the world, but they get stuck with where to start and they’re afraid their lack of training skills will get in the way.

What we do together

I help big thinkers how to design and deliver game changing workshops in their beloved area of expertise.  

I offer 1:1, online training workshops designed to help position yourself as a leader in your field and generate the change you want to see in the world. I offer workshops like Workshops that Work; 4 steps to taking that beloved subject matter expertise of yours and starting to teach it to others.

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Lee-Anne Ragan, President Rock.Paper.Scissors Inc.n Changing the way the world works. e: [email protected]