'Tis the Season for That Cup of Coffee With Yourself

About eight years ago, I wrote a blog about having?Your End Of The Year Coffee With… Yourself.?Essentially it is about putting some time aside to reflect, review and renew what you have just gone through, how it aligned with your goals, and what changes (if anything) you want to make over the next year.

Now's the time

This time of year is good to mull over those thoughts and take stock of your activities. I still believe in taking out a piece of paper and writing headlines along the top to help guide yourself. Along with this, it's also time to be disruptive to yourself by asking additional questions to help pull out some constructively disruptive ideas, which could lead to creative and innovative pathways.

"The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything." ~?Theodore Roosevelt

Disorderly for Goodness' Sake

I'm a fan of Tim Ferriss, and while I don't subscribe to everything he does, I have followed much of his stuff. Ferriss believes in taking time for self-reflection and openly thinking about ways to mix things up. If you want additional motivation, listen to?this?podcast from his archives on being a better version of yourself.

While you are at it, brainstorm about how to mix up your environment (work or personal) by jotting down the first ten things that come into your mind if asked, "How could I positively disrupt my pattern over the next three months?" or (as Ferriss suggests), "If I needed to accomplish [all] my goals in the next six months, what would I need to focus on?" If you stop and think about the last bit there for a second… it's powerful and worth repeating;?If you had to get it all done in six months… what do you need to focus on right now to set up the win?

The Forest and the Trees

Why should someone do this? Because looking over the master plan and ensuring you're still on course helps you see your goals and take stock of those things you are doing right. When reflecting upon conducting warfare, President Dwight B. Eisenhower once mused, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." By planning, we make it easier to stay the course when random acts of the universe come to mix things up, and you know they will.

"Every time I find myself stressed out, it's because I do things primarily driven by growth." ~?Tim Ferriss

As for me, this year, I have been fortunate enough to get away now and again or take time while on business travel and discover some white space. With no electronics (except for the ever-present smartphone for emergencies) or other distractions, I will find time to read, reflect, and take notes in the next few weeks; I hope you do, too.

?Note:?Over the years, several people wrote back to me and shared their thoughts after having that cup of joe with themselves and (more importantly) what they discovered. Let me know how yours goes.?