Are You Ready to Spark Action in 2023?

It was New Year’s Eve. We had just gone out for dinner, come back to our place with friends for a glass of wine (or two) before heading over to another friend’s house to ring in the new year. Walking over, I realized I’d forgotten something and needed to go back to our condo.

As I put the key in the lock and opened the door, the safety latch had been put on the door and I couldn’t open it!

I had an hour to get in, grab what I needed and get back to the party to ring in the New Year.?Pressure!

I put the key in again. Door opened. Safety latch still on. Tried again. Still no luck. Clearly, doing the same thing over and over isn’t working. I need help.

Had someone broken in and set it? Could it have fallen across the door accidentally?

Friends called: “Are you on the right floor?” “Come to the party anyways.” “Deal with it later”. No thank you.

I needed to get in to find out what was going on. I found the security guard, who retrieved a big screwdriver from his drawer. He tried to gingerly pry off the safety latch without wrecking the door.

12:01 am, my phone started going off with texts, “Happy New Year!” and at that moment, the door gave way, and we got in.

Thankfully, no one was in the apartment. So the safety latch must’ve caught on the door somehow. Our friends came back in about 45 minutes, and I was able to see them and laugh about the whole thing.

What a way to ring in the New Year!

Thankfully, in this situation, I was able to apply a few of the lessons I’ve learned over the last few years. When there is much going on and when people are around you with competing priorities, this is what has helped me:

1. Things don’t always go as planned.?It’s how you?respond?that will make or break your ability to succeed.?
2. Do what’s right in front of you that needs to be done.?(This isn’t time management, it’s prioritization.)
3. Don’t panic.?If you do, you’ll drain your much-needed energy for problem-solving.
4. You can’t do it alone.?No matter how self-sufficient you are, you sometimes need help to break through barriers.?
5. Often situations aren’t as bad as they seem.?There is always a way in or around them.?

New Year’s is often a time of setting new goals and intentions. Yet sometimes, continuing to practice what you’ve learned to make it deeper and stronger is what needs to be done.

While I have a big goal coming to fruition this year (see below), I will continue applying these above principles. I encourage you to try them out too!

I’m excited to tell you my new book ‘Spark Action – How to Lead Change That Matters‘ will be published September 2023! One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen over the last 30 years is how do we engage others in our ideas so they will actually TAKE ACTION. All of us are required to lead change in our lives, so whether you are in an organization,?an entrepreneur, or a volunteer, the book includes stories, principles, steps, and techniques for you to change the world, one small step at a time. #sparkaction #changetheworld

To learn more about the author, visit?www.GreggBrown.ca