[The Ripple Effect] Being versus Doing
Published: Fri, 01/11/13
 If you are having trouble viewing this, click here to read online
Happy New Year! Welcome to January's issue of The Ripple Effect. Hope you had a wonderful holiday and 2013 is starting off great for you. I spent lots of time with family during the holidays and also took some time off to rest and recharge my batteries. We really enjoyed spending our first holiday season in our new country home and although winter and cold weather is not my favorite time of year (as many of you know), I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the seasons transition on our property... our pond is starting to freeze and I imagine by February, we might even be able to get out there and skate! (I've shared some pictures below of how our pond transitioned between June, October and today!)
As with many of you, as 2012 ended and the new year began, I was thinking about what I want to be different in 2013... what do I want to accomplish in 2013?
However, instead of making New Year's resolutions or a new list of goals for 2013, I decided to start with focusing on how I want to "be" instead of what I want to "do". I find that I have no problem finding more and more things to do and creating endless lists of tasks and things I want to accomplish. Then, I focus on them and am pretty good at executing and accomplishing those things I set out to "do". And, that is why I wanted my focus for 2013 to be different. I decided that before making my list of "things to do" in 2013, I'd start with deciding how I wanted to "be" different and let my list of accomplishments evolve from that. I wrote this month's article about this very topic: Being Versus Doing. I hope you enjoy it and, as always, feel free to pass this onto anyone you feel will benefit from reading it - spread those positive ripple effects! Best always,
Andria
Being versus Doing At the start of a New Year many of us are thinking about New Year's resolutions or, what we want to "do" in the coming year. Being a goal-oriented person, I set annual goals every year, which I'm pretty good about accomplishing. Since it's the start of the year, I've been thinking about what I want to achieve in 2013 and, as I always do, I sat down and started my list of things to accomplish this year. As I was doing that, I realized I wanted this year to be more about who I will be than what I will "do". Because it's a New Year, many of us make those resolutions or commitments about what we'll do or stop doing: go to the gym, stop hitting the snooze button, go to sleep earlier, go see the doctor, lose 10 lbs., update my resume and start looking for a new job.... And I think, instead, we should focus on who we want to be. What type of person do you want to be in 2013? Is it the healthy, well rested, in-shape, energized, and kindhearted person? Or maybe it's the person who spends more time focused on taking care of him or herself so they have more to give others. Once you decide who you want to be, create your list of what you want to do based on that. Then your list of tasks to complete has meaning behind it. If you want to be a healthy, well-rested and in-shape person, then going to the gym, seeing the doctor and going to sleep earlier are actions that have meaning behind them. They are not merely things you "should do" but are things you want to do because of the person you want to become. Think about this in terms of your leadership role and your career as well. What type of leader, employee, colleague, or business owner do you want to be? What will you do to become that person? For me, one thing I decided I wanted to be this year is more present and giving of my time. Because of that, my goals of slowing down (not rushing through things and from place-to-place) and of volunteering at the local animal shelter have a lot of meaning behind them: they are related to who I want to be. By taking time to focus first on who you want to be and then creating what you will do based on who you will be, your actions not only have deeper meaning but inevitably will be easier to accomplish. This month's development tip: If you haven't made up your list of 2013 goals, start with creating your "who will I be?" list. Once you decide who you want to be, then create your "what will I do?" list based off of your "who will I be?" list. If you've already set your 2013 goals, go back and review them to ensure that they are related to who you want to be - give them the true meaning they deserve.
Andria Corso is the founder of C3 Coaching and Consulting. an Executive Leadership and Career Development Coaching and Consulting firm. C3's mission is to help our clients reach their highest potential. Read more about C3 here or contact us to find out how we can help you and your organization reach your greatest success. Contact information: Andria L. Corso ~ 888-432-4245 Connect with Andria & C3 at:
|
Get a sneak peek at Andria's new book coming out in March! There's still time to register for this month's webinar series: Shifting Gears - Harness Your Power to Change Your Life.
Start 2013 with investing in your personal growth. If you are in the midst of a life change, feeling restless or unfulfilled, or if you are looking to recreate your life to become the person you are meant to be, you will want to participate in this webinar series! Beginning Monday January 14, Andria will be co-hosting a 4-week webinar series to help you kick of 2013 on the right path. Click 
coaching a group of emerging leaders. During one of our sessions we had some fun with a "lightning round" of questions for each other. If you're not familiar with this, it's when each person is asked a bunch of questions for one-minute and has to respond as quickly as possible with the first answer that comes to mind. Some of the questions take a few seconds to respond (for example, "If your life were a movie, which actor would play you?"). Others come instantly (for example, "iPhone or Blackberry?") 
The Change You Wish To See In The World". At the beginning of a New Year, this is something we could all benefit from remembering, especially in leadership roles and in our careers. I hear a lot of the leaders I work with talk about what would make their lives and jobs easier: less changing priorities, more time management and control over schedules, more motivated and engaged employees... (to name a few). Yet when I ask them what role they are playing and steps they are taking to create these changes, I am often met with blank stares. [
