Do you ever use July as a time to pause, plan and possibly make a course correction for the remainder of the year?
Is it that time?
These are great to do every year to make sure you’re running in the right direction, running towards what matters most, and running in a way that you can sustain.
It’s a great time to take an honest inventory of how the year has gone up to this point and giving deep thought to how you’d like it to finish. It’s a time to reflect and celebrate the ‘wins’ as well as a time to shine a light on where to be more bold, more courageous, and where to step up and serve at an even higher level.
It’s also a time to reflect on excuses and stories that are no longer of service, boundaries needed and the consistent action to take to make 2H 2021 the best possible.
Whenever we are looking to shift or move to the next level (promotion, board seat, shifting direction in a role, shifting out of a role, shifting into a new role…), fear and doubt are often evil twins. We may tell ourselves stories about why we might not be good enough, why we can’t, why our gut and our heart are dreaming an impossible dream, why our voices might not be heard or why making a shift is impossible.
Have you ever told yourself a story?
All of us have. The problem is that, in an effort to protect ourselves from failure, embarrassment, shame etc, stories more often than not lead to excuses.
I get it because I did it for 20 years. I worked with a few world-class athletes every year, helping these top 1% accelerate their progress and then perform under immense pressure. It was in my heart and gut to empower 10,000 female leaders a year, in athletics AND in business, but I kept doing what I knew. I had given myself permission to coach the best but not be the best and scale up my impact. That all changed 8 years ago during a ‘Pause & Plan’. I granted myself permission, hired the right coaches, (yes, us coaches have coaches:), put in the work. Stages appeared. Impact multiplied. So the epic journey of empowering female heart-centered leaders who are shifting entire companies continues to unfold…
I love being the guide, so YOU can be the hero.
The world needs you to show up at your highest level. Is it time to listen or re-listen to your gut and your heart, so you can understand where you need to have a bigger voice and even greater impact?
“You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must.” -Seth Godin, Linchpin
If it’s time to listen to your heart and your gut and have a Q3 Pause & Plan, here’s a great place to start:
- Raise awareness of a story that is not serving you.
- List an excuse that is slowing your progress.
- Set a boundary and commit to moving forward.
- Take consistent action and focus on the process.
Here’s an example from a senior leader who is passionate about (and d@mn good at) strategy planning for her organization:
The story:
If I step away completely from day-to-day operations and client interactions so I can focus on strategy, I’ll overburden my team.
The excuse:
Too busy to strategize in the morning.
The boundary:
Eliminate/delegate 50% of my meetings
The action:
Calendar blocked, spend 2 hours each morning on strategy planning with full transition by end of the year.
As it turned out, the team welcomed the extra responsibility and opportunity to step in!
Let’s make sure 2H 2021 matters and that you are running in the right direction. You can do just that and schedule a strategic 30-minute Ignition Call with me here (www.sherylkline.com/ignition). I’ll absorb the cost because, total transparency, this is how I find my most incredible clients who I LOVE working with.