Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - January 31, 2023

 Energy and persistence conquer all things. - Benjamin Franklin

When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It's very simple. - Paulo Coelho

Happy Tuesday!  Some readers may have noticed that it took the author until Sunday to post last week’s tip.  Why?  The author has been volunteering at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and attending various events.  Last week, the author had activities 6 of the 7 days.  Long days of work and then activities kept the author busy, but she had to determine her priorities and manage her energy.

Energy brings us to the 4th area the author is focusing on in 2023. Tomorrow we begin the 2^nd month of 2023.  January flied by and the next 11 months will be the same unless we prioritize and focus on all aspects including our energy.

Energy is so important because it will help the reader and the author push through the tough times of 2023 to accomplish goals and ultimately dreams. 

ACTION:  How do you work to improve your energy?  Next week the author will discuss the areas that she is focusing on in 2023.

Resources

https://scottjeffrey.com/zhan-zhuang/

 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - January 24, 2023

 Communication works for those who work at it. – John Powell

Communication is the real work of leadership. – Nitin Nohria

As the author mentioned earlier in January, she thought she had determined her word for the year in October 2022, but things changed. Her word was communication. Why was the author’s original word for the year communication?

There are many reasons the author was and is going to work on communication this year. When the author was speaking to people last year, she was asked a number of times to speak slower and louder because she has a tendency to speak fast and softly making it difficult for others to hear her. This was the impetus for her goal to work on her communication skills. However, there are many forms of communication including verbal, nonverbal, written and visual, which are all important and will be worked on by the author. On top of those types of communication, the author desires to increase her strength in persuasion when speaking and writing.  

Readers can see that there are many things to study and learn about in regards to communication. The author realizes there is a lot to learn and implement in her life. Thinking through this, this will be a continual study over many years to come. Besides beginning to work on her communication skills, the author will be creating a communication plan to continue to improve in the years to come.  

The art of communication is the language of leadership. — James Humes

Communication is an area that almost everyone can work on this year.  And as the quotes above states, communication will help with leadership and accomplishing dreams. One may say that they are not a leader, but the author would disagree. Anyone pursuing their dreams is a leader in the author’s perspective and as we cannot accomplish our dreams alone leadership is needed to influence others.   

ACTION:  What ways will you work on your communication in 2023?

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - January 17, 2023

 The best thinking has been done in solitude.  The worst has been done in turmoil. – Thomas Edison

To do much clear thinking a person must arrange for regular periods of solitude when they can concentrate and indulge the imagination without distraction. - Thomas A. Edison

Does the reader like solitude? For some readers, solitude may be difficult to have because of busy schedules, families, etc.  For the author, she has an almost daily opportunity for solitude, which is good because it provides opportunity for rest, recover and processing of her thoughts.  Complete silence is difficult for the author because she likes noise and her solution is to have ocean waves playing on the television as she has said before. The author knows one day she will think back to these quiet times and cherish them, but at the present moment it is difficult. 

Currently, the author is reading Lead Yourself First by Raymond M. Kethledge.  He says:

Solitude in the sense is not merely physical separation from others or togetherness with nature, although for some people it might involve those things…It is not an objective concept but a subjective one.  It is simply, a subjective state of mind, in which the mind, isolated from input from other minds, works through a problem on its own. 

One just needs to find a secluded opportunity.  As the author has said before, she runs and often returns home with a to-do list or new ideas.  One can also go out for a run, specifically think about an issue or project and the mere solitude will help process the information.  During the pandemic, the author would drive to state parks in Virginia and enjoyed the beauty and solitude.  Those times provided great solitude and pondering the beauty of the United States. Many new ideas and thoughts came about during this time. 

When trying to create solitude, it is highly recommended to first turn of any electronics to help prevent distractions and dings.  Distractions prohibit solitude in one’s mind.

ACTION:  In the business of life, where can you find solitude to help make 2023 your best year ever?

Resources                                                                     

·       https://www.maxwellleadership.com/minute-with-maxwell/prioritize-your-life-2022/

·       Kethledge, Raymond M. (2017). Lead Yourself First Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude.  Bloomsbury USA.

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - January 10, 2023

 The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. - Stephen R. Covey

You define what is important to you by what you dedicate your time to. – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/646125877763891047/

The first week of 2023 is complete. Goals are set to help move the reader toward their dreams. As we all know, life gets hectic and many things have the opportunity to derail us from moving closer to our dreams.  How do we stick with goals and accomplishing our daily tasks?  Prioritization is our friend!

What is prioritization? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “to list or rate in order or priority”. For the author, she has many things that she has to prioritize daily like everyone else and it is important to write them down.  When the author thinks about prioritizing, she also thinks about how her schedule is set up and how prioritization falls into this.  Stephen Covey says:

Schedule your priorities.

Innumerable times, the author has placed an appointment on her calendar to prioritize accomplishing something and inevitably something else takes over. For work, there are always higher priorities and for home the author can often find something around the house to make a priority. It may work for some people, but it does not work for the author. 

For the author, she has to prioritize her day by having a routine. She knows what her goals and dreams are and then sets up time in the morning to accomplish the routine before the rest of her day begins. After the most recent review of the author’s life, she knows that her faith is the most important thing so she has placed her devotional book for the year next to her bed so she can read it before even getting out of bed. Another goal the author has is to listen to a certain number of podcasts for the year so instead of turning on the news first thing in the morning the author listens to podcasts while getting ready to run and then listens to podcast while on her run.  This is a great time for multi-tasking skills. 

Another important thing to remember about prioritizing is that we are not all on 100% of the time.  We can try, but some people are morning people and some are night people. When planning one’s day, it has to be remembered to accomplish the hard tasks when one is at the top of their game and can minimize distractions.

Think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything. - Dan Millman

ACTION: How do you prioritize your life? What is your best time to accomplish important projects/goals? How are you going to prioritize the important things in your life in 2023 to accomplish your goals?

Resources                                                                     

·         https://www.maxwellleadership.com/minute-with-maxwell/prioritize-your-life-2022/

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - January 3, 2023

 Set your goals high, and do not stop till you get there. - Bo Jackson

Do not wait for the perfect time and place to enter, for you are already onstage. - Unknown

Over the holidays, the author spent time reflecting on 2022 and thinking about her goals for 2023.  2022 was stressful due to the author’s job and having relocated within less than 2 months of the new year starting.  Also, she dealt with the passing of her parents throughout the year. 

Earlier in 2022, the author contemplated 2023 and thought she knew what her word for the year was going to be.  However, she started reviewing her life and noticed that the author had become complacent on finishing her daily tasks and left many webpages unread and let them pile up.  When the author reviewed her goals, she saw that she had not accomplished her reading goal in 2022 both in the number of books to read and the number of pages to read.  For the author, she was not pleased with herself.  She also knew that the books she read were not the books she stated she wanted to read. The author has talked about FOMO (fear of missing out) and she herself fell into this trap as she read books that were the hype at the time, but did not meet her goals.

Running in the snow in Ruidoso, New Mexico, the author decided her 2023 would be based on 4 words, which are:

1.      Prioritize

2.      Solitude

3.      Communication

4.      Energy

Over the next 4 weeks, the author will discuss why these four words are directing the author’s life in 2023 and how she has implemented them in her life.

ACTION:  Review the 2023 goals you created. Are there any changes you should make based on the results of your 2022 goals?  If so, this is a great time to revise them to help you have an amazing 2023.

 

Resources                                                                     

·       https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/200-best-inspirational-quotes-2023-keep-you-motivated-klokbox/

·       https://www.rd.com/list/morning-habits-successful-people/