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Blog: www.heartleader.com

January 2011 Newsletter

New Year, New Beginnings.

As 2010 ends and 2011 begins we have an opportunity to focus our time and attention on the people and areas of our lives that mean the most to us.  The start to the new year can also be a new start in the most significant areas of our lives.  These ares may include; health, spouse or significant other, children, family, friends, career, leisure activities, God etc...

Now is a great opportunity to take some time to reflect and to look ahead.  Where we are in the most important areas of our lives and what can we do to improve those areas and create what we ideally want in each of those areas.

For me this is called a Life Plan.  A Life Plan is a business plan for your life. It is a written document that is private.  It is for me and for me only.  I may choose to let others read it but I am writing it for myself with the goal of creating not a happy life but rather an extraordinary life. 

The key areas of creating a Life Plan include;

1. Assess where you are in each of these key areas.  This calls for honesty.  You must write about the good, bad and the ugly.  Remember that this Life Plan is for you and you only.  Tell the truth.  All change comes through the truth.  Without truth you cannot expect any change.

2. Write a short purpose for why this area of your life is important to you.

3. Write an envisioned future of what you ideally want each area of your life to look like.  This is where we write about what that area of our life would look like if it were to be exactly the way we want it to be.  I like to write about what I want this area of my life to look like in 1, 5, 10 and 20 years.

4. Create specific action plans on how you are going to get each important area of your life from where it is today to where you see it in your envisioned future.  These actions plans can be very small tasks and/or very large tasks.

Finally, the Life Plan is a living and breathing document that will change and evolve over time.  Read it often and spend some time writing and re-writing it at least once each year.

It has changed my life for the good and it may have a profound positive effect on your life as well.

The Station by Robert Hastings

My favorite essay is called "The Station" and it was written by Robert Hastings.  I include it in this month's newsletter because we have the opportunity to start a new and this essay speaks to that.  I have read this essay hundreds of times and every time I read it my eyes fill with tears...  I hope it affects you in a similar way.

The Station

     TUCKED AWAY in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves
on a long journey that spans an entire continent. We're traveling by train and, from the
windows, we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at
crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke pouring from power plants, of row
upon row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and
village halls.

    But uppermost in our conscious minds is our final destination--for at a certain hour and on a
given day, our train will finally pull into the station with bells ringing, flags waving, and bands
playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So restlessly, we
pace the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

    "Yes, when we reach the station, that will be it!" we promise ourselves. "When we're
eighteen. . . win that promotion. . . put the last kid through college. . . buy that 450SL
Mercedes-Benz. . . have a nest egg for retirement!"

    From that day on we will all live happily ever after.

    Sooner or later, however, we must realize there is no station in this life, no one earthly
place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is the joy. The station is an illusion--it
constantly outdistances us. Yesterday's a memory, tomorrow's a dream. Yesterday belongs to a
history, tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday's a fading sunset, tomorrow's a faint sunrise. Only
today is there light enough to love and live.

    So, gently close the door on yesterday and throw the key away. It isn't the burdens of today
that drive men mad, but rather regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and
fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

    "Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24, "This is
the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

     So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more
mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot oftener.
Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we
go along. The station will come soon enough.

Book and Music Recommendation

The last couple of months I have been recommending a band called Needtobreathe.  They are amazing!  This month I thought I would remind you of a collection of music by Jackson Browne called "Solo Acoustic Vol. 1."  It was released in 2005 and includes acoustic versions of some of Browne's greatest songs.  There is something very inspirational and moving about Jackson's lyrics and the soulful way in which he plays and sings the songs.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  

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Whether or not you are a fan of Dennis Prager's talk shows, a half-hour with this book will prove to you that, not only can this man think, but he has an incomparable gift for elucidating one of life's key preoccupations: the trials and tribulations associated with one's quest for happiness. For me, this book is not so much of a "repair manual," as it is one of the most insightful, succinctly written books on how happiness is linked to human nature, philosophy, morals, temperament and values.

Mr. Prager writes: "The greatest battle for happiness is with our own nature." If we can look inward and understand our drives and the intrinsic characteristics of what it means to be human, we then can use our intellect, spirituality and relationships with others to develop a stronger affinity for happiness. Or, perhaps, create in happiness an affinity for us.

The author divides the book into three parts consisting of thirty-one chapters. If read from front to back, the book flows nicely from "Premises" to "Major Obstacles..." to "Attitudes and Behaviors That are Essential to Happiness." What I especially like is that the individual chapters stand alone, and are great for highlighting the author's views on very specific issues and problems. The most interesting ones deal with the dilemma between happiness and fun, the problems with expectations, and the preponderance of victimhood in today's world. Prager has some profound views on these, and many other topics. He makes you think.

Quotation

"It's been proven that the only effective way to deal with fear is to walk through it, through the pain that accompanies doing something you're afraid to do.  It takes courage to fulfill your commitments, courage to stay on track, courage to follow your dreams, courage to reach your goals, and courage to walk through your fear.  Remember, reaching goals is not so much about doing big things when the feeling hits you; it's more about doing little things every day that move you toward your dream.  It's about staying ready and on course."

     -Francine Ward

A Closing Note

Thank you for reading this month's newsletter.  I hope you are able to use some of the content to improve your life and/or your career.  If there is an opportunity for me to speak at an upcoming conference or meeting, please let me know.
 
If you like what you see, please feel free to review my web site at www.darylwizelman.com.  I speak on leadership, work/life balance, strategic initiatives, emotional intelligence and life planning among other topics that can be viewed on my web site.  I believe I can inspire your group and provide them with excellent practical tools to improve their career and their life.
 
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Again, thank you for your interest.
 
Daryl

Daryl Wizelman
www.darylwizelman.com
daryl@wizelman.com

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