I remember the days when my kids were young and loved opening the advent calendar and counting down the days until Christmas.  They were so excited to wake up on Christmas morning to see the presents that Santa had put under the tree. Their hopes for what was going to be unwrapped were so powerful. The anticipation was such a big part of their experience. Now, as teenagers, the awe of the experience isn’t quite the same and the expectations are different. They recognize that the experience is what we each make of it.  Lessons that we, as adults, can take to heart as we head into this holiday season.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already counting down the days until we leap into 2022. Having a countdown like this can be valuable but also depressing if you let it. So let’s dive in with a set of questions to guide your reflection.

Recently, I heard the phrase "Covid cloud" about how we've been making decisions in our personal and professional lives. Every choice is filtered with thoughts about Covid's implications for ourselves and others. If you spend just a few minutes thinking about it, you'll realize how many decisions have this filter in them.

Brave isn’t about one type of person. It’s a mindset, behaviors, and actions that we all have the ability to reach for when needed. Brave can come in all shapes and sizes.

How often have you heard yourself responding to the question “how are you?” with “I’m fine, just busy.” If you’re like me, this was my answer for such a high percentage of my professional career. My other regular response that got a bit closer to how I was feeling was, “I’m fine, just tired.”

I don’t think it’s ever too early to start thinking about what you want to be known for. We have the possibility to build several legacies – to our families, our communities, our workplaces (and most of us will have more than one), and it all begins with what people think about when our name is mentioned.

Do you really check out fully over the weekend and just relax? Or…are you running errands, juggling family activities, catching up on email, and prepping for next week? 

Many of us never really slow down on the weekends which is where vacation comes in. We need that downtime. Staycations are great but they’re not enough. Often we find ourselves still working through our normal patterns so I still think you need vacations where you are not staying in your home.

How important is clarity to you in your life? For me, it’s really important because I like to be able to see the answers. I’m ok not being able to see the whole picture, but I definitely prefer the other. 

If you are currently in a leadership role or led before – whether in a work organization or a community group – you raised your hand for the opportunity, or you were asked if you wanted this challenge. What made you express interest and say yes? Did you ever consider saying no?

Depending on where in the world you are located, you may be seeing the world start reopening – maybe in small ways, maybe in big ways. As we go through this transition, we’re all going to have different ways of experiencing it so it’s important to start thinking about stepping up to the new starting line. Yes, I know that life is not a race to the finish line, but it’s helpful to consider that we are stepping up to something new.