Out with the old and in with the new

Out with the old and in with the new… It’s the end of the year again (where DID the time go?!?!).

December is the deep dark month when the days are short, the nights are long and (if you are here in the mountains like I am) cold and snowy.  It’s my favorite time to hunker down on the couch with my journal and reflect on continue reading on my blog… where I was this past year, where I am in this moment and where I want to go next.  Or don’t want to go, as the case may be!

For me, I want 2012 to be the biggest year ever in my business.  I know that creating that success begins with my personal integrity in the moment.  One of my mentors, Angeles Arrien, taught me three statements that really embody leadership and right use of power.

They are:
Say what I mean
Mean what I say
Say what is so, when it is so.

When I look back at 2011, did I say what I meant when talking to my peers, my clients and my personal relationships?  Did I allow myself to have a point of view that was my own and was I willing to clearly articulate that point of view without apology or insistence that others share it?

Did I mean what I said?  In conversation with others, did I make commitments I was willing to honor?  Or did I say what I thought others wanted to hear, only to go off and do something else, afterwards?

Did I say what was so, when it was so?  Did I speak the truth, without blame or judgment?  Or did I pretend to not notice when my boundaries were overrun and then experienced anger or resentment later?  Did I see things happen around me that felt wrong, but I remained silent because I didn’t want to ruffle feathers?

As leaders in our businesses, it is important for to notice when we are in or out of integrity.  A big part of standing in our power is the ability to look at how we show up on an everyday basis.

Can we be in a place of curiosity rather than criticism about who we are and why we do the things we do?  Because criticism shuts most of us down and it’s hard to evaluate beliefs and behaviors from that place.  Curiosity, however, is in alignment with playfulness and always creates a sense of expansiveness about how we can make things better.

2012 is going to be a really big year for all of us.  The world needs new leadership and I believe that it is going to come from women.   Women just like you and me.  So, here’s to all of us, stepping out into the world with our gifts and talents, in integrity and childlike curiosity about how we can make the world a better place.  Because there is no one else like us and there never will be again.  Time’s a wasting, so let’s get started…shall we?

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