a different look at the new year

Oh yes, it's that time of year when everyone's addressing the "best of" for 2009 or "why you should" and "resolutions" for 2010.  It's certainly natural to become reflective at the close of the year (and the decade for that matter) and to think about both the past and the present.  Trouble is, how do you turn this into something inspiring and motivating and not overwhelming?

This year I will - yes - create some goals for 2010.  As a good friend of mine said, "When you arrive at December 31, 2010, what do you envision for yourself?"  This is the exercise I'm taking my clients and myself through from a business planning perspective, so it makes sense to be thinking about them for my personal wishes too.  For me, this will be about wellness, energy, strength, stability, expression, creativity, technology and community.

In the meantime, I'm also thinking about where I've been.  What's taken place in my life that I'd like to carry forward.  Here are some of the things I'm thinking about:

• Gratitude: This year, more than any thus far, I'm finding myself incredibly grateful for the growth, change and energy that I have seen in myself.  Sure, some days suck but overall I am so glad that I have had this year to work out some of my own personal roadblocks, set fire to my new business and really focus on what's good in my life.  It's easy to feel overrun by all of the "other" out there, but I've taken a stance of gratitude and it's truly served me well.
• Catalysts: Who knows how to best describe the serendipitous meetings and happenings in your life?  I sure don't, but I'm certainly recognizing the importance of the people I've met and the experiences I've had this year as catalysts of change in my existence.  I've been introduced to new manners to thinking, completely different approaches to my business and even been shown a fresh lens on my personal relationships.  It never fails that these catalysts take on unexpected forms.  Staying open - in your heart, mind and soul - can bring some truly wonderful things into your life.
• Authenticity:  You gotta walk the walk.  Figuring out who you really are, what makes you buzz and then bringing that courageously into your life?  This is where authenticity begins.  I've been working on this for me, and helping others find it themselves.  Aside from cooking for those I love, this is one of the most gratifying things I do in my life.
• Food:  This is a year that's changed my perspective on, approach to and interactions with food.  I am excited about what's to come in this area as, well, food and I spend a great deal of time intermingling.
• Hope:  Sometimes it's the sheer audacity of being hopeful that gets you through the day.  It's about plunging ourselves out into the world knowing what we know, accepting who we are and being joyously thrilled because of it.  Not in spite of it.  How about that for a New Year's twist?
  

Happy 2010, one and all.

wheee! i can't help you!

"I can't help you"...one of the most freeing statements in the English language! And yet, one of the hardest to say.

I've realized lately that part of the reason I encourage entrepreneurs (and other individuals) to go through the personal branding discovery process is because I know the inherent value that comes along with it. I know it intimately because I tried to operate outside of my true, authentic self for many years and wound up a frustrated, directionless character filled with self-doubt. I was on a path alright, but it simply wasn't mine.

For me, dealing honestly with my true passions, strengths and what I have to offer to the world meant that I had to also honestly deal with what/who I am not. This took time - many hours of reading, therapy and plain ol' living my life. I didn't wake up one day with a fully formed idea of what it meant to be me. And quite frankly, I'm guessing this evolution will continue. I hope it will.

Hello, my name is Tracy and I'm a fixer. I fix broken relationships, workstreams and attitudes! I solve problems! I find solutions! I'm innovative, kind and engaging! I'm tenacious and strong! All of these traits that make me an ideal consultant - someone that people regularly seek out for advice and direction - also made me fundamentally unable to say no. When presented with a challenge, I ran into it as if I were saving it from a house fire. In my pre-consulting professional life, I wasn't sure how it happened but I was the one that leadership turned to when there was a problem. When someone needed to put a finger in the dam, or needed to create a business structure where there was none. No mountain was too high! And I never said no. I developed myself into a frenetic, multi-tasking utility player. Saying yes and plowing headlong into a challenge became my calling card: how I valued myself and how I identified myself. Without a nightmarish business challenge on my hands, who was I?

Sure, we could spend quite a bit of time reviewing my childhood and seeing where much of this started but the fact was, I never truly saw the big picture until massive change happened. Jobs disappeared. The economy tanked. Relationships failed. Once all those titles and paygrades and roles evaporated, I had to address who I really was. Who I really AM.

And then? What a relief. I finally realized I didn't need to - or want to - solve every problem all the time. By focusing on who I am and what I really value, I quickly saw how I could bring the best me to my clients, my relationships, my world. It isn't by tackling every insurmountable issue out there. It's about defining the sandbox I play in and realizing when others need help I can't provide. This is what I do. This is what I don't do. It's simplicity is maddening. I help my clients see that drawing a few boundaries around who they are and what they do doesn't mean stifling innovation or being less open to opportunities. In fact, it gives them even more room to grow. And somewhere in that process, I taught myself the lesson as well.

Now I really do feel freer. I am more focused on the areas of my practice where I really excel. And I help my clients call on someone else when I have to say, "I can't help you." It's scary because I'm leaving business on the table. But in the end, I think it's better for everyone involved. We're all taking responsibility for who we are and acknowledging when we need assistance that's outside of our normal comfort zone. The interaction becomes richer and deeper. And I know that I've done my very best. Which, I suppose, is what we all truly crave.

So just know...if I say "I can't help you," it's out of respect. For both of us. I want your success, maybe even more than my own. And I will doggedly help you achieve it. And because of that, sometimes I just may have to say no. Isn't that fantastic?