Hit Pause and Take a Mental Rewind Before You Move Forward

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." – Soren Kierkegaard

Before we leap into the new year, I hope you will join me in reflecting on 2022. Have you taken time to look back? If you have not, let's hit the pause button and take a mental rewind to uncover your greatest hits (and misses) of 2022. It is time to create your own Personal Top 10 List for the past year. As you prepare your Top 10 List, keep these questions in mind:

• What were your highlights? Moments that made you come alive or changed the way you think?
• What inspired you? Books, movies, shows, places, or anything that delighted you?
• What were you grateful for? What lessons did you learn?

Now find yourself a quiet spot and start reflecting. And to give you a spark to get things started, here are my Top 3:

1. Adventure. One of my core values is adventure, and this year, inspired by my book Climbing the Right Mountain, I climbed one of my bucket list mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro. It was a truly incredible, challenging, and rewarding experience. I was able to top it off with a safari in Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. What will I do in 2023 to top that off? Hmmm…

2. Books. I have read a lot of incredible books this year, and it is hard to choose the few that impacted me most, but if I am hard-pressed:

• The Nexus: Augmented Thinking for a Complex World (Julio Mario Ottino & Bruce Mau)
• Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole (Susan Cain)
• The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward (Daniel Pink)
• The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment (Marshall Goldsmith)
• Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company (Whitney Johnson)
• Expand: Stretching the Future By Design (Christian Bason & Jens Martin Skibsted)
• Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller (Alec Nevala-Lee)

3. Learning and Teaching. I am in permanent-beta mode, which means I never stop learning new things and getting uncomfortable. Some of my best lessons have come from the powerful insights my guests share on The Virtual Campfire. I also spent time expanding my mind by getting involved with new organizations like the Doerr Institute at Rice University, connecting with impactful HR leaders at Leap HR, and spending time with inspiring leaders at Renaissance Weekend in Boston. I also added new tools to guide my clients, like the Leadership Circle, Systemic Intelligence, Enneagram, Visionary Leadership, Creating Futures that Work, and Design Thinking. The best way for me to learn is to share through teaching others, so if you want to learn more, reach out.

Now back to you! It is time for you to look back so you can leap forward. I would love to hear what you come up with, but keep in mind this process is just for you. So have fun, and enjoy the ride!