A Look At The Leadership Of Jim Henson, Creator of The Muppets

A Visionary, A Fearless Leader And...

Elizabeth Hyde Stevens, author of Make Art Make Money,  writes in Fast Company, "Jim Henson is remembered as a visionary artist and the creator of the Muppets, but he was also the boss of hundreds of employees who called him “fearless leader.”"

We intuitively know that Henson was a “good boss.” But how should we define a “good boss,” and better yet, how can we become one? Brian Henson has said of his father.

How Do We Become One?

A Leader Like Jim Henson That Is:

• Identify a person’s talent, nurture that talent, and encourage them to look to themselves for a solution
• Be a teacher, empower the people who work with you
• Be patient, you are developing people, not showing how smart you are. Henson did not need to display a big ego, and heaven knows he had a lot to crow about
• Create an infectious mood of laugher and fun – yes you can do serious creative work at the same time. And, did the Muppets demonstrate that over and over again
• Listen for the genius in people, find a way to make others' ideas work
• Master treating failures as experiments on the way to something great
• Love your work and the people who are sharing it with you
• Enjoy the successes and accomplishments of people around you. Having them be great does not diminish you – as Jim Henson has demonstrated
• Be unafraid to try new things – it's the only way innovation happens, really
• Be a role model of fearless, hardworking, generous, and calm, that attitude will easily spread and be as contagious for you as it was for Jim Henson

And Remember…

What's going on around you, the results that are being produced, and the tone of your organization, is a reflection of your leadership. 

A Simple Way To Discover If You Are a Narcissist

What Does Being A Narcissist Mean For Leadership?

In the introduction to an academic paper the authors say, "Some individuals think they are great and special people who should be admired and respected by others." They go on to say that this particular personality, "… is characterized by inflated views of the self, grandiosity, self-focus, vanity, and self-importance."

As I continued reading it struck me that this could well describe many of the people who make it to the higher echelons of leadership in most organizations, people who are admired and are successful.

While narcissism can be a clinical disorder, the authors go on to say, "however, it is also widely studied as a personality trait in non-clinical populations."

So How Do I Discover If I Am A Narcissist?

Easy! Just answer one simple question.

“To what extent do you agree with this statement: I am a narcissist. (Note: The word ‘narcissist’ means egotistical, self-focused, and vain.).” 

Brad Bushman, a coauthor on the paper and a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University, in quoted in the LA Times saying "Narcissists have no problem admitting they are narcissists. They think they deserve special treatment and they don’t try to hide that from others."

So What If I Am A Narcissist?

Well that all depends on: 

1. The kind of organization you want to build
2. The kind of leadership you want to provide
3. The kind of culture you want to model and nurture
4. The kind of relationships you want to have
5. And...

Some Things To Know

About people who score high on the PLOS ONE Narcissist Scale:

1. They have lower empathy than people who are not narcissists
2. They have less committed to relationships and will end them more easily – a possible clue to the ease with which some executives let people go in a downsizing. 
3. They are more likely to want individual rewards not team or company-based ones. 
4. They are more likely to believe that are worth more than colleagues and should therefore be compensated more favorably and should be given special treatment. 
5. They tend to be much more combative, and more aggression in meeting, and day-to-day interactions. 
6. They have no problem expressing the point of view – mostly as if speaking the truth.
7. …

Now Take The Test

Remember the question: 

“To what extent do you agree with this statement: I am a narcissist. (Note: The word ‘narcissist’ means egotistical, self-focused, and vain.).” 

Here is the test.

Does Your Score Impact Your Leadership?

Share your insights…

I Have Lost My Confidence

I Have Lost My Confidence

So many things have happened to executives over the last few years: the economy going haywire, change everywhere we turn, the way we have always done things does not work as it used to…

And, a frequent confession, I have lost confidence. The extended conversation continues: I don't know if I have what it takes any more; I don't seem to be able to make the same impact as I used to; I feel I am loosing my grip…

The irony is that all of the people who share this conversation are great people, and the last thing you would know from the outside is they are torturing themselves with variants of, "I've lost it!".  

Confidence Is An Interesting Phenomenon

Confidence is an interesting phenomenon, like any feeling it is immediate and fleeting. 

Moods on the other hand are feelings that persist over time. 

To have a feeling persist it has to be  noticed when it is present, nurtured and sustained. For example, we can be happy as a momentary feeling, usually in response to an external stimulus. Being happy, as a mood, is an internally generated appreciation of life and the myriad things we are grateful for – it is a generative state rather than a reactive one.

Restoring Confidence Is Restoring Ourselves To Ourselves 

Or as Derek Walcott would put it:

The time will come 
when, with elation 
you will greet yourself arriving 
at your own door, in your own mirror 
and each will smile at the other's welcome, 

and say, sit here. Eat. 
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart 
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you 

all your life, whom you ignored 
for another, who knows you by heart. 
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, 

the photographs, the desperate notes, 
peel your own image from the mirror. 
Sit. Feast on your life. 

Or, listen to David Whyte reciting Derek Walcott

None Of Us Speaks "The Truth"

No expert speaks The Truth, no matter how well intentioned the advice, and no matter how seemingly well grounded in research and the facts. We all trade in interpretations, perspectives, points of view… often presented with such authority as to pass for The Truth – but it is all made up stuff nonetheless.

The question that I think that is worth engaging with is, "Is the interpretation of reality I am entertaining, empowering, does it give me a new access to action, does it connect me with who I am really, does it nurture and strengthen my important relationships…?" If the answer is yes, go with it; it is fuel for a life. If the answer is no, change it; create a new interpretation of reality. And, as Walcott put it, "Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you". 

It is all a made up story anyway, so why not make up a story you want to inhabit, that you want to embody? 

Notes To A Visionary Leader – Reinventing Is Your Ongoing Role

10 Things to Focus on to Reinvent Organization, Work, Self and Relationships

1. Make everything about your Envisioned Future – everything! The envisioned future is the one you are committed to bringing into existence. This is not the past extended future, or the wouldn't it be nice if… future, or the with a bit of luck future, and, most of all not the reasonable future of an investor pitch. This is the future of vision, of passion, of creation. The future with no foundation yet except, I say so, as in a declaration. Put this Envisioned Future first, in everything, all the time!
2. Plot a pathway back from the envisioned future to the present: Put in milestones for quarters, months weeks – yes even days, so everyone can tell they are on course, or knows quickly when they are off course
3. Forecast from the present into the likely future – extrapolate from the present – same time scale as #1.  The best case, most likely case, worst case. Then scale the delta between the extrapolated future and your envisioned future – this is “the gap” to be closed – for every KPI 
4. Align all: processes, policies, practices, strategies, structures, projects, accountabilities, behaviors and… with the envisioned future 
5. Create roles: all the roles necessary to realize the envisioned future with personal accountability and development plans for every role, identifying in each case “the gap” – between what the role holder knows how to deliver, given history and experience, and what they need to invent and discover how to deliver, given the envisioned future, and the role(s) they are being counted on to play in its realization 
6. Build: breakthrough projects; skills, competencies, and strengths; systems, processes, practices, policies, rules, procedures… all that's necessary to support the envisioned future
7. Dismantle: everything and anything that could thwart the envisioned future: legacy systems, out-of-date policies and procedures, constraining rules, old habits …  
8. Create: visual displays for every role to track actual/real time performance against forecast, and against the envisioned future so everyone can see the gap being closed – or not 
9. Do: regular After Action Reviews: What worked? What did not work? What was missing? Make sure there are robust practices and processes to implement learnings 
10. Notice: and celebrate every action and outcome that is consistent with the envisioned future. Acknowledge, appreciate and reward; Reflect and savor; Build and share the stories of the organizations – of heroes, battles won, adversity triumphed over, moments of kindness, compassion and human greatness – the reinforcing of purpose and meaning.

We All Know The Importance of Preparation

We All Know The Importance of Preparation

In fact like many executives, at some point in my early career I was introduced to a mantra, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail". I am pretty sure there was some preceding failure of mine that prompted the need for this bit of indoctrination – that fact is lost to memory but not the lesson which became a mantra which I willingly adopted.

Recently, I was talking to an executive I admire who is both the COO of his organization and also a very accomplished public speaker, teacher, raconteur, and leadership trainer both inside his own organization and on a larger public platform.

At some point in the conversation he shared a little about how he prepares – writing out his talks for example and rehearsing them. Good sound practices you'll agree.

On Reflection

Reflecting on our conversation I was itching to give some coaching – because that's what coaches do, right. However, I have been coaching long enough to know that offering "coaching" without an invitation, or permission, is not a good idea. At best it occurs as advice, and we all know what we mostly do with that.

Here's the Backstory 

The scene: a formal dinner at the beginning of the annual conference of a large UK Corporation. There are about 300 people in the room, including all the corporate tops brass sitting at the top table. (The White House Correspondents Dinner always reminds me of this story - very similar set up) 

The corporation was a client of the strategy consulting firm I was part of at the time. My boss, the consulting firm's managing partner and I were to be speakers – he first after the Chairman and CEO, then me next. This was my first major client speech.

He, like all the members of our firm were sticklers for preparations – dot all the i's cross all the t's, nothing left to chance… At the time it occurred to me that mistakes were life and death issues. The consequences of screwing up were so hyped it is a wonder we did anything original or creative. 

So, as part of our last minute preparations he asked me to run through my speech, jokes, anecdotes, prepared "off-the-cuff" remarks, everything… ". So we don't tell the same stories, tread on each others stories…", was his setup for being so detailed in wanting to know everything I had prepared and planned to say. I was especially fine with this, given our work and travel schedules prior to the conference, had not made it possible for us to share with each other, or prepare with each other, what we were each going to say. 

The dinner started. I was very nervous. I didn't eat much, if anything. The Chairman was speaking but I didn't hear a word; I was listening to a different speaker... the one in my head. Then my distraction was broken by applause. The CEO was done. My boss was readying to make his way to the podium. At first, as he was being introduced, all I could think of was my turn was next. I could hear my heart pounding. Then, as he started speaking, I am sure my heart stopped.

His opening lines were my opening lines. He made a passing topical reference, a joke and some acknowledgements… my material! He was giving my talk. The first time he looked in my direction he simply smiled with a slight nod. He launched into one of my best stories giving me a knowing wink as the audience laughed at one of my best jokes that finished the story.

Have You Every Wanted The Floor To Open And Swallow You?

I wanted to disappear, die even. I could hardly think straight. I was on the top table I could hardly discretely leave. 

Years later as I saw President HW Bush be sick at a state dinner I thought, "Where was sickness when I needed it?"

Like a cold shower I was snapped out of my imaginings as I heard the applause for my boss. He walked from the podium towards me grinning. As he sat down beside me he said, "Well, that went well; your turn." I was being introduced, and was being invited to the podium.

So Now What?

I remember still, standing holding onto the side of the lectern staring out into the expectant faces for what seemed to be a very long time.

And, to my surprise I said, "I would like to speak about fear… and confusion… and not knowing what to do in moments when much is expected of you, and lots is at stake. Has anyone got any idea what I am talking about?" And, to my great relief, just about every hand in the room went up. 

Immediately I was fine. The part of my genes that are blessed with the gift of the gab took over and crafted a speech that got a rousing round of applause.

And…

I should tell you my boss was not a mean man. On the contrary he was a teacher, a supporter, and a cheerleader. Up to this point I always had the experience he had my back.

So you can imagine my first reaction when we were free to speak. "What the hell was that about?" I could hear the hurt four year old who desperately wanted to shout instead, "You stole my speech! I hate you! You scared me! You nearly made me pee my pants!" – all the while sobbing, self-pitying tears you understand and looking around for an adult to come and make things right.

He Had A Lesson He Wanted Me To Get. 

In addition to his professional career as a brilliant consultant and advisor to corporate leaders, he was also a very accomplished actor.

"It's not enough to know your lines, you have to be in character, you have to be able to improvise, you have to be able to trust yourself to speak 'off script' and be authentic… you have to engage people's emotions, their hearts as well as their heads… we need you for that, not just to deliver your script. 

Tonight I just wanted to push you over the edge, confident you'd fly… You did very well!" 

He had performed just such an initiation right on most of my more senior colleagues. There was an unspoken agreement in the firm though… don't spill the beans… we all knew though who among us had taken a flyer.

New EU law to help investors pick good corporate citizens | Reuters

Leadership and Sustainability

Institutional investors are increasingly integrating ESG factors into their investment decision-making. They are coming user pressure to divest companies whose products or services negatively impact the environment, for example, to divest their fossil fuel investments. It worked for apartheid in SA, why not for our environment!

Europe Helps Leaders With New Laws

New EU law to help investors pick good corporate citizens Will the US be far behind? Yet another consideration for leaders to take into account.

Is Climate Change A Material Risk To Your Company?

Could You Explain Why Climate Change is Not A Risk For Your Company?

What do 120 California-based companies know that has them willing to signing the Climate Declaration?  Why are business leaders urging federal and state policymakers to seize the economic opportunity of addressing climate change. They clearly see an economic risk if no action is taken.

Would you be able to explain to shareholders, and your other stakeholders, as Tim Cook of Apple did, that a concern for sustainability is good for business, when he soundly rejected the perspective of an investor group and suggested they stop investing in Apple if they don't like his approach to sustainability and other issues.

More Executive Say Business is More Than Just The Bottom Line

It is possible to have a purpose driven organization and a profitable one. Often our narrow focus on profits in the media obscures this fact. In addition to Tim Cooke of Apple other major corporations are willing to speak equally powerfully for purpose, principle and their commitments. Here are just two recent ones:

1. CVS to stop selling cigarettes even though it will cost them around $2B. Their commitment to being being a healthcare company trumps profits
2. Disney withdraws funding from the Boy Scouts over is ban on gay scouts. A concern for principle ahead of profits. And, they are joined by Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, Major League Soccer, Merck, Intel, Alcoa, AT&T and UPS, all companies that have ended partnerships with the Scouts because of its anti-gay policy.

What Happens When It's Purpose And Profits?

The simple answer, profits improve – shareholders benefit when all stakeholders' interests are front and center. Raj Sisodia and his co-authors demonstrate this in their groundbreaking book Firms of Endearment.

The companies who are member of Conscious Capitalism demonstrate this in very competitive markets. I will return to this theme with more examples in future posts.

Yes! It Pays to Invest in People

A Good Return By Investing In People

Zeynep Ton, an MIT professor, in her recent book The Good Jobs Strategy, reveals that every $1 of salary increase for employees generated $4 to $28 in increased revenue for a major national company. Rather than looking to cut costs by squeezing employees, smart companies look to increase revenue by paying their people fairly and treating them with care and respect.

We often hear executives say things like, "people are our most important asset", for those for whom this is a genuine expression of a commitment to people, this is yet more evidence that it is also good business. 

Who's Got Your Back, Who Can You Count On To Support You?

So Who Have You Got As Support, Who's Got Your Back?

Wherever you are in the organization, whether you are the CEO or an individual contributor, if you are going to get anything done – anything of any consequence that is, you have got to have people around you who are up to the same things you are, so you have the experience of a common purpose being worked on by everyone. 

Realizing a mission is a group activity. So it is important to be surrounded by people who share the mission, who share the values, who share explicit and implicit agreements, and who look out for each other, who support each other.

Warren Buffet is quoted as saying, "I won't work with anyone I don't like, trust and admire". He is in a fortunate position, he can hand pick who he gets to work with. Not so for most of us. What we can do though, is be the kind of person that others will like/respect, trust and admire. The kind of person others will be open to supporting and collaborating with. What makes great organizations great is this shared sense of being up to something important. 

Most People Are Not Mind Readers, Which Means...

We need to let people know what we are up to. We need to share our commitments and passions. And, we need to speak in a way that generates the kind of action and support that we want. Make requests of others and get explicit agreements or promises. Ask for what you want, the worst that will happen is people will tell you they can't help you – and most likely, they will direct you to someone who can.

We Don't Succeed At Realizing Our Plans, Goals or Resolutions Because...

1. We were not really committed to the goal in the first place. Maybe it was more of a should. Like I should loose weight, should go the the gym regularly, should reorganize my office, should do more customer visits...
2. We didn't make space for the actions we needed to take. Most of us have full days already with lots of activities, routines, habits, and existing commitments. So new goals require changes to the way we do things. What do we stop doing? What new practice do we put in place? What support do we need to help us stay on track. If we don't sort that out early on, new goals and intentions will get buried in the day-to-day busyness.
3. We stop paying attention to how we are doing – we forget the existence of the goal/intention.  For example, I notice I am not doing well on two of my goals. One of which is to write more regularly, more specifically, to establish a daily practice of writing for at least an hour a day. Several days have passed and... yes, no writing.
4. We don't use the missed milestones, or failures (if that word doesn't intimidate you) to do what you said you would as opportunities to check in: Is this something I really want to do? (#1), if no, then drop it (there may be consequences),  if yes, then adjust schedules and routines so they reflect your intentions.
5. We forget to pay attention to progress, to successes, no matter how small. We have to have the sense of progress. Anyone who has been stuck in traffic that isn't moving knows how frustrating that is. Starting to move, even at 5 mph feels like progress. So create scorecards, milestones, any way that works for you that indicate progress, or lack of it.
6. We attempt to go it alone, we don't share our intentions, we don't enroll others to support us, so create some kind of buddy system, a person, or a group of people, who you can rely on to be a support: as thinking partners, a shoulder to cry on, someone to check in on you to see how you are doing, someone to remind you why your goal or intention is important to you. 
7. We don't celebrate successes. It is hard to celebrate success is we don't even notice them (#5). Noticing progress and celebrating it is the most powerful way to reinforce new behaviors. The more we reinforce them the more they will stick.

How Are We Doing On Our New Year's Resolutions and Plans?

One Month Into 2014 – Any Signs Of Breakthrough Moments Yet?

Habits, routines and expertise are the enemy of breakthroughs. We can't expect new outcomes, or breakthroughs as I prefer, by doing the same things over and over again. In fact, that has be labelled, the definition of insanity in a now much over used cliche. 

Easy to say, who'd argue that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different outcomes will not produce breakthroughs, but then what? So how do we create new habits and new routines? Well, we'll get to that, because it gets pretty obvious, pretty quickly, that replicating the behaviors of the past are unlikely, excepting for luck, to produce breakthroughs.

One thing I know for sure is that in the face of our lack of success in attempting to produce new outcomes, or new behaviors, we are most often biased to give up and accept what seems to be the clear evidence for:

• I'm just not reliable at keeping my promises, I did the best I could
• I tried everything I know, nothing worked, it's just not possible
• I'm just not very good at pushing the envelope, it's just too hard to get people to go along with change 
• It seemed a good idea at the time, but circumstances have changed
• I just didn't have the resources, the support, the breaks, ....

We just seem to be designed to settle for reasons and explanations for our failed efforts rather than to persist till we succeed in inventing a breakthrough solution. After all, we tried everything, right? You've got to know when to give up, right?

Then Why Even Attempt To Go For Breakthroughs?

If change is so hard, if trying to produce breakthroughs is so fraught with the risk of failing, why do we keep torturing ourselves by constantly taking on new goals, new initiatives, new projects – always something new, always pushing the envelope?

Because...

Because I just want to

Because it's important

Because that's what I am called to do 

Because...

Because if a I don't I won't like the consequences.

Start With The Why ... Why Is A Breakthrough Important?

Most grand plans fail because we get stuck on what to do, and how to do it before we are clear on the why to do it. 

In the process we forget, or never fully expressed: 

• How does meeting this goal forward my (our) mission and purpose?
• What will a breakthrough make possible, that I can't accomplish with business as usual?
• What doesn't get to happen if I (we) don't produce a breakthrough and meet our goals.

If what we are doing is not important to us, does not forward our purpose and support our values – then as Bob Newhart tells us, Stop It!

So What About The Old Habits And Routines?

How do we change them?

The simple and counter-intuitive answer is DON'T, don't try to change them. Instead:

• Create new practices that support the future you want
• Repeat them over and over and over till they become new habits 
• Create new routines, by following them, old routines will atrophy from lack of usage
• Create new ways of speaking from complaint about what not working, or what you don't like to possibilities for the future you want.

New Beginnings Vs. The Habits of the Past

So, How Are The New Year Resolutions Going?

Every new plan, every intention that things will be different in the future, has to confront the pull of the habits of the past, or the intention is doomed to fail. The habits of the past are what kills countless plans and sincere resolutions. Given habits are automatic and subconscious, most of us do not take into account when we make new resolutions or plans, just how strong that pull is. 

Habits are things that are hard not to do, and are things we do without thinking.

The habits we have developed that let us operate on automatic pilot are great to make getting through the tasks and responsibilities of each day easier and less stressful. Can you imagine how crazy-making it would be to have to think about everything we do every time, all the time? It would be just too inefficient, not to mention exhausting. Automatic behaviors are life savers most of the time. They allow us to react spontaneously with the right learned response for every situation – that's what has us be seen as professionals.

In the performing arts practicing is a part of being a professional. It is what all professionals do – all the time. As some say, practice so you will always remember. Or, as the masters say, practice so you will never forget.

Good News For The Status Quo

What we usually overlook when creating new resolutions and plans is just how deeply embedded old habits are, and the automatic pull they have on almost all of our thoughts and actions. It sounds disrespectful at some level to say this, but most of us, most of the time, are going about our day-to-day lives preprogrammed by the habits of the past. Our routines rule us. That is good news for maintaing the status quo, not so good news for those New Years Resolutions, or new plans.

New Resolutions Require New Practices

All habits were once new routines. Routines which we practiced over and over again till they became automatic and subconscious. When did you last think about all the actions you take in driving your car? It is hard to remember the learning process. A process that was, for most of us, full of frustration and mistakes, even big failures. If you can remember, the same is true for every new skill we have mastered.

Yet somehow we seem to expect that keeping new resolutions, and realizing new plans, can somehow defy the rules of this new skill learning process.

Some must do's to increase success in keeping resolutions – establish new habits:

1. Be specific about what you want to accomplish – what exactly is the intended outcome you have resolved to produce?
2. Be specific about by when you want that outcome to be achieved? This, and #1, is a bold declaration with no fuzziness! 
3. Say what actions would someone need to take to be successful in keeping this resolution, if it was theirs
4. Establish a new routine: take the new actions regularly, say every day, or multiple times a day, till the new action(s) is automatic. [Don't expect a new habit to form in less than say two months of regular repetitions]
5. Be persistent, and patient, new habits are not formed over night [#4]. Giving up too soon is the primary cause of new resolutions failing. We have instant gratification as a learned habit.
6. Be compassionate with lapses and failures. There will be failures, that is part of the new learning process – remember? Recommit, do the practice, keep going.
7. Keep remembering why you wanted to create new habits in the first place. That will keep you going when you become impatient, or when practicing the new behaviors is frustrating and exhausting. 
8. Get support, a friend, a cheerleader, a coach, someone to encourage you, celebrate your successes, and help you through the forgetting and failing moments.

Endings and Beginnings

Endings and Beginnings

For many of us the start of a New Year is a good time of year to reflect, to take stock, maybe make a few changes. The conventional wisdom is to make a few resolutions. You know the deal, think about plans for the new year, things you want to stop doing and things you want to start doing. We, for a while at least, have the comfortable feeling that we have a plan for improvement in place.

I've been there, done that lots of times, and no more! Not just because I know from research, that fewer than 10% of people follow through and actually do what they said they would do. But also, because that mode of personal growth and development does not work: for me, or for people I see struggling with their resolutions.

When I (we if it applies to you) reflect I realize that these "new year resolutions" fade fairly quickly in tussle for priority with the day-to-day routines. When I look back at the resolutions I have made they are usually to "fix something" about me that I didn't like or want – loose weight, exercise more, be more tolerant, etc., etc. Not the most powerful context for change or personal growth and development.

What If I/We Are Just Fine The Way I Am/We Are?

What if we don't need to be "fixed"? What if we just need to nurture the parts of our lives that actually work, that give us joy, satisfaction, accomplishment, the relationships we want, the sense of being in our element, the sense that life is great and so are we? We all have lots of "the good stuff" and we'd see it if we'd just stopped focusing on, "what's wrong that needs to be fixed stuff".

What if, notwithstanding the fact we don't need to be fixed, we do have a sense of an unfolding path to be followed. Joseph Campbell's encouragement to us is to follow your bliss. If we listen, we all have a sense of, things to do, places to go, people to meet, and a life to live that is calling us. I think that is what Campbell meant by follow your bliss, follow your passions, your mission if you like, your real purpose for being here – find it and live it.

So The Question Becomes, What to End And What To Begin?

If we start paying attention to day-to-day events we will get increasingly clear what our path is, what our purpose actually is. Part of paying attention means being more aware what we say yes and no to. We can then ask ourselves what to end, by saying no to and what to begin, by saying yes to; not just once a year, but every day, and even at multiple times during the day.

Endings are opportunities to be complete with the past, so as to be free to move on. Endings give us an opportunity to see habits that don't serve us, that drain us of vitality. And, like calling a time out in sports they give us a chance to see what's working too, so that we can build on them. Endings let us:

• Extract whatever lessons we can learn from the past to seed new beginnings
• Look to see who and what to acknowledge, appreciate and validate – all the evidence that life is good and we have a lot to be grateful for – regardless of our circumstances
• Notice where, about what, and by whom we were hurt, disappointed or felt invalidated or suppressed. Just notice, so we can move on as quickly as possible.
• Calling a time out, or an end to the way things have been going, is too good an opportunity for growth and course corrections to be relegated to a once a year event.

Beginnings Are An Opportunity To Savor The Now And Ponder Possibilities, so as to be present in each moment to create what will be the future. Beginnings let us:

• Pay attention, moment by moment, to what provides joy and satisfaction – so we can be in that mood more often, and be more able to notice when it's fading or missing
• Seek out opportunities to be with people and activities that have us in our element, where we have the feeling of being self expressed. I know being around some people enliven me and have me be more creative, around other...not so much
• Ask and answer, "Who do I want to Be now, in this moment, for the next hour, day...?" Say so, and practice being that, often, and for as long as you can
• Ask and answer, "What do I want to accomplish? So what do I need to be doing?" Do that and watch the outcomes
• Ask and answer, "Who do I want to be around, collaborate with, learn from, laugh with – where I get to be myself unreservedly?" Be with these people.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. 

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. 

Begin it now. 

Goethe.