It’s 10pm and I’m writing this from our Airbnb in Newport Beach. The Awareness to Action Retreat is happening right now, and I wanted to take you behind the scenes for a minute.
I cannot overstate how valuable it is when leaders pull back for two days to get clear on where they actually want to go for the next 12 months. Not react. Not repeat. Decide.
No leader is above getting into the tyranny of the urgent, juggling all the plates, meeting demand after demand. And when the cycle starts, it takes deliberately pulling back to decide what you want next.
Earlier today, I asked the participants one of the three defining self-leadership questions:
What do you want?
Simple question that invites a truthful response. Most of us bury it under to-do lists and those never-ending demands before we ever choose to sit with it.
As we wrapped up today, I asked everyone: what was most valuable for you today?
Jennifer* said, “I decided that I do want to want.”
Tears.
Here’s her snapshot of her story. After two brutal years of unemployment, Jennifer landed a job six weeks ago that she is uniquely qualified for. Good news, right?
But you know what ongoing disappointment does to hope. It makes wanting feel dangerous.
She started the retreat acknowledging that she didn’t know if she wanted to want again, because wanting again meant risking more disappointment.
Only a few hours later, she decided she does. She has big wants.
That’s not a small shift. That’s THE shift. A massive, life-changing shift.
So I ask you, what do you want?
Not what you should want. Not what looks good on paper. Not what you think might be able to get if you work hard enough. What do YOU want?
Let that question mess you up a little bit today. It might be the most important question you answer this year. š§”
There’s ONE spot left at our Atlanta A2A retreat. Does it have your name on it?
What you want matters. Let’s create a 12-month Bold ACTION Plan that gets you there. Apply Here.Ā
*I changed her name because we agreed to confidentiality but her story is true.
