Martin Luther King Jr. Day had us coaches reflecting, as it hopefully did most Americans. We reflected on our core values, our service to others, our past, and our dreams for the future.
At Human Better EDU, we believe that in order to create real change in your life and the world, you need to first get to the heart of your dreams for yourself. Just as Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, we want you to have one too.
Which is why we invite you to ask yourself three questions in service of a prouder, more engaged 2023:
- What did you accomplish in 2022?
- What do you want to leave behind from 2022?
- What will you create in 2023?
Asking yourself “What did I accomplish in 2022” allows you to connect to a feeling of pride in yourself. When you remember what it feels like to go after something and achieve it – we call this Authoring – you are more likely to be able to do it again. Success is contagious and creates momentum, so connecting to your past successes helps you create more. Who doesn’t need a little reminder of why they are great? We all spend too much time in our heads focusing on how we fail, so this approach is truly novel! Also, asking yourself this question gives you the chance to reflect on why you succeeded in that area and then apply those learnings to a dream for this coming year.
Second, asking yourself “What do I want to leave behind” allows you to reflect on the mistakes you made and learn from them. When you ignore your mistakes or ways of being that aren’t serving you, they continue to come back and test you again and again. When you can learn from something and grow from it, you can be intentional about leaving it behind and design who you want to be.
Finally, asking yourself “What will I create in 2023” allows you to dream which is the foundation of all of our coaching work. Dreams are like your North Star, your stake in the ground for what you want, your GPS destination for where you want your life to go. When you articulate a dream and tell others about it, you are more likely to achieve it. And when you are clear as to what that dream really looks and feels like, you can start taking the small steps to get there. Be sure your dream gives you goosebumps, gets your heart pumping, and will make you proud next January.
Don’t be afraid to do this exercise with your kids, your spouse, or your friends. Asking these New Years questions is something I try to do with two very special friends every January. We get on a Zoom as we live in different cities and share our answers and dreams. Not only do my friends then help hold me accountable, but the sharing also creates intimacy and connection across the country.
