As I sat down to think about what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year and what I want my New Year’s resolution to be, I stopped to think…how many people actually achieve their resolutions? With a little help from the ‘Google machine,’ I found that while more than 40% of Americans make resolutions, just 8% achieve their goals.
How can we find success and accomplish what we want to this year?
This year, I’m planning to slow down and think more.
Subtract resolutions from your yearly to-do list and add deliberate and regular time to think. It’s like the personal financial-savings concept of paying yourself first every payday. Both are the best investments you’ll ever make.
When you engage in constructive thinking—remember, we’re not blankly staring out of windows here—the overarching goal is to dig deep to elicit mutual commonality as the doers, speakers and visionaries of your organization. It’s also eliciting that jewel, the crux of why your nonprofit is vital, vibrant and very much needed, and so are your donors.
Other ways mindful thinking makes your work better?
- Get the right things done (and get things done right). Reap the payoff when you pay more attention to the work that furthers your nonprofit’s mission and less to the distractions of busyness, with less stress and higher quality. When you focus on mindful things, busyness evolves into productivity.
- Build intentional relationships. Thinking takes you to a place of reflection and meaningful connections. It also helps clarify how to best handle a complicated situation, assemble better work teams or develop a more robust planned giving campaign, for example.
- Lead with renewed purpose. There’s no muddled in between when you’ve thought something through. Building passion and loyalty are easier when leading from a sure and strong foundation.
How do you carve out thinking time? Or, how do you plan to in 2017?