I know that each of you will interpret that phrase a little differently, as you respond to the blessings and challenges you encountered in the past 51 weeks. Every one of us experienced a unique set of highs and lows as we made our journey through 2010.

And now, the 52nd week is upon us.

My challenge to you today is to intentionally carve out a few hours between now and New Year’s Eve to reflect on the special moments of the past year. Reflection in the pursuit of learning is a great discipline for acquiring wisdom.

What did you learn this year about yourself, your career, your family, the world, the unseen? What worked well? What do you want to never repeat? What do you want to include more of in the year ahead?

Grab your journal and find a quiet spot. Write down your reflections and lessons from the moments that made up 2010. Then, size up the year ahead. One year from now — on December 23rd, 2011 — what do you plan on having learned, experienced, accomplished, or given?

Do what most people will not. Take time during this hectic season to reflect, plan and ponder the memorable moments. For these moments, connected together, make up the stories of our lives.

This will be my last post of the year. I look forward to connecting and sharing more with you after the holiday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Okay, lets make this a bit easier. What did you learn in 2009?

One tactic that I have found useful is to label my years.  I do this while spending a day during the Christmas break or right after the new year reflecting and planning.  I review my Life Plan, Business Vision and Business Plan.  I spend time journaling through the past year, and work to identify any big lessons learned.  Then, once this is done, I use all this information to give both the past and upcoming year a label. 

Here is what I mean by a label:  I identify what my biggest focus points or new insights were during the year.  They are not usually all that profound. 

The label for 2009 came from what I really focused on as a leader.  The key word for me in ’09 was “health.”  When I began the year, I wanted to work on having a healthier team, a healthy business model and a healthy balance sheet.  I shared this with my team, and it became part of our filter for decision-making throughout the year.

As I look back on the year, I am pleased to say that we as a team came together to make this a reality.  2009 will be remembered by me as the year of pursuing professional health.  There have also been other years in the past where the theme I began with and the lesson I ended with were two different things!

How about you?  What were the key lessons learned or the central theme you want to remember from ’09?  If remembered, these lessons can help us to make better decisions in the years ahead.  None of us want to have to learn the same lesson many times.

If you have not already done so, schedule your day to reflect and plan.  Give ’09 a label, and pick your theme for 2010.

Today I want to clear up some confusion we commonly see in the minds of our clients.  This confusion is around the difference between a goal and a discipline. 

To put it simply, a goal is the end result you’re aiming for.  A discipline is the behavior or task you must repeat, over and over, to achieve the result you want.  A goal is an idea that motivates you.  A discipline is an action that moves you forward.

At Building Champions, we coach our clients to gain clarity on which disciplines they must establish in order for them to have the highest probability of reaching their goals.  If the client is to succeed, these disciplines must be non-negotiable.   We like to focus on the behaviors that define how we live and lead. 

These non-negotiable disciplines are truly where the magic lies in self development.  Goals and resolutions are important, but by themselves they have no power to change your situation.  Identifying the disciplines you will repeat constantly is the critical next step.  Here are a few examples.

Goal:  Increase monthly sales volume by 10%

Non–Negotiable Disciplines:

1. Observe 4 sales calls per week with a sales rep – coach them on improvements
2. Team Sales Meetings every Monday at 8am
3. Review and provide feedback on weekly sales call plans and reports
4. Quarterly Business Plan Reviews with each team member

Goal:  Lose 25 Pounds in 2010

Non-Negotiable Disciplines:

1. 30 minutes on the treadmill M-W-F at noon
2. 15 Push Ups and 25 Sit Ups every morning
3. 8 glasses of water daily — no sodas
4. Fruit and veggies instead of breads.  No muffins for breakfast or breads at lunch.

I have seen people truly flourish when they gain clarity on how they want to live and lead, and then identify the corresponding disciplines.  These individuals develop strong convictions around their disciplines, and they become non-negotiable.  Their disciplines become a way of life.

Make your disciplines non-negotiable,

So, here is my response:  I want to experience pure and complete presence during this Christmas and New Years’ break.

What I want most is to celebrate this very special season by being absolutely present in each and every conversation, and in each and every moment.  I am a total mental spaz so this can be very challenging.

I know some of you can relate with me on this.  My mind is always going so fast and is filled with so many thoughts and ideas, and shutting it down to just be present can be difficult for me.  At the same time, when I am totally in the moment, it feels so good!

No matter what your plans are for the remaining days of this year, my challenge to you and to myself is to give the present of being fully present.  This means truly listening, totally engaging and adding value to those we love and those we lead.  This is an eye to eye and ear to ear challenge.

I hope this helps you to make some special memories.  I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Until 2010,