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,

Sure, there may be room for improvement in those around us. There may even be opportunities to help others grow. But first, we must take responsibility for how WE are thinking and behaving, instead of lamenting over the actions of others.

If I want a better marriage, I have to be a better husband first. If I want my relationship with my kids to get better, I have to be a better father first. If I want a better team or a better company, I have to be a better leader first.

As I type this, I am sitting in an airport after spending the last two days with an awesome group of people who make up the executive team of a national mortgage banking company. I have had the privilege of leading their last two executive retreats, and their team has seen wonderful growth and results.

Today, we went through an exercise that was really valuable for them. They have a long term goal to increase their company’s annual sales by more than 300%. Each of them took time to assess what would need to change in order to lead a company that was doing just 50% more than their current volume.

I asked them each to think about where they would personally need to grow the most. I had them assess their own knowledge, skills, disciplines, systems, team, relationships and thinking to identify where they would have the biggest points of risk or pain.

They spent a significant amount of time alone journaling their thoughts, and then shared their results with each other. Their teammates then spoke into them by affirming, questioning, challenging and adding to what they came up with. It was a time of great transparency and growth.

So what about you?

Do you have aggressive goals and plans for your business or for your life in the years ahead? If so, where do YOU need to grow and improve in order to accomplish what you have set before you?

Don’t sit back and wait for others to take the lead.

Me first!

Waking up running is the norm for many in these crazed times. This daily routine can leave many a leader feeling overwhelmed and tired. It can cause us to live our days craving an escape.

We go about our schedule with mechanical precision, without really being present for days, weeks, or even months. We’re just waiting for the day we can board a plane to the tropics. Then, once the wheels are up and the Mai Tai is in hand, relaxation will finally set in.

It does not need to be this way.

I have a routine that I strive to sustain just about every weekday. I call it my morning vacation. It is my time alone in the early hours, before the rest of my family is awake. It usually lasts anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes and includes some time spent reading the Bible, praying, reflecting, stretching, or meditating. Many mornings, I do my reflection in the hot tub as the sun is rising.

When I follow through with my morning vacation, I find that it impacts how I go through the rest of my day. I am more present, calm, and aware. It equips me for the challenges and opportunities the next 24 hours will hold.

A day that begins well has a higher probability of finishing well.

I think it is a mistake to wake up in chase mode. Morning vacations can radically impact how you lead, serve, and love those in your office and your home. I know many leaders who have similar routines, and they swear by them.

Take a vacation. You deserve it.

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.