Making 2018 the best year yet

As the 2018 working year begins to gather momentum it is the opportune time to think about what it is we can do to make sure that 2018 is the best year yet. Late last year, as I reflected on how I might make this happen, I read two articles which I found both challenging and insightful.

The first article was How to think like Leonardo da Vinci to unlock your creative potential. It detailed seven da Vincian (I bet you didn't even know that word existed!) principles which are essential elements of a genius. Now while I don't aspire nor claim to be a genius I am always on the lookout for things that might improve who I am and what I achieve. The principle that stood out to me was Arte/Scienza.

"Developing the balance between science and art, logic and imagination. Balancing apparent opposites gives us a more complete view of the world and allows us to think with our whole mind rather than just a portion of it."

The article went on to explain that Nobel laureates are 2.8 times more likely to have an artistic pursuit that the average person. So what are my artistic pursuits?

I use to have 'artistic pursuits' - that was before I became pre-occupied with education, technology, the future, social media and Netflix. Visitors to our home look at the intricate embroideries that adorn our walls and enquire as to where they came from. My husband delights in telling them "Carolyn did them in a former life". 

So here is one of my resolutions for 2018 - that I will make space for my artistic self.

First resolution is also the first challenge - how do you make a resolution stick? This brings me to the second article.

I have been a follower of the Conscious Leadership Group for quite a few years now. I love that their posts are both affirming yet challenging. Their December post Find your What and Maximise Your Impact in 2018  provided me with my second challenging insight:

"To maximise impact, you need to shift your attention from making resolutions to being the resolution" 

So my resolution is not about making space for my artistic self, it is about me being the educational leader who makes room for her artistic self.

What are your resolutions for 2018 and what do they look like when you transition from making resolutions to becoming the resolution? From "This year I am going to go to the gym four times a week" to "I am the leader who invests in her health by going to the gym four times a week"; from "I will listen more and speak less" to "I am the colleague who delights more in listening to others than having their opinion heard."

Now is the time to set up 2018 to be the best year yet. Join me in thinking about what we need to do differently in order to let our genius flow and to become everything that our lives allow us to be.