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Even the waves rest, Eloise Owens…
By Eloise Owens | December 13, 2009
For all my sales peeps who have shared time with me in the Decembers of years gone by…You know what’s a comin’…the lecture…the December nudge. For those who I have not had the pleasure yet to meet but are solely connected through these online words…consider this your first time to get “the nudge.” So, here we go.
As professionals we all make the same human mistake of thinking that we must not slow down. We must keep driving…pushing…to make our way up that ladder. After all – our bonuses, our promotions, maybe our very employment rides on my consistent effort.
Some twenty years ago I thought the same thing – as I was lying in an emergency room bed with doctors buzzing around me wondering what could my symptoms mean. They may have been stumped but not me. I knew. My body was done. I had spent four years pushing to get a sales team up and running — to exceed the expectations of my bosses in the big offices. The building of momentum requires large sums of energy. But I loved it. I love to sell. You probably do too.
But your human body is not designed to run full out without some time to recover and renew. Funny thing though, I kept waiting for my manager to call me in and give me some time to renew. Yeah, fat chance that will happen. Hell, all they will do is give you more to do. Right? So, who’s responsibility is it to go underground–rest–and renew? (Hence…the lecture is coming)
There is no one that can mandate your sabbatical. It must come from you. Sometimes the busy weekend is just not enough with all the family adventures that are begging for you. So, if you want to stir a new kind of momentum in 2010, here is what I have been doing for at least the past 10 years and would like to share it with you. Plan your MOMENTUM GETWAY.
1. Invest in rest and get a hotel for a couple of days, maybe in between Christmas and New Years. Search for great deals on Hotwire and see what you can do to not break the bank but spend some of that hard earned money on your rest.
2. Ditch the Blackberry. Tell your family what hotel you are staying at and that the hotel number is only to be used if there is a “dripping blood” emergency. Enjoy the freedom from contact.
3. Sleep in and then eat a good breakfast. I recommend room service.
4. Use your day to reflect on the year. What are you the most proud of? Who on your team at work do you most enjoy working with? Why? What is hard for you at work? How is my relationship with my boss? Could it be better?
5. Now comes the fun part. Start dreaming and planning. Asking yourself questions of what else is possible in 2010? Are there goals in your life that bore you? Can you afford to stay bored? Are you giving your best at work? Does it still stir you to get up every morning and seek out higher results at work? If not, take a new look at what you want this coming year. Is it time to rework your goals?
6. Now comes the hard part. Go walk and listen. Don’t talk to strangers on the walking path or next to you on the treadmill at the hotel. Don’t speak. Let your dreaming and planning simmer a bit in your brain. Take notes of the thoughts you have in your head.
Day 2: Repeat step 3.
7. Day two is designed to start planning and prioritizing your goals and dreams. What ideas can you start working on immediately? What ideas need more time to refine or research? Set up a quarterly schedule to check out your progress on all the goals in your dream planning session.
8. In the afternoon of the second day, I want your focus to shift off of you. Now I want you to start asking yourself another set of questions: ”Others” questions.
At work, who needs me to do my best work? Am I giving them all that they need? (I’ve seen a lot of salespeople treat their dog at home better than they treat a team member.) Do my top ten customers know how much I value them? What can I do quarterly to demonstrate my appreciation? When is the last time I thanked my manager for all that they do and handle for us? (And believe me, they handle an incredible amount.)
At home, who needs me to do my best work? Don’t give your best self at work and leave your family starving for you. The kids, the spouse, the house….all of it. It’s alot. Why not schedule time in your month and surprise your kids with a drive? Or play a card game that you learned? And if you really want to surprise your spouse, send them a card through the mail asking them out on a date with you – and only you. Schedule those appointments now.
Lastly, for those seeking a spiritual walk, ask God to open the floodgates around you in 2010 and see others who need help. Are you the solution that God needs to serve someone crossing your path? Will you be the solution? Get ready. Why not make serving a deliberate part of your 2010? That will truly be your best work.
Your retreat is over for this year. These two days have given you some perspective – some air to breathe again, dream and plan. My retreat is scheduled for Dec 29th.
When is yours?
Blessings my friends,
Eloise
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