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Through my polaroid lenses and the window of an airborne caravan, headed for the bush, I stare (and think) while gazing into the cloud line we are heading towards.
(It’s bound to get bumpy.)
The clouds are puffy, white, champagne and grey in colour.
Suspended from blue air and dropping shadows over what is beautiful lush summer green terrain below.
(The farmers must be happy.)
It’s 2024.
And the year is out the gates like a rush of air and we are in for the win it feels.
While I’m routing to the “office”, I have decided my word for the year is CONSISTENCY.
It has a ring to it in being grounded and deliberate in my choices.
Do more of less. Focus on depth and besides it's proved success previously.
It’s an apt word for where things are in life, at least for this turn around the sun.
I make a lot of decisions every day. The past twenty-four months have been a relentless quagmire of choices from the minute to the hour, every hour of every day. “It’s high stakes” - my protege put it so eloquently the other day.
The sheer volume of the choices to be made that need to be guided by strategic foresight, have some kind of reasonable process, creative angle or financial stance add weight to the paradox of the choice - for business anyway.
Then add “what should we have for dinner” or what to select on Netflix and you are in for paradigm shift.
So what have choices got to do with my word consistency?
Well consistency appears to be more about not making the wrong choices in business, as in life.
If you have read Gary Zukav’s book: The Seat of Soul you will know how it opens your mind to the concept of Temptation. He has turned this idea on its head and certainly changed my view of this phenomenon. How this thing (temptation), is something we all part take in daily, is actually a force for good, more than bad.
We all remain the same in our awareness until we make a decision to change. Until we make a responsible choice, follow our intuition in knowing what we know to be right for us and change what we are doing. Temptation is simply just the reminder we need to change. It’s the catalyst.
Change the habit, change the narrative, change the behaviour.
So it got me thinking - how do we just change something - ween ourselves off it, detox, reset or rule it outright?
It appears to have less about discipline or will power and more do with skill.
Skills in how we tolerate our own self talk or negative emotion or communication.
Consistency it turns out is a skill.
How we acknowledge temptation to do, or not do something, react or respond.
Skills are required to make a choice and consistently stick to the choice for the reason it was deliberated in the first place.
We have to be intentional. We also have to be honest.
I find when I am grounded in truth, decision and choice I don’t rise to the proverbial temptational bait.
Personally my intention this year is to safe guard my health and do something meaningful for me and my community. Choice made.
Seeing so many people with Alzheimer’s recently is a call to action to look after my mind, and enjoy what you do have around you, while you have all your facilities.
Protecting my thoughts and improving my processes. Slowing down the media absorption and focus on being more present. Meeting new people, sharing in new and different meaningful conversations and connections.
Personally owning what will be good for me to sustain me and my mind into the future.
As for work, it goes without saying the art of luxury is consistency.
So as we land over the plains and hurtle down the airstrip towards the last days of January (already), I’ve won the first feat, I’ve made the choice. May the rest flow consistently. The way to work is well.