Making Your Time Count

Leaders always make everyone else a priority.  They focus on all the tasks at hand and ensure things are being taken care of in a timely fashion.  With this successful philosophy, we tend to forget to make time for ourselves, especially today when we are needed more than ever.

LEADERS ARE PASSIONATE

When we are passionate about the things we do and the people around us, it is easy for this to consume most of our time.  Thanks to the special people we interact with, they show us what we cannot see.  They bring balance into our lives.  They help us understand the importance and benefits of making time for ourselves – and it is never too late to start!

Bring your passion to everything you do.  Figure out what your own passion is and invest in pursuing it.   I enjoy reading, spinning vinyl and lighting a fire on a cold night with the family.  I am passionate about helping others.  This year I started a new group to help everyone called Wednesday Wisdom.  The goals of this group are to provide everyone with a turn to share their story and help them with their biggest challenge.

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

The answer is to figure out a better balance and the sooner the better.  I am getting better at finding the right balance to ensure one of the top priorities includes making time for myself.  One of the goals achieved during this pandemic was to continue working out at home five mornings a week.   This is a big challenge as compared to going to the gym.   The coaches and familiar faces online motivate me to keep at it.  The other goal achieved was to “unplug” on the weekends with the family.

Several times this year in communicating and mentoring others, I find myself sharing the top three priorities to help us deal with everything being thrown at us.   Once you set these priorities, the rest falls into place:  1.  Put yourself first, especially your health.  2.  Your loved ones.  3.  Everything else.  Learning to make these your priorities is the answer to making your time count and accomplishing more.  This results in leaders making everyone else a priority.   Think about it for a moment.  Leaders not taking care of themselves cannot effectively lead and make everyone else a priority in the long run.

KNOW WHEN TO LET GO

During our weekly team discussions, it is important to remember the team needs to lead.   These discussions occur on Friday afternoons just before we head into the weekend.   We let the team take the lead and have an open discussion on how their week went, what challenges and successes they want to share.   We enjoy the camaraderie as we head into the weekend.

As the Team continues to grow, letting go is part of leading by not leading.  Handing over more responsibilities and watching each person grow by not constantly jumping in and “taking over” is this kind of leadership.  After twenty-five years, it is still exciting to see the AlphaKORians' caring and dedicated to taking care of each other and our clients.

TAKE A BREAK

It is okay to take a break from it all and to let go for a while.   We tend to want to get back to the daily routine as quickly as we can.   Just remember to be grateful for those around you who support you.  Yes, of course, it may not feel right to take a break.  You deserve it!

Turn off all the “noise” around you and carve out some time every day to focus on yourself.  I enjoy watching the flames flicker as my mind relaxes helping me make my health a top priority.

How are you making your time count?

(Originally published on 02.10.21)