This is a photo of our dog, Ollie, after standing on the sprinkler and rolling on our scorched lawns, when we returned from our family holiday in Queensland.

Cute, isn’t it? 

Nothing unusual about this photo. Except…Ollie looks like a different dog from the one we left in December. He grew SO much in the short weeks we were away.

It strikes me that the same thing happens with work when we go away. Things pile up (even when everybody else is on holiday too).

January can be full of hope and energy, but that mountain of goals and resolutions (personal and professional) we set for ourselves…can start to seem insurmountable very quickly.

It’s already February, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already starting to feel like you need a break from all the climbing. All that hope and energy we have at the start of a new year is starting to wane…

I bought the Lead and Influence members a 90-day diary because I want to acknowledge that the way to that big vision, that Everest of goals, is through one thing: deliberate planning. 

💨 Through breaking down big goals into smaller, actionable, less intimidating actions.

💨 Through checking in with your progress along the way.

💨 Through assessing success factors and re-evaluate strategies periodically.

Instead of ‘How on earth am I going to achieve that goal?’ circling in your mind, and watching that goal become less and less realistic as the year flies by…

…focus on smaller achievable tasks. 

Of course, you can keep Everest as your everyday inspiration, but you’ll have the everyday goal posts to take you there safely.

That’s how we connect the vision with the everyday in a way that supports our energy.