A New Month

November Michigan Sunrise (Photo credit: hz536n/George Thomas)

 

It is November 1.  Hard to believe that we are starting a new month.  Not just a new month, but the end of another year is close at hand.  November always seems to me a good time to do inventory on what I have accomplished and what I have experienced over the year.  Maybe it is because during the month of November we celebrate Thanksgiving Day and that it is a good time to recall what has happened in the year and for what to be thankful.  Or maybe it is because I realize that I still have a couple of months to accomplish what I have not accomplish to this point.  Either way, the start of a new month, especially November, is a good opportunity to do a little cleaning and re-prioritizing.

 

So part of my day will be spent in reflection.  I want to take an inventory and a look to the future.  This is something that I, as a leader, should probably do at the start of every month.  It is very easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day.  It is easy to forget the accomplishments as you try to manage through a day at a time.  It is easy to lose focus on the future direction as situations arise.  Then when I stop and look around I ask myself – Where has the time, day, month, year gone?

 

Starting this month, I am going to make a commitment to a new practice.  I am going to take time on the first day of every month to do inventory and determine if I need to chart a new path toward the future.  I am going to take time to acknowledge the accomplishments in my life and in the organization.  I am going to take time to be mindful of the reasons to give thanks.

 

Maybe this is something that you would like to start doing.  If so, I invite you to join with me and share what you discover through comments on my blog at the first of each month.

 

Be prepared for a list of some sort tomorrow and every first week of the month.