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#WorkTrends Recap: How to Live with More Intention in 2018

Happy New Year! Looking ahead at 2018, our team is inspired to take a step back and double-check our intentions for our work.

In December, I talked to Paul Cummings on the #WorkTrends podcast, and I’m still thinking about the strategies and tips he shared for living a more intentional life.

If you have a big idea for 2018, or just want to reset your day, try out Paul’s tips.

Build Your Intention. Ask Yourself These Questions

Ask yourself: “What do I really want?”
The answer might be very simple. Paul says that when he asked himself this question years ago, the answer was “I want to leave it better than I found it.”

Then ask: “How?” and “Who?”
Paul wanted to improve the world around him by teaching, and he wanted to work with anyone who was seeking a more compelling journey.

And finally: “What will I do?”
It’s important that the “what” of Paul’s business didn’t come first. He started with his goals and his intentions, and then figured out how to make it happen and what nuts and bolts he needed to gather in order to build his business. In the end he landed on building a better learning management system, which led him to checking off all the boxes above.

Push Out Negative Influence

Paul shared an idea that I really love — inside every negative circumstance is the seed of something good. Instead of focusing on something bad, you just have to change the questions you ask about it. If you’re feeling stressed by a negative person at work, or bogged down by an overwhelming problem, ask yourself questions like “What can I do differently next time to make it better?” “What do I need to do less of to have more of what I want?” “What can I do to make this moment better?”

“You can’t imprison yourself in negative circumstances,” Paul says. “I think outlook has a lot to do with output.”

It’s important to keep your outlook clear and positive by limiting the impact of negative people. “Be careful about who you put in your circle. If you invite people who have a negative outlook then you’re going to get exposed to that.”

Amen! I’m a huge proponent of watching who’s around you and what energy they bring. Guard yourself against the negative and look for the windows of positivity and growth instead.

Start Every Day with Intention

Setting goals is the first step to building an intentional life. But instead of thinking about goal-setting as a one-time event, Paul explained that we have the chance to set mini-goals and set ourselves up for success every morning.

A morning routine is about getting disciplined. “I think the best way for people to get unstuck is to make sure they start every day with something that’s positive that can be repeated, that can be developed into a winning habit pattern for themselves,” he says.

“I think that goal-setting has been misunderstood for a long time. A goal is not a wish. It’s a commitment with a deadline. So many people talk about, ‘I know I should do that. I know I should do this,’ and they should, should, should, so they should all over themselves,” he says.

Instead, start your morning with statements like “I am” and “I will.”

“I will be the most enthusiastic person today.”
“I will be open-minded to ideas, and to conversations with other people.”
“I will operate today with self-discipline.”

Lose the Baggage

Looking ahead to a new year, I’m working on cutting ties to the baggage that brings me down. We all struggle with it, so I asked Paul how he leaves the bad stuff behind and moves forward.

His insight? “When you look back with regret, you look forward with worry and you destroy all your present moments.” Instead of fretting over the past, he’s learned to ask “What’s the lesson? How do I turn it into a stepping stone?” And instead of looking at the situation as baggage, he tries to turn it into an accelerant.

“I try to make it fuel for future fire.”

Embrace Every Day

Finally, Paul says he tries to embrace and use every single day. “I look at every day as if it’s the only one I have,” he says. He knows he can find promising minutes and moments in the day today — and tomorrow he’ll re-commit himself to embracing the day again.

At the end of the day he asks himself a few positive questions:
“What did I learn today?”
“What did I give today?”
“What impact do I want to have tomorrow, and how do I best achieve that?”

Thanks, Paul! I’m personally inspired to follow your advice to make 2018 my best year ever.

Stay tuned for more inspiration on the #WorkTrends podcast, every Wednesday: http://bit.ly/2DjCkja.

#WorkTrends Recap: Live a Life of Real Intention

This #WorkTrends chat with Paul Cummings, founder of woople and author of It All Matters, was the perfect way to end the year.

Paul talked about how we can reframe failure and reprogram ourselves to embrace dreams. “I think every person that I’ve ever met, seems to have some kind of a dream, deep down inside of them, that they ultimately want to fulfill and achieve,” Paul says, and we discussed the journey toward fulfilling those dreams.

“What matters most when you think about chasing down a dream”, Paul says, “is the commitment to finish.” When he built his e-learning platform, he had to make a commitment and motivate others to join him on the way to realizing that dream.

In this #WorkTrends chat, we talked about how people can overcome their fear of failure and make plans to fulfill their dreams. We also discussed specific steps on the route to meeting the commitments we make to ourselves.

It really stood out to me that Paul recommended journaling as a way to let things go, as well as document the future. He recommends a consistent morning routine as a route to success.

With that in mind, I encourage you to make a plan for the last couple of mornings of 2017, grab a journal and jot down those goals!

Here are a few key points Paul shared:

  • Fear is one of the most positive emotions on earth — it’s a catalyst for positive change
  • Outlook has a lot to do with input
  • You can’t imprison yourself in negative circumstances
  • A goal is a commitment with a deadline you need to be able to see in your mind’s eye
  • Every loss in your life is a lesson — use it as an accelerant to do more, not as baggage to weigh you down

Did you miss the show? You can listen to the #WorkTrends podcast on our BlogTalk Radio channel here: http://bit.ly/2DjCkja

You can also check out the highlights of the conversation from our Storify here:

Didn’t make it to this week’s #WorkTrends show? Don’t worry, you can tune in and participate in the podcast and chat with us every Wednesday from 1-2pm ET (10-11am PT).

Remember, the TalentCulture #WorkTrends conversation continues every day across several social media channels. Stay up-to-date by following our #WorkTrends Twitter stream; pop into our LinkedIn group to interact with other members. Engage with us any time on our social networks, or stay current with trending World of Work topics on our website or through our weekly email newsletter.

Note: #WorkTrends will resume 1/3/18. We hope all our friends in the #WorkTrends community enjoy their time off over the holidays and we look forward to an exciting 2018.

Photo Credit: mikbanerjee Flickr via Compfight cc

#WorkTrends Preview: Live a Life of Real Intention

It’s that time of year when we lay out our goals, wishes, dreams, and resolutions for the New Year. Can you believe that 2018 is almost here? I don’t know about you, but I’ve decided that 2018 is going to be my year, when I will tackle all my dreams and goals. Let’s talk about how to live a life of real intention on #WorkTrends this week as we enter into the New Year.

It’s so easy to lose sight of the optimism we had when we were younger. Do you remember that feeling? The confidence that you could do whatever you set your mind to? Let’s explore how to get that back with our guest this week.

Paul Cummings, found of woople and author of It All Matters, knows the devastation of broken dreams. Fortunately, he also knows the thrill of discovering a way back to wonder and confidence.

Paul will be talking with us this week about how we can reframe failure and reprogram ourselves to embrace dreams. He will also touch on the commitment to fulfilling our dreams that we want to chase. “I think every person that I’ve ever met, seems to have some kind of a dream, deep down inside of them, that they ultimately want to fulfill and achieve,” Paul says.

This #WorkTrends chat will talk about how people can overcome their fear of failure and create a plan to fulfill their dreams. We’ll talk about specific steps on the route to meeting the commitments we make to ourselves.

Join #WorkTrends host Meghan M. Biro and her guest Paul Cummings, found of woople and author of It All Matters, on Wednesday, December 20, 2017, at 1 pm ET as they discuss how to create the proper mindset to make positive changes, reignite life passions, and find the strength to live with real intention.

Live a Life of Real Intention

#WorkTrends Preview: Live a Life of Real IntentionJoin Meghan and Paul on our LIVE online podcast Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 1 pm ET | 10 am PT.

Immediately following the podcast, the team invites the TalentCulture community over to the #WorkTrends Twitter stream to continue the discussion. We encourage everyone with a Twitter account to participate as we gather for a live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: What simple steps can we take to live a life of real intention? #WorkTrends (Tweet this question)

Q2: What factors keep us from exploring outside our comfort zone? #WorkTrends (Tweet this question)

Q3: How can we leave negative perceptions behind when planning our future? #WorkTrends (Tweet this question)

Don’t want to wait until next Wednesday to join the conversation? You don’t have to. I invite you to check out the #WorkTrends Twitter feed and our TalentCulture World of Work Community LinkedIn group. Share your questions, ideas and opinions with our awesome community.

Photo Credit: wuestenigel Flickr via Compfight cc