Lately, I have been "feeling great" about my work.  All signs are positive.  I feel like I'm moving forward.  There's evidence of success in some of the key areas.  So what did I do this morning?  I took a step back to review and assess.  And I don't regret a minute of it! 

To start with, I picked an area that I think is going really well and thought about why this was true.  I picked "building relationships" because that's something I know I do very well.  But - then I asked myself "what else can I do in this area to further improve relationships."  I realized that I had made a good effort and, in response, had good relationships, but I asked myself what would be ideal?   I created sub-groups of the people that I interact with, prioritized them, and then thought about how they could benefit from a better relationship with me.  By trying to add value to the relationships, I came up with one or two ideas that I could do next year to enhance them.

I then focused on an area that I know is not one of my strengths.  I am particularly uncomfortable with developing training programs because I have never been responsible for this activity before this assignment.  I had the opportunity to network with a fairly senior executive at the Company recently who I asked specifically for her advice on this topic.  Since then, I have simply been mulling it over, not sure what to do with it.  With the help of my coach, we zeroed in on one small piece of advice, brainstormed some options, and now have a great idea to implement next year that will enhance the effectiveness of the training programs. 

This all took just under an hour, and now I have several ideas to put into action next year that I know will add value.  I feel energized, and my enthusiasm has been kicked up a notch. 

Since the end of the year is quickly approaching, this is as good a time as any to review and assess how things are working in your life, and identify a few things that you would be excited about implementing.  And enjoy the process!