When I was learning to drive my parents used to always tell me, “Alyssa, check your mirrors.” Besides the teenage annoyance that created, it was a valuable lesson in preparation. So often we’re taught to adopt this grind mentality of continuing to charge ahead regardless of the physical, mental, financial or emotional toll it takes on us. This may work in the short term, but it isn’t a long-term strategy. But when you’re responsible for bringing your energy to the task at hand, you have to be strategic about creating, conserving, and continuing your energy. So, I’ve developed a system of checking my mirrors to always bring positive energy to the tasks at hand.
Here’s what the practice does:
Review
Checking your mirrors starts by reviewing where you’ve been. The physical act of checking your mirrors shows you what’s behind you, what may have been in a blind spot, or what’s coming from behind you. This is a critical step that many forget because they worry about dwelling on the past and while dwelling isn’t constructive, acknowledgment is. You must review where you’ve been to adjust and shift your approach to continuously improve asking yourself questions such as, “What could’ve gone differently?”; “What went well?”; “Where did I struggle?”.
What’s Ahead
The next step of checking your mirrors is looking ahead to what is ahead. Planning is a big part of what we do at Compass South. We are big believers in planning because we know that spending time mapping out what you need to do allows you to prioritize in a low-pressure environment and make choices based on importance rather than urgency. We suggest taking time not only each day, but each week, each month, each quarter, and each year to look ahead to see what is coming up and actively plan out how you can be most effective in handling those tasks. Additionally, it is helpful to see where there will be the potential for open space in your schedule to address the items that you may have missed in the planning process.
Design Your Strategy
Once you know where you’ve been and where you’re headed, it becomes much easier to get crystal clear about your strategy. Often people make the mistake of simply trying to repeat the actions of others and while that can sometimes work, your life is yours alone and you face different challenges, strengths, etc. that will impact how your actions work for you. Take time to thoughtfully craft your strategy around your uniqueness and watch yourself soar.
Whether you’re checking your mirrors or adopting a different system of bringing positive energy to your 2020 tasks, we simply encourage you to commit. Make the promise to yourself that you will bring positive energy to all of your tasks in a way that works for you! And if you ever need help, we’re always here.