Relax into Risk - by Michelle Garrison
As you prepare for 2016, how about considering a theme instead of a New Year’s resolution? For 2015, I focused on making some big moves, key decisions in my life, and I knew I would need to let go of my conservative ways if I wanted to make the desired changes. I had observed and admired a fellow leader that seemed to throw caution into the wind and charge forward with risk verses comfort. I wanted to meld my mindset toward risk. This was the birth of ‘Relax Into Risk’ for 2015.
Here’s how it works. As you kiss the current year good-bye for both the wonderful and trying things that happened, you pick an area – or theme – that you want to improve or change in the next year. Add to the mix a few intentions and you create a powerful focus for the year. One important element to really make it stick is an accountability team of several people to share your evolvement with as the year progresses.
2015 Looked like this for me:
- Theme: Relax Into Risk
- Intentions:
- Bicycling 214 miles in two days and raise $10,000 for cancer research
- VP readiness – “Break the Glass Ceiling”
- Expand my Mentoring to professional women
- Buy home in preferred living area
- Family hiking trip in Canadian Rockies
For the past 4 years now, I’ve successfully adopted the approach of establishing a theme to focus on, instead of New Year’s resolutions that seem to fall by the wayside in a matter of weeks to months. For example,
- 2012 ‘My Year for Stepping Out’
- 2013 ‘Ride the Wave’
- 2014 ‘Year of Discovery’
I’ve already decided that my focus of 2016 will be ‘Pursuit de Polaris’. I’m in search of my North Star, the path for greatest happiness. Given my track record and accountability partners, I’m pleased to say I’m already well on my way to a happy and successful 2016.
Michelle has a breadth of engineering and management experience gained at key Silicon Valley firms and is also avid bicyclist, raising funds for cancer research through Team in Training rides. She a member of The CLUB Silicon Valley and was selected for the CLUB Incubator leadership program in 2015.