And they all lived…

Published by Tony Quinlan on

Like most change programmes, the start of a New Year is often seen as the point to launch new initiatives.  [Yes, it’s an arbitrary date and lots of us feel New Year’s Resolutions are passe, but there’s still that significant point that allows us to entertain the possibility of a shift in life patterns.]

So the next few days will be reflections on both New Years and change programmes.

 

Most New Year’s Resolutions are about new things to start – new beginnings, new aspirations – and hence create more things to do, to fit into already-full lives.  Where is the time for this to come from?  The piece that seems to be missing – and a fantastic opportunity to release some space to start the new things – is putting an ending on the past.

  • What will you stop doing [in order to do something new]?
  • What do you still think you should be doing but aren’t?
  • What plans did you put in motion that haven’t worked but that you haven’t closed off yet?

It’s a recommendation that applies to individuals when they’re contemplating new projects and organisations (particularly communicators) whenever they’re embarking on change.  Block out some time to go back and see what started and never finished – and make an ending to it in some fashion.

Categories: Narrative