It’s been a while since I have written an article and published it for consumption. I suggest if you have an idea, thought, or feeling, try writing a post, article, or blog. It can be fully cathartic.
I’m writing this article today to put a bow on my 2022 year and perhaps leave a few gifts for you to use in the next year.
Are you meeting your purpose?
Are you meeting your purpose or fulfilling your why? I was listening to a vlog today and a consultant whose purpose for the last several years has been to help others find theirs. I have spent some time this past year doing the same for nonprofit organizations that I work with. I feel that organizations who are clear in their purpose have an advantage towards advancing their mission and leveraging their strengths.
Just quickly, purpose defines why an organization exists. Vision is aligned with WHAT they want to do and mission is related to HOW they will do it, but purpose is their WHY. It’s their calling, heart, emotion, aspiration, and reach.
Make 2023 about focusing on your purpose; your WHY.
How does your organization end on a good note?
How do you end anything on a good note? If you go to a concert, movie, dinner, or church service, how do you live and relive the moment? You generally do so through living in the moment and then reflection. Being present in the moment may be a topic that I address at a later time but for now, let’s focus on reflection.
Reflection is an important part of healing and growth. Giving your organization’s year and your life serious thought or consideration has potential for clarifying questions and discovering new truths. What are those areas in your organization or life that deserve reflecting on? How will spending thoughtful time pondering wins and losses and new learnings improve your journey forward towards success?
I think you may know the answers but not really the questions. Here are some questions I recently posed to a group of nonprofit leaders as a reflection activity for 2022.
You will note the hint of a holiday theme hence the title…Wrapping up 2022 with a Bow.
- What is the greatest gift that your organization gives to your community? (Many times, organizations focus on needs and not gifts. Each of the nonprofits I work with offer so many gifts to their communities but because of the efforts necessary to do the heavy lifting, they rarely get a chance to reflect on these gifts.)
- What would you like to tell Santa that your organization would like for Christmas? Many organizations would generally say money or volunteers which are logical answers. We know that funds and assistance can always go a long way towards fulfilling an organization’s mission. There are also other needs that organizations have and many of those are rooted in an organization’s strategic plan. Strategic planning with goal setting can allow an organization to strategically meet funding goals, volunteer needs, resource acquisition, etc. Santa giving your organization an excellent strategic plan that can be fully executed may be the best gift that your organization can receive.
- Share a magical moment that your organization witnessed this year? Your organization does so many great things that it is very hard to count them, but you should. A nonprofit organization’s journey to grow to maturity will not always be fast but should be steady. Your organization should be able to build on its story each time it experiences those magic moments that highlight those successes that occur when it is fulfilling its mission. Create a plan and build in a habit of sharing your magic moments with your staff, volunteers, clients, and donors. This will give a great deal of truth to your organization’s purpose.”
- What’s your organization’s New Year’s resolution for 2023? This seems easy enough as we are generally great at coming up with a New Year’s resolution for ourselves – lose weight/get in shape, financial and fiscal responsibility, make goals and stick to them, make new friends, etc. As an organization, you can have the same resolution – lose weight/get in shape (run a lean organization with better effort), financial and fiscal responsibility (this one is easy as it is the same), make goals and stick to them (same again), make new friends (relationships, networking opportunities, donors, volunteers, or funders, etc.)
Adopting a “culture of reflection” that embraces the lessons learned throughout the year.
As you are putting a bow on 2022, I hope you take some time for yourself. This is a great time to give yourself a few timely gifts and spend time reflecting for purpose.
One of the gifts that I am giving myself this year is a few books that will help me to grow as a leader, a consultant, and in my spiritual values. I also will take time to spend with those who are most important to me – my family and friends. Lastly, I will spend time reflecting on the work accomplished and the impact made.
I am looking forward to 2023 as I am continuing my 6th year of my journey with Everyone Thrives Consultant Services and our mission which is to help those who help others to THRIVE.
If you find yourself in need of finding more information on purpose or reflection or would like to leverage your company’s strengths strategically while working on those areas of need, feel free to reach out or message me.
I hope you have a peaceful ending to 2022 and a joyful start to 2023.