Tuesday Thoughts | 9 January 2024 | Focus on What Matters

It will likely come as no surprise that I have spent many hours during the last few weeks thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2024. There is something so inspiring about a new set of goals and resolutions, and the blank pages of a new calendar or notebook (this year I’m using the branded Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal).

I started out by trying to be as true to myself as possible, by following my own advice, much of which is contained in the pages of the soon to be TWO volumes of #TuesdayThoughtsBooks.

I reflected on the year that was – diving deep into the December 6, 2022 thought: A Year In Review – Reverse Bucket List – when I look back on 2023, a year that was full of challenge, its easy to pick out a few bright spots, not the least of which is having published my first book (which, shameless plug is still available on Amazon), instead of focusing only on what didn’t quite go to plan.

At some point over the last four weeks, I penned one of the final thoughts of 2023 (December 19) Get Smart, where I challenged (through the call to action) myself and this community to: “Set SMART goals that focus on working Smarter and Not Harder as you plan for success in 2024 and beyond.”

I asked myself – what is important?

As I often advise other individuals and organizations, I started with my guiding star statements. My Personal Mission Statement which first appears in the April 4, 2023 edition: Can Your Mission Drive Your Discipline?: To Change the World, By Inspiring Actions, That Amplify My Impact.

My Motto: Everyone Must Serve.

My Quote to live by (originally attributed to Booker T. Washington) There Are Two Ways of Exerting Influence, One is Pushing Down, The Other is Pulling Up.

And, finally, my Professional Goal Statement: To be the person everyone wants in their professional foxhole (a phrase I worked up over a decade ago to remind me to add value, and be a trusted team member, in everything I do).

Then, I asked myself, what I wanted to say goodbye to? Even if it was working just fine, but no longer serving my vision. Again, I consulted myself (actually), by rereading my thoughts from December 27, 2022: Is it Time to Say Goodbye?

And you know what I had at the end of all those exercises? Very little motivation frankly. Not because I don’t believe my past thinking on these issues is sound, it is, but because, as I say often “I already know what I think, I want to hear what other people think”.

I’ve written often about my tendency to be an information sponge, while I feel privileged to have this platform and this community to share my ideas, conclusions, and learnings with, none of it works if I don’t keep feeding the curiosity beast.

So, I did what any self respecting curious person would do in 2023/2024 – I turned to the internet, specifically to YouTube, more specifically to the ‘productivity expert’ whose work speaks loudest to me (at the moment); conveniently Ali Abdaal has a brand new book out: Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You.

My pre-order of Ali’s book also got me free access this weekend to a three-hour guided goal-setting workshop on zoom: Feel-Good Productivity Annual Planning Workshop. From which I have over TEN pages of notes, and some useful exercises to set and continue to iterate my goals this year. My understanding is Ali will be doing a deep dive into many of the workshop exercises in the coming weeks on his channel, so it might be worth subscribing.

I’m going to be honest with you dear reader, I don’t have my 2024 goals fully locked, much less the habits, rituals, and benchmarks blocked into my calendar – you know your girl is a big fan of calendar blocking. But I am very close, and I know that those goals that I do firm up, will have some important characteristics;

• They will be THE MOST IMPORTANT, URGENT, and (long term) IMPACTFUL, actions from the ideas list I’ve worked up. I’m taking the advice of the experts, and something I know to be true from past experience as well, my target is FOUR big, hairy, goals (the sweet spot is 3-5).
• Because I’m thinking about Long-Term Impact, many of my goals will be HARD WORK, which means I need to tap the deepest wells of my motivation and discipline. I’m taking the time to tie each of my goals to my longer term plans and vision. Understanding how each of my goals gets me closer to living the future of my dreams.
• Each goal is being broken down – usually by the month or quarter – to help me complete them in digestible chunks, track my progress through the year, and celebrate the small wins. Oh, and those small win celebrations, they’ll come with rewards from me-to-me, because I’m not at a place in my life where I need to deny myself a few luxuries and treats along the way.

I also have a confession to make, Ali’s book isn’t the only one I’ve bought in the last few weeks. My new editions to my reading list include; Talk To Strangers: The Yes Theory Story (I pre-ordered so my copy is signed); Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World; Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling; and, The Reluctant Creative: 5 Effortless Habits to Expand your Comfort Zone from my new (in 2023) friend Caroline Brookfield, DVM .

I hope that my evolving thoughts bring value to members of the #TuesdayThoughts community as you set your own direction for the year to come. I’m here to help, next Monday – January 15, 2024 – is Blue Monday, the saddest day of the year. As an antidote to despair some might feel when they realize their year isn’t staying on track, for the second year running, I’m releasing a new volume of the #TuesdayThoughtsBook.

On launch day, I’ll be sharing the link to The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions – Volume 2 on Amazon, the book will also soon appear on the Series Page.

Until then, this week’s call to action, is to focus your goal setting for 2024 on, no more than 4 important and impactful goals, the completion of which will move your farther on the path to your dream future, and then break them down into manageable chunks so you can celebrate the small wins all year long.

New and Noteworthy is a collection of things readers of #TuesdayThoughts might find interesting, important, or informative;

📣Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): I shared my Three Question Staff Meeting Formula | The link to register for my January 18, 2024 webinar in partnership with PAVRO -Professional Association of Volunteer Leaders Ontario | The official annoucement from the Canadian Defence Lawyers Board of my appointment as Executive Director.

🗓️Hold These Dates: Monday, 15 January 2024 - the #TuesdayThoughtsBook volume 2 release date | Thursday, 18 January 2024 - Webinar for PAVRO | Tuesday, 26 March 2024 - Speaker Slam on the topic of Human Connection

🌟 What to Do: Register for the January 30th Speaker Slam Competition and cheer on Aseel Elbaba, PFP, RPQ

📖 What to Read: Founder Resolutions: Six Canadian Tech Leaders Share Their Goals for 2024 from breakit featuring Erin Bury and others | I got promoted quickly at companies like Meta and Google by following this career tip: 'Eat the frog' from Business Insider | Building Trust in Leadership: The Emotional Bank Account from People Equation h/t Jacqui d'Eon | Hate not, for humanity is our tribe in the Globe and Mail h/t Mohammed Hashim

📺 What to Watch: Wes Hall, ICD.D 's take on all the talk about DEI

👷🏽♀️ Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Vice President, Communications (maternity leave contract) @ CIFAR | Senior Advisor/Advisor, Regulatory Affairs @ Electricity Distributors Association h/t Ted Wigdor | Head of Social Media working for Ali Abdaal h/t Sheldon Pereira | Executive Assistant @ RisingOaks Early Learning h/t Lori Prospero, CAE

📝Take Note: Some of the best people I know in the Association and Events space are looking for work and/or hanging up their shingle. If you're on the hunt for talent, don't sleep on Rebecca Harris, M.A., CAE , Nat Wallace , David Stempowski , Kelly A. , and many others.

CALL FOR CONTENT: I crowd source 99% of what appears in New and Noteworthy, but I would love the help of the Tuesday Thoughts Community to identify content about you and for you. Got a cool new project? A Job Posting to Fill? Or just something you found interesting? DM me with a link.

🚀 I’m on a Mission to Change The World, By Inspiring Actions That Amplify My Impact! Despite my Introverted tendencies, if I have any hope of success this cannot be a solo affair. Join my community where I Connect People and Ideas;

💭 Tuesday Thoughts: Join the #TuesdayThoughts community, subscribe to the Newsletter and get your copy of the #TuesdayThoughtsBook, The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions for Big Impact. Like, Comment and Share to keep the conversation going, and amplify the thoughts that inspire you to action.

🤝 Let’s Be Friends: LinkedIn: Danielle S. Russell, CAE (she/her) | Instagram: @danielle.s.russell

I am a Certified Association Executive with over a dozen years of experience in leadership positions across Canada’s Not-for-Profit Sector, with deep ties in the Meetings and Events Industry. I use the art of storytelling in speech and writing to explain ideas, and to inform audiences and readers on a variety of topics. Learn more about how we can collaborate;

🤝 Consulting Services: I offer a suite of consulting services for Associations and Charities, and am interested in working with likeminded organizations on projects that contribute to better governance, leadership and the overall growth and health of Canada’s Association and Not-for-Profit Industries.

🗣️ Speaker/Facilitator: I have spoken to standing room only crowds in the Association and Events sectors, connecting ideas and people; topics include, The Introvert Experience, Imposter Syndrome and Mentorship, EDI: Lived Experience as a BIPOC Woman in Leadership, Minimalism and Essentialism, Finding Your Voice and Building Your Unique Brand, Making and Impact, and the #TuesdayThoughtsFormula.

✍🏽 Contributing Writer: I have written for Industry Publications and Blogs with a focus on the role of Associations, Volunteerism, and the Intersection of Not-for-Profit Management and many current social and economic trends. My inclination towards storytelling lends itself well to the style of Creative Non-Fiction.

⚛️ The Tuesday Thoughts Formula: I am on a mission to inspire actions that amplify my impact, each week I follow the #TuesdayThoughtsForumla to deliver a call to action inspired by relevant stories; new this year, I’m bringing live demonstrations of the formula to the stage to help conference, event and meeting attendees tell their own stories that amplify their ROI of in-person attendance.

💻 Check out my website daniellerussell.ca or email me: danielle@daniellerussell.ca