Six Energizing Ways to Let Go and Start Again
Let go of the past
After establishing goals and vision the most important thing you can do to create your future is letting go of the past.
Let go of past successes. Sure, gain confidence from the idea that you can succeed. However, don’t rest on past success.
Let go of past failures. Sure, get wiser from your failures. However, fear of failing is a ball-n-chain.
More letting go suggestions.
Let go of independence and embrace inter-dependence. Lone rangers are alone and alone ain’t no fun. Open up to your spouse, a trusted colleague, mentor, or coach.
Let go of creating a public image. You’re wasting valuable creativity and emotional energy by faking it. Just be you. I’m not suggesting you be the ugly you, the mean, angry you. Be the best you and acknowledge to yourself and a few friends that you have a dark side.
Let go of a low view. Your success in 2011 is more about people and less about projects. Your personal vision is too low if it’s about promotions, achievements, and projects. Give yourself to others.
Finally, let go of self-doubt. Believe you matter because you do.
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What success-enhancing suggestions can you offer leaders?
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Don’t miss: “Creating Your New Future“
Congratulations to you, Dan, on a well-earned following. Clearly, lots of us really enjoy your prolific, thoughtful, and thought-provoking posts.
Above, I am most struck by “be the best you” and embracing inter-dependence. As an independent consultant, that latter charge is challenging, but clearly very very important.
Best wishes to you for a Healthy, Happy, and Satisfying 2011!
Jeremy,
Thanks for stopping in and giving an encouraging word. I appreciate you.
I’m with you on interdependence. I’m an independent person still learning how important it is to let my guard down, share both strengths and when appropriate weaknesses.
Happy New Year to you too…
Dan
Dear Dan,
Happy new year.
I think the success enhancing suggestions in year 2011 could be;
increasing the pie, believing in your strengths, enhancing knowledge, skills, creating social values, being a person of integrity etc. Increasing pie means increasing the boundary of success, re defining the meaning of success, overcoming our limitations and inhibitions etc. When we believe organizational position is a success, we limit our boundary. When we believe creating healthy and happy environment around us by our actions, decisions, and behaviors then we actually create environment without boundary.
We need to strengthen character ethics. This is the core that creates personality ethics. Stronger the core, better the personality ethics or vice versa.
When surroundings layer your belief and values, do not let them do so. One should not create perception or conformation just to make others happy and satisfied. Satisfy yourself, make yourself happy. So, try to change focus from outward conformation to internal belief. Follow your inner compass, that is the best driver. Inner compass will always lead to in positive and right direction. Belief in yourself. help needy, empower weak, empathize with others, be a person of integrity, positive morality and ethics.
Dear Ajay,
You challenge and expand my thinking with your comment. In particular, I love the clarity of “create a happy and healthy environment around you.” You offer enough clarity to give me something to shoot at…
Happy New Year,
Dan
Ajay is a featured contributor on Leadership Freak. Read his bio at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/ajay-gupt
Dear Dan,
As we bid farewell to 2010, your views on ‘let go’ caption are quite good and appropriate to commence the new year with full vigor, positivity and a sense of accomplishments at both personal and professional level.
We feel proud of your achieving the set goals with quality posts in the last 8 months. You have surely contributed your bit in enriching your readers’ knowledge and made them much more thoughtful to practice desirable act of leadership to get better accepted with planned success.
I wish you all the best to continue your persistent efforts with quality writings and reach the newer heights of recognition from the enlightened group of LF Community Members.
Dear Dr. Asher,
I’m glad you stopped in to leave a good word this last day of 2010.
You have helped me in ways the LF community at large doesn’t know about.
I wish you the best in 2011.
Cheers,
Dan
Dr. Asher is a featured contributor on Leadership Freak. Read his bio at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/dr-asher
Congratulations on exceeding your goals Dan! I’ve observed that your comment section has grown nicely too!
I love your entire succinct post above. It reinforces everything I need as I turn focus to a new year and new goals. Usually, I’m not one to wait for January to start something new, but it is a whole new fiscal year for me and the end of the main season for my work. So certainly from a business standpoint, I’m turning thoughts to foci for next year. Additionally, we want to sell our home and there are a few other things coming up for this year, so there’s plenty of room to apply these principals anywhere in life.
“Let go of independence and embrace inter-dependence,” is probably one of the most significant to me right now. I listen to lectures and business audios during my days, driving, etc.. I don’t remember which lecture it was from, but something I picked up this year that helped me shift was about how we are taught in school that we have to do everything alone. In school, we take tests and we’re taught that getting help is cheating. And yet, in the real world, success does not come by our own efforts alone, but by teamwork. That nowhere in business do we “pass the test” without help.
As a specialized micro-designer, sometimes this concept of inter-dependence can seem like it doesn’t really apply to me. However, every customer relationship assists my success. Every fiber event or community I get involved with assists me. I turn to other designers for advice when I run into a design snag, other artists when I need advice about shows and contracts, other business owners when I need insight into paperwork and legalities – sharing my own insights to help others as well. I learn about marketing and blogging from others who are more experienced. I participate in discussions and read blogs like LeadershipFreak, which helps establish relationships and solidify more of who I am and want to be in business and in life’s success. I’m hardly alone. Thank goodness!
Best wishes for an amazing New Year,
Julia
Julia,
Thank you for sharing a bit of your own story. I always love catching a glimpse of LF readers.
Reading your comment reminded me of all the people I’ve met over the year. I’m thankful to learn about both helping and being helped.
I wish you success in 2011 and look forward to your future comments.
Best,
Dan
Dan, I really enjoy your posts. Julia, the line you picked also hit home with me; “Let go of independence and embrace inter-dependence,”. I have been thinking about writing a Blog about what I perceive as one of the root causes of failure and that is we can get so stuck in wanting to be the hero and doing it all by ourselves, we don’t ask for help or support which is always around us. What I like Julia is how you have discovered the source of this belief system of doing it on our own and I 100% agree that school does train us like that. Very good AHA moment for me, so thanks for sharing. I am still learning to depend on others and making myself vulnerable. It has never let me down.
Dan,
Bravo to ending the year with a platinum quality post. I love the “letting go” theme as a kick start to new energy and new ideas for 2011.
“It is never too late to leave the baggage behind & travel forward in your life.” – One of my key thoughts that takes me to new destinations.
All the best and keep the great posts coming.
Kate
Kate,
Thank you for taking a moment to leave an encouraging word. The world needs more encouragers. Over the year you’ve encouraged me and others. Thanks for all you do and for writing your blog.
Nice quote! Leave the baggage behind….
A healthy and happy New Year to you,
Dan
Kate is a featured contributor on Leadership Freak. You can read her bio at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/kate-nasser
Letting go is a great theme and for me it means making room for new successes and opportunities to learn and grow and to give back.
My ‘success enhancing suggestion’ for leaders is to celebrate what you have learned and embrace what you have yet to learn.
Congratulations Dan…and the best to you and yours’ and all your loyal subscribers. May the new year be full of love and laughter and peace.
Cinnie,
I’m always glad to see that you’ve been able to stop in… thanks.
Love the image of “making room.” Very true. We can’t just keep adding and adding to life…sometimes we have to let go of something in order to make room for the new…
Thanks for the good word,
Dan
Dan,
As always you deliver a hit. As mentioned, I am fond of the letting go of the past successes. I have had a very successful and rewarding career in the Navy over the past 20 years. I now find myself bracing to enter the civilian workforce with no reputation to precede me. In the past, my new command could call my old command and get a feel for who I was and what I was capable of doing.
I am energized by people like you who have given me so much and never asked for anything in return. I really appreciate your blog, your time and expertise that you’ve shared with me.
I am very excited for 2011 and the challenges it holds for me. Like you, I have very lofty goals personally and for my blog. Thanks again for your inspiration and awesome leadership.
Wishing you and yours a very blessed New Year.
Greg
I
Greg,
Thanks for being one of the newer “regulars.” I’m glad our paths crossed. In addition, I think about the opportunities your new life offers you. I’m excited to see what happens. You’ll be letting go of lots of things…. 🙂
Thanks for leaving a good word. I look forward to learning together in 2011.
Cheers,
Dan
Love the work you do. Keep it up.
Letting go to have something is just up my street
I think together the LF community has discovered many success tips that will serve us all well in 2011. Prime among them is the willingness to question ourselves and keep our minds and hearts open to new ideas … thank you Dan for being our navigator on this journey. Happy New Year!
Hello Dan,
Thank you for your blogs and postings. The future is what we make it. We each make the future for ourselves and others in every second and every decision. Thank you for being a guideposts so each person can be the architect of the future.
Heres to a great New Year full of happiness, joy and prosperity on the future to success.
Mark
Dan, I love these suggestions – they’re very relevant for me as I look to be more intentional about my family life, business life, and musician life in 2011.
One of my key questions for culture change clients is “who are you being while doing what you do?” This post helps me reflect – and I believe that reflection can ensure that I am being the best me while doing what I do!
Thanks for your thoughtful posts – I’ll do more commenting than lurking here in 2011.
Cheers!
C.
Dan,
I am inspired by your postings and I am not at all surprised with your success. Your information that you put out and your strong following with their great replies is increasingly becoming an important part of my day. I have been able to learn a lot from your postings and it stimulates the brain to put things into practice or at least think how that could or could not apply them to the task or situation at hand.
One bit of success advise that I could pass on that I have picked up from Matthew Kelly would be “become the best version or yourself.” I have found that by working on becoming the best person that I can I am rewarded by seeing others around me succeed along with many great things happening to me in the process. One of the most recent rewards that I have been able to receive by making myself better is being selected to get the book “Open Leadership” from Dan. I can’t wait to read it and see what I can take from it to make the version of myself just a little better.
Thanks Dan!
Garrison
Hi Dan,
I’m fairly new to Twitter and am glad I found LF. Your Posts resonate with me for many reasons and I look forward to reading them in 2011. Inspirational.
Happy New Year
Diana
Happy New year, may 2011 be full happiness and sucess.
i loved your post, i find letting go most energizing …
Letting go of good and bad makes life an ever new experience to be lived fully …
Thanks a lot for your contribution to our lives,
Thank you dan for this timely message, very simple yet very important..
Great inspirational words for a new year!
“Your success in 2011 is more about people and less about projects.”
A happy new your! to you Dan and for all your readers and those who share great thoughts on your blog.
My suggestion: Find the spark from your heart to lead you in your decisions from your life!
Be great not only good-cherish the present by creating the future you feel you deserve- being disciplined and learning from each experience you go trough.
My kind regards to all,
Happy new YEAR!- me again correcting myself 😀
Hello y’all and Happy New Year. I know I am late to the party (Jan 2nd) but I always spend time collecting my thoughts before the start of a new journey and trying to make plans which we all understand will change along the way. Let me start by thanking Dan and the LF Community for all the words of wisdom imparted this past year. Many notes have been taken and Wikepedia has nothing on you all when it comes to Leadership. If I had to choose one thought going forward it would undoubtedly have to be “the global compact.” We all are bound together in so many different ways. We are no longer different cultures, different countries, different peoples. We are a global community intertwined with each other all levels, be it Ecology, Economy, Religion, Health, Government, Philosophy or any other discipline. If there was ever a time in the history of the world that we as a species needed to congregate and pool our physical and mental resources I can think of better time than now. So yes I could not agree more with Dan and a lot of you that we most definitely “have to let go of the past, of our baggage” and proceed with haste to full “interdependence.” Our survival as a global society makes it our most important and critical imperative.
There will always be pockets of dissension and naysayers but every day we see the greatness of the human spirit and it’s generosity and that should give us the fortitude to plow forward and make 2011 the “signature” year when all leaders rallied and stipulated: This is our planet, our world, and we “have not inherited it from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children.” We bear an awesome responsibility not only to each other but to all those gone and more importantly those to follow. Let us commit to stand fast and not waiver and make this coming year one we can all be proud of and let those watching us from the heavens see value in what we do and what we signify as we cherish and safeguard our planet and ourselves. Peace, and God bless. AD
Makes a case for all those veteran leaders to reappraise social media, eh Al?
Thanks for your perspectives and engagement with LF, we have all benefited!
Hi Dan,
I have been following LF for some time now. Thanks for the thoughts on “letting go”, really appreciate the enthusiasm and energy you bring about.
Hi Dan… as a fellow blogger, I have to say that I’m always really inspired by your ideas and great content. Congratulations on achieving an amazing goal of 1000 hits a day! That’s huge.
On the topic of letting go, the first one made me think of how important it is to let go of past successes so that they don’t cripple us. I recently read an article in Vanity Fair on Michael Jackson’s making of Thriller. After achieving such great success Jackson became consumed with replicating the success. Letting go of living up to our past achievements and the pressures that we place on ourselves can be a hard thing for overacheivers to do, but to truly grow, we must.
Look forward to more great posts in 2011.
Glain,
Thanks for your encouragement.
Love how you state this important idea… “letting go of living up to our past achievements” Nicely said.
Happy New Year,
Da
This is an inspired words to help others rather than focusing on yourself. Thanks for this post.
Thank you for your inspiring words. In a google image search, the amazing photo came up. Following the link lead me here. Your words apply as much to life as they do to one’s career. I am forwarding this link to the parents in our region to reinforce the mantra of our childrens’ school, The Hyde School: Take hold and let go. I look forward to hearing more from you!
Artandsouljn, thanks for such an encouraging post. I hope everyone finds it useful and sends people to my blog. 🙂
Best,
Dan