I first heard that question in a “People Encouraging People,” or PEP Group. PEP Groups are small informal gatherings of about 8-10 people in homes, offices, or coffee houses, where a participant shares something they have seen, heard, or read that evoked inspiration. That inspiration is then used as a seed to develop questions that help participants to go inward and be challenged to grow, mature, and blossom.
After attending various PEP Groups for at least 15 years, these two questions, “What will you do? When will you do it?”, have merged into a mantra of sorts; one that, at times, can be quite annoying.
I would venture to say that all of us are aware that we are capable of so much more. And although the awareness of the capacity for more is a gift, it can feel like a burden at times. The deferred resolutions, dusty goals, and detoured life maps become reminders of what has been revealed (come into our awareness) but not realized, not released into reality. But what self-respecting go-getter would let that slow them down?
As I enter the new year armed with my list of goals, aspirations, and intentions, I can’t help but see that most of the items listed are carry-overs from 2013…2012…2011 and, yes, some even extend back to the previous decade. Oh, the agony! Where does the time go? But hope springs eternal.
Over the past few years I have come to realize that there is another list that is just as important as I enter a new year; a list that provides the necessary context for the year to come. It’s my list of the previous year’s unplanned accomplishments (steps), successes that happened without the formal “SMART Goals” to frame them (strolls), and seized opportunities that were not even in my purview or line of sight until they were too close to take time to ponder (leaps).
Reconciling “steps,” “strolls,” and “leaps” with “carryovers” is important. With only a finite number of hours in the year, those steps, strolls, and leaps can easily nudge our SMART Goals into another year or at least beyond our projected timeline. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
So, my answer to the question “What will you (I) do?”: some stuff that I have no idea about now, and some things on my list. When will you (I) do it? Well, that depends.
Here’s to another year of PEP Group inspiration, and serendipitous goals, opportunities, and accomplishments along the way.
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