Setting Our Intentions and Our Big Audacious Goals

As we round the corner into the New Year, this is an important time to reflect on where we’ve come from, and where we go from here. And with all that we have been through as a world community in this second year of the pandemic, reflection back on these past two years is even more significant.

I’ve thought about this a lot. Who was I, and how was I showing up in the world, prior to the start of the pandemic? Who am I today, and how am I living into the most authentic, honest, and best version of me?

When I think back to who I was in February of 2020, I smile. I was in such a different place internally back then. Struggling with letting go of the deep emotion and responsibility I felt toward my pediatric hematology/oncology patients, team and colleagues, and with an internal drive to “rise” into leadership without a clear sense of my deeper Why behind this, or why I even wanted this so much. There was a competitive energy to me, a drive that didn’t feel like me, yet one that permeated my daily experience. It was like I was on a mission, without a clear goal for what the point of this mission was.

I started working with my coach in May of 2020, and this is when everything began to change and shift for me. My initial goal for working with her was to rise up the leadership ladder eventually into executive leadership. I had just been accepted into an executive MBA program for the fall of 2020, because this what I thought I needed to do to be successful. What I discovered through coaching instead was a much deeper understanding of who I was, what I stand for, and what impact I want to have in my life, regardless of my title or position. I gained a clarity I never knew before.

And so now when I look back on myself pre-pandemic, I see a young woman driven and on a mission to change things for the better, blindly thinking the path of rising the leadership ladder would be the only way to create that impact -- because rising the ladder was all I had ever known since I was a young girl. And now, as I reflect on myself today in December 2021, I see instead a much more grounded, solid, and authentic self, with an internal drive and fire to increase the depth of who I am, do the work that brings me joy and energy because this is not only more fulfilling to me but also how I can have the greatest impact, model the vulnerable and authentic leadership I most admire, and inspire others to step into their own most authentic versions of themselves. Rather than being stuck in a pre-prescribed version of what “success” looks like, I have instead created my own version of success that is even more authentic, and just right for only me.

This to me is my Big Audacious Goal – to stretch myself to continue to grow, and to live and model a life of deep, humble servant leadership, constantly striving to be the best version of myself in the service of myself and of others.

Looking back on the last two years, back to who you were at the start of the pandemic, and who you are today, what do you notice? What have you learned about yourself? What lessons do you want to take forward into 2022?

What intention do you want to set for yourself in this coming year? And what is your Big Audacious Goal? What feels “stretchy” to you? What feels “just right” when you reflect on your values, your Why, and your life purpose?

With all my love to you and your families, on this Christmas Day, 2021. Sit today and celebrate who you are, and where you have come from. Take this moment to pause to reflect and celebrate. In our busy, go-go-go lives, we rarely give ourselves this precious space to recognize how much we have learned, grown and how far we have come.   

See you in the New Year!

Tammie

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