We are well on our way into the new year, which means many of you may have thought about and made New Year's resolutions! But before we dive into that conversation, let me ask you a question:  Are you as tired as I am after being back for just a few weeks? What a wonderful holiday season but man! It's a little hard getting back into the swing of things--even when you love what you do!  Right?! But that's real life so let us make the best of it!

So instead of new year's resolutions, which most probably won't keep, let's do something different... 

What I want us to do is to learn how to leverage our life experiences to trust ourselves and create a personal transformation. 

A friend of mine used a word in 2014 to help her stay focused on developing new behaviors.  Her word was "breath." In using that word, she began to remember to keep things in perspective and realized that "this too shall pass." She became a calmer, more thoughtful leader and continues to deploy that behavior.
 

This year, I want to challenge you to spend time getting to know you.  You and I have capabilities that perhaps we aren't even tapping into just because we haven't slowed down enough to think and value the lessons that life has already taught us!  Looking backwards and tapping into the power of life experiences can be transformational. [click to tweet.] I call them defining moments. These defining moments reveal who we truly are.  So find a quiet place, get a journal if you do that or grab the ipad to take notes...

•  Ask yourself  this question:  What moments in life have made me who I am today?  What did I learn about myself as a result of the experience? What's the lesson?
• Next, translate that  lesson into a leadership principle for yourself. 
• Now, challenge yourself to apply that principle every day!
• Watch the personal transformation begin to shape up.

Ah ha! Now we're striding together!  (I answered these questions for myself a couple of sections down in "From Trudy's Heart"...take a look.)

This is what leaders do. Nothing is frivolous. Nothing goes to waste. That business relationship that is a challenge for you, a health issue that is difficult at times to endure, a project that flopped...miserably. All is good and profitable for use in building success.

So what capabilities do you have that you haven't tapped into yet?  How can you use your life lessons to adopt new behaviors that will support your PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION IN 2015 and beyond?  It all begins with learning to TRUST YOURSELF.  It's up to you to create the future of your dreams. 

Here's to unleashing what you already have inside you!  Good luck, and please know that I will be on the journey with you.