Dedicate Time To The Important

Christi Hegstad February 26th, 2017

One of my greatest “mentors from afar” is Dr. Stephen Covey. His work around values, priorities, and principle-based leadership helped create the foundation on which I built my business and, in many ways, in which I live my life. While I never got to meet him in person, his research and writing have influenced me tremendously.

When I saw the Time Matrix in his book First Things First (my favorite of his), I had a huge aha! moment. How often we give our time and attention to the urgent, merely because it screams the loudest; meanwhile the truly important work gets put on the back burner. His matrix serves as a valuable filter for work, leadership, and life.

Lesson #13: Dedicate Time To The Important. Set aside time for your long-term goals, creating strategy, visioning, reflecting, planning. Don’t constantly let what matters most get pushed aside in favor of ‘the squeaky wheel.’ (Fortunately, when we pay attention to the important consistently, we experience fewer squeaky wheels.)

This weekend I had the opportunity to put this lesson into practice once again. Months ago, I had set aside this weekend for a writer’s retreat. The book I’ve been writing is incredibly important to me and to the fulfillment of my purpose, but setting aside an entire weekend to work on it seemed nearly impossible: How do I step away from the urgent needs of the business, my family, and other responsibilities for an entire weekend to focus on the book? Many things – urgent things – were conspiring to keep me from making this retreat a reality.

But I remembered that while my book may not be urgent, it’s important. And if I don’t pay attention, soon it will be urgent, too.

So I made the necessary arrangements, honored the important, and made it happen. This photo depicts where I spent a good portion of the weekend, creating and writing and putting together the details of a book that will hopefully change many lives for the better – like Covey’s did for me. This may sound dramatic, but it was a life- and business-changing weekend!

As Covey wrote, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” How can you prioritize the important this week?

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Give Back

Christi Hegstad February 25th, 2017

I wrote previously about investing in support (coaching, expertise outside your own, and so on) before you feel ready or like you can afford it. In a similar way, you can give back to the communities, organizations, and people that you support. As Anne Frank wrote, “No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Whether time, money, items, talents, or service, we can all support the greater good in countless ways. And while I typically don’t publicize MAP Inc.’s giving practices, they’ve been a cornerstone of the business since the beginning. Now, we link every service, product, and offering to causes that align with our values.

If you own your business, you can build giving into your strategy. If you work within an organization, you can participate in – or propose – similar programs. And we can each do our part as individuals.

Giving to others is a win-win-win situation. The more we give, the better for all!

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Support Your Inspiration

Christi Hegstad February 24th, 2017

One of the first seminars I attended as a new business owner was an intense, multi-day experience brimming with ideas. While I took copious notes and I’m sure implemented many of those ideas, all these years later one specific instruction still stands out for me: Invest in the people and fields you admire and to which you aspire. In other words, support your inspiration.

“For example,” the speaker explained, “if you want to become a published author, start buying one hardcover book each week. Demonstrate your support and belief in practical, tangible ways.”

This resonated with me and has played out in many ways over the years:

While my local librarians know me by name due to my frequent-visitor status, as an author I often purchase books as well – and talk about them on social media, give them as gifts, and recommend them at speaking engagements.

Even though I’ve been a coach for many years, I always have a coach as well. I believe that’s important for integrity: How can I expect people to invest in a me as a coach if I’m not willing to invest in other coaches?

And as the owner of a professional development business, you can bet a good portion of my budget each year is devoted to conferences, classes, mastermind groups, coaches, training, and other growth opportunities.

This lesson taught me early on, and reminds me to this day, of the importance of supporting what we believe in. Invest in people, industries, and services you admire. In addition, invest in those who can help you grow – professional organizers, coaches, personal trainers, therapists, whomever has expertise in your areas of development.

Support what inspires, what you admire, and to what you aspire!

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Be Bold

Christi Hegstad February 23rd, 2017

Whenever someone asks why I’m so passionate about big dreams and bold goals, this line comes to mind:

I’d rather have a life of “oh wells” than a life of “what ifs.”

Bold goals can be frightening. And yes, the bigger the dream, the bigger the possibility for disappointment. There’s always a chance you’ll fall flat on your face – something I’ve done more times that I can count!

But when you believe in something, when it aligns with your values and honors your purpose, don’t you feel better when you give it your all? When you live full-on? When you show up, make the attempt, step into the arena?

Whenever fear tries to hold me back from something that matters, I practice Lesson #10: Be Bold.

Dream big. Start small. Be bold. A winning combination for meaningful work and a purposeful life!

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Believe In The Ripple Effect

Christi Hegstad February 22nd, 2017

“I’m taking purposeful action but not seeing results. Am I on the right track? Am I making any difference at all?”

A potential coaching client recently shared this concern with me, instantly reminding me of a similar conversation with one of my first coaches. I was doing the work, taking the actions, being consistent, and…crickets. I wasn’t sure anyone was even paying attention.

But that’s the thing about leadership: whether as a business owner, parent, teacher, writer, or other role, someone is always paying attention. You just might not hear about it.

Early in my business, this was difficult for me to believe. Now that I’ve been around a while, however, I’ve seen enough proof of the Ripple Effect in action to keep me in action.

For example, late last year I posted on Facebook about a book I had read and loved. The post received only a handful of “likes” and comments.

A month or so later, I was in a meeting with 50 people and over half of them said they had read the book – or were about to – based on my Facebook recommendation. As a literacy advocate, this thrills me! Several mentioned that they enrolled for my upcoming event as a result. But if I used “likes” as my success measure, I would have had to check this off as a failure, right?

Another example: Six or seven years ago, I spoke at a convention in St. Louis about making strong decisions, and shared Suzy Welch’s 10-10-10 method. Like with writing or social media posting, I gave it my best, put it out there, and trusted that it would reach who it needed to reach.

About two years later, a lovely woman wrote to tell me what an impact my message had – through the course of the Ripple Effect. A baby was involved and my eyes teared up as I read the story that I never in a million years could have predicted.

And I’ve learned that for every one person you actually hear from, there are likely dozens, hundreds, even thousands of others impacted by what you’ve done – they just haven’t circled back to let you know.

Yes, get coaching or consulting to help you measure results and effectively leverage your time and strengths. But the heart of this lesson? Keep putting your good work out there, giving your best and trusting in the positive difference you are making. The Ripple Effect will take over and work its magic. You’ll hear about it more and more as time goes by – but even when you don’t, you’ll know with every fiber of your being that when you share from your purpose in service of the greater good, you are changing lives – and the world – for the better.

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Bring Your Love To Work. (Really!)

Christi Hegstad February 21st, 2017

I am a lover of people, stories, and hope. When I first started my business, however, I was really hung up on the idea of “being professional.”

Lesson #8 taught me that I can be professional and a promoter of love all at once. One does not need to detract from the other.

I love what I do.

I love the people with whom I work. (How could I not? Every single one of them strives to reach their personal best and wants to make a positive difference for others, too.)

And I love creating an atmosphere of support, encouragement, and, well, love.

I used to think this was too ‘soft’ to promote in the workplace. Now I know that we cannot leave it out. The pictures accompanying this post? Brilliant people with whom I work – who also clearly support others and are not afraid to show it. They are amazing people and wildly successful professionals.

Love what you do. Let people know you care. Practice the Golden Rule of treating others how you want to be treated. Better yet, practice the Platinum Rule: Treat others how they want to be treated.

Once I learned this lesson, not only did my business results transform, but so did the spirit in which I do my work and live my life. Let compassion, kindness, respect, and love guide your decisions. You can make a living, a difference, and a life you love – all at the same time!

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Model Your Vision (aka, Be The Change)

Christi Hegstad February 20th, 2017

The question isn’t so much ‘Are you parenting the right way?’ as it is ‘Are you the adult that you want your child to grow up to be?’

Brene Brown

What do you wish to see more of in the world? Are you modeling that consistently?

When I first read this line in Brene Brown’s excellent book, Daring Greatly, it stopped me in my tracks. It instantly provides a shift in perspective – away from expectations and toward authenticity, away from blame and toward accountability.

Whether in parenting, business, or another aspect of life, choosing to model that which you wish to see in the world is nearly always the most effective way to lead and to prompt change.

We’ve reached Lesson #7: Model Your Vision. Rather than constantly worrying about the ‘shoulds’ and the external measures and the general consensus, ask yourself if you are actively, consciously being what you’d like to see more of in the world. You’ll find it much easier to honor your values, work in integrity, fulfill your purpose, and make your difference this way.

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Lighten Up!

Christi Hegstad February 19th, 2017

I want to start Lesson #6 by saying this: Telling someone to lighten up is probably the least effective way to get her to lighten up.

There. Now that we’ve got that settled. 🙂

One of my favorite activities to teach in workshops and to help coaching clients with involves discerning what I call your Leadership Legacy. Through a brief series of exercises, I help you land on a key word or phrase that will best describe you as a leader. This can simplify the often complex world of leadership and serve as a reminder, guide, and decision-making tool.

One of my Leadership Legacy words is meaningful. This word holds incredible value to me for a number of reasons; a few years ago, however, I realized it also began to hold a different definition: serious. I had gotten to a point where everything felt serious, important, heavy. That’s not how I wanted to define “meaningful,” nor how I wanted to be defined or remembered.

So I started a project I called 42 Days of Yes. For 42 days, I committed to saying “yes” to a daily opportunity that I’d normally turn down out of fear, lack of time, seemed too silly, or one of the myriad other excuses I had generated. That 42-day experiment changed my whole perspective.

“Lighten Up” now serves as one of my 6 Guiding Principles for my work, leadership, and life. Not in an accusatory tone (“Gees, you need to lighten up!”) but as a reminder to embrace playfulness, silliness, and lightheartedness. My Guiding Principles are prominently posted in my office as a reminder, and fortunately I’ve also surrounded myself with human reminders of this as well (such as the lovely ladies pictured here who helped so much with Spark last year!). I’m thrilled to know that “meaningful” and “goofy” can exist in the same space. 🙂

Where do you need to lighten up in your work, leadership, or life? How might you do that in a fun and purposeful way?

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Face Everything And Rise

Christi Hegstad February 19th, 2017

I am not afraid. I was born to do this.

Joan of Arc

Where does fear hold you back? What if the thing you fear is actually the very thing you were born to do?

I purchased this card from a locally-owned bookstore a few months ago and have kept it on my desk ever since. Rather than thinking of fear as Forget Everything And Run, this card reminds me to see those moments as opportunities, check in with my values and purpose, then Face Everything And Rise.

This week, when fear approaches, let your values, vision, and purpose be your guide. Face everything and rise.

View the events of the week as opportunities to grow. Consider the potentially difficult conversations as experiences to stretch your wings. Look at even the knowingly challenging situations as places for you to be strong, purposeful, and to stand in your power.

What do you think – were you born to do this?

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Card in photo designed by Emily McDowell.

Commit To Your Growth

Christi Hegstad February 18th, 2017

Imagine you took a class next semester and could choose between two professors.

Professor #1 reads the latest in her field, attends conferences, seeks innovative ways to make the content engaging, and loves to chat with other instructors to gain new ideas. She believes leaders are readers and if you ask her a question, she’ll often walk across her office and pull just the right resource off the bookshelf for you.

Professor #2 teaches the same content she’s taught for the last 20 years and in exactly the same manner. She doesn’t feel the need to read the latest research or try new methods of delivery because since she still has a job, it must be good enough. Her motto: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Which professor would you choose?

“Love of learning” appears as one of my top strengths in every assessment I’ve ever taken, so this lesson has not been a difficult one for me – but one of the most significant. If you want to stay at the top of your game, be viewed as a thought leader, grow your business, or simply become the best possible version of yourself, make a commitment to your growth.

You can learn and develop in so many ways! Some of my favorites:

Read. This photo depicts a small portion of my office bookshelves. Books, magazines, professional journals, blogs… great material exists in every form possible!

Listen. I’ve become addicted to podcasts over the past few years. I subscribe to several personal and professional development ones and also often search my favorite authors and leaders to hear their latest interviews. Audiobooks and meditation apps can prove very powerful, too.

Watch. Laundry time at my house transformed when I discovered TED Talks. I load them on my iPad and in about the time it takes to fold a load or two, I’ve listened to a world-class expert share his or her best, life-changing tips!

Attend. Conferences, classes, networking events, coffees, meetings with legislators… show up and grow in ways you never imagined.

Apply. One of the top premises of the ASPIRE Success Club is that we don’t just read awesome books – we directly apply their top lessons to our work, leadership, and lives. Commit to implementing at least one action or behavior into your life with every growth experience.

I frequently post my favorite books, TED Talks, podcasts, and other resources on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, so be sure to connect if you’d like specific recommendations. Commit to learning something new every single day and watch your work and life change accordingly!

What’s one of your favorite ways to grow as a person and/or professional?

As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!

Author Archives: Christi Hegstad