How many us can, hand on heart, say that we are leaders in our own life? We may be comfortable leading in the workplace, with its structure and hierarchy, or able to take control of where we are going on a night out with our friends, but being a leader in your own life is entirely different says executive coach Liz Copeland of www.lizcopeland.co.uk
John Lennon wisely said "life is what happens when you're making other plans." "You may nod sagely at this," says Liz, "but the real consequences of not taking leadership in your own life are that you end up on your deathbed thinking "I really wish I had done XYZ" or facing an overwhelming feeling that you've just played it all too safe.
So what are the signs that you're just not a leader in your own life?
- - Your life is out of balance: it's either all work and little play or vice versa
- - You are outwardly successful but you're questioning if you are going in the right direction
- - You don't plan what you're going to do outside work and feel that you're wasting your free time
- - You're running around after everyone else with no time to yourself
- - You have let friendships slip because you just don't have the time
- - Poor time management. Sometimes it's not time that's the issue; it's priorities
- - You're reluctant to pack anything else into an already overcrowded schedule.
The first step in becoming a leader in your own life, says Liz, is to let go. This is easiest done in steps:
- - Understand your values and priorities. What do you really stand for?
- - Be decisive. Delegate or drop stuff that isn't serving you and your values or using your strengths. Ger a gardener/cleaner/VA if that's appropriate.
- - Set aside time for self reflection and checks and balance to ensure that you're keeping to the right track and not cluttering up your new time and resources
- - Be aware that you should be feeding all sides of your life, not just focusing on one.
