Category Archives: dream

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Sharing My Goals for 2023

I've Never Shared My Goals Before. Trying to Hold Myself Accountable and Encourage Others

Goals can be a very private endeavor and perhaps they should be. There are TED Talks and Stoic Philosophy to support why you should NOT share what your are working toward. There is also some research to suggest maybe you should as it helps you accomplish your goals. I know several writers that I admire who share their goals, and I find it inspiring. Regardless of which is truly right and best, I have decided to share my goals this year.

As the first month of the year comes to a close, and I’ve shared ideas and tools to help you design a better year, I thought perhaps I would share some of my goals and the thoughts behind them to help hold myself more accountable, and I hope one or two may inspire others to get outside their comfort zone, set some of their own, and make some progress.

Typically the majority of goals around the world and over time fall into three primary categories: health, finances, and relationships.

I typically make a long list of my hopes and dreams for the new year. I also have five categories that I focus on with my goals setting which are: physical, financial, family, professional and business. From all of these I also pick the top three overall goals as my primary focus.

I keep everything organized in my journal.

Again, this is my first time sharing online ever! It may be my last too.

My top three goals for 2023 are: Click to Read More

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And Then It’s Our Turn

You Are Not Self-Made, Someone Opened a Door for You

Anything good that has happened in my life is because someone else helped me along the way.

I loved reading “I am Not a Self-Made Man” a foreward written by Arnold Schwartzenegger in Tim Ferriss’s book Tools for Titans, where Arnold credits every success in his life to the opportunities others have given him. He credits and names the mentors from his life. It’s wonderful. Too many people think they did it on their own. Nope. Someone was there.

Sure I worked hard, put in the time, figured some things out, and went the extra mile, but if others had not stepped forward to open doors, give me a chance, a look, an offer, extend an invitation, share me with others, well, I would not have gotten anywhere. None of us are self-made. As my favorite band U2 sings, “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own.”

The movie Rocky looks to be at first recollection a the story of a man rising from his underdog status, completely on his own, to eventually achieve greatness (a Cinderella story, but she had help too you know) but if we look closer, an opportunity had presented itself. It was the opportunity of another, the opening of a door that allowed Rocky’s talents to play out. Rocky needed the chance, despite how hard he trained, he needed access to become great. He needed the event. Someone opened the door. He walked through.

I was twenty-one years old when Dan Kalo, a middle school principal, gave me a chance to teach. Wow! Who does that? My current position was an opportunity others encouraged me to pursue. I was given another chance. Amazing!

I could tell you the name of the first person to invite me to speak at their event, bought my first painting, bought my first book and every awesome first experience I’ve had. I’ll bet you can too.  It humbles me still to think others are willing to do that for all of us.

And then it’s our turn.

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My Habit Trackers, To-Do Lists and Journals

If you want something done you either do it now or you schedule it. Since you can’t do everything at once, you might be creating a pretty long list.

I’m proud of the accomplishments in my life, but I’ve got more on the way. In fact, I think I am just getting started.

I’m proud of what I accomplish each year, month, week and most days. It’s not luck. What I finish is the result of goal setting in my journals, habit tracking, and a daily to-do list.

I am sharing with you the exact tools I use, both physical and digital, of how I work in hopes you will find some value in them and try them out, as well as share some of your tools and processes in the comments.

Click to Read More

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My One Word for 2023

A few years ago I added an important ingredient to my annual planning and goal setting process, the ‘my one word for the year’ theme made popular by writers Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page in their book, One Word That Will Change Your Life.

The concept from the book is that the properly chosen word can summarize our goals and resolutions for the entire year into a single word. A single word allows focus, simplicity, determination, and according to the authors, a greater percentage of success than just making a list. I however do both.

Their book guides you through a helpful process centering around three questions:

What is needed? What’s in my way? What must go?

I have improvised my own method of getting to my own word that works well for me. My method centers around the guidance in the book, my journaling, a deep reflection on the previous year, and listing words that I believe are suitable and choosing among them.

Click to Read More
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The Six Obstacles to Innovation

Innovation is quite simply “finding better ways to do things.” Too often innovation is lumped in with technology.  It’s not devices that make something innovative, it’s ideas, methods, and systems. Hardware and software sometimes aid innovation, but not always.

In the end, innovation is about improvement, something you’d think everyone would rally around, but sadly that is not the case.

A lot of leaders and organizations say they want innovation, but do they? Most wait until they see others doing something innovative and then try to catch up. That’s not innovation.

Here are the six obstacles to innovation: 

  • Arrogance: People are too confident in the current way they are doing things.
  • Identity: People see themselves one dimensionally and are unwilling to grow or change, or they see themself as part of a group or time period of a particular method.
  • Lack of Curiosity and Unwillingness to Learn: People are not curious about new methods and avoid learning and applying new ways.
  • Fear of Loss of Control: People have too strong of a desire to be in control and are not willing to accept a period of time of not being the expert or in control. True innovation needs an environment where its okay for everything to not be worked out and ideas can be adjusted and adapted.
  • Lack of Empathy: People are unable to see other people’s needs for innovation and sadly focus on only their own need for continuity and order. People fail to see how a new idea or method would help others and rather focus on how this would be hard for them.
  • Competing Priorities: Most often innovative ideas get reshuffled to competing priorities due to interest, training, time, investment, or a lack of understanding. One person’s idea in a group is given more weight and value than a new, innovative idea. Many organizations will spend money in certain known and proven areas and avoid investing in new, unknown areas, only to spend more later trying to catch up with those that went first. Most organizations and individuals just don’t want to take the time to do things a different way. It takes time to change. It takes leadership.

The obstacles outlined above illustrate why the icons of innovation throughout history were all viewed as mavericks and rebels. They had to be. Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla, Elon Musk, and others all broke away from the bureaucracy of how things are typically accomplished within organizations because they realized if they did not their innovative ideas would perish.

In my book, Along Came a Leader, I share six tenets of leadership. Vision is one of the six. I feel leaders need a strong vision.  The ability to see what could be is so important to leadership and acting on it allows innovation to take place.

If you are a leader of an organization or an inspiring leader, take note and avoid the six obstacles to innovation so your organization can advance and lead.

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator.  Send Kelly an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s  The Wired Educator Podcast with over 219 episodes. • Kelly has written two books, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness . • Follow Kelly Croy on: Facebook. •  Twitter.  •  and Instagram 

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FFP 025: The Six Demands of Self Care

Taking Care of Yourself Allows You to Take Care and Lead Others

In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast, you will learn how to answer the six demands of self-care to become a better leader and live a better life.

As Katie Reed, a very wise individual, once said, “Self care is giving the world the best of you, not what is left of you.”  

In my last episode of focused on frustration and overwhelm and I discussed the five people you need in your life to combat it. 

In this episode I want to focus on what YOU can do. 

Self care is a real thing, just as Katie’s wise words remind us, for if we do not take very good care of ourselves, our beaten, worn, exhausted, anxious, self will be unable and unfit to take care of all those we love, serve, and lead. 

Self care demands knowledge of the self. We cannot take care of what we do not know nor understand. 

Many of you are purchasing Christmas presents this time of year; I also hope you will consider my book Along Came a Leader as a gift for yourself, a colleague, and administrator, and a family member this holiday season. It’s available on Amazon. It was a work of love. I am so proud of it. Level-up your leadership. Discover the 8 core attributes of leadership and how to put them work to impact lives and lead. We need leaders. If you’ve already read it, I hope you will leave a review. 

I also encourage you to follow me on Instagram between now and Christmas Day because I am sharing lots of my artwork. I am drawing a Santa Claus every day and posting the speed-painting video of me drawing it, which is so much fun to watch, alongside the art. You can only find it on my Instagram.

Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 148 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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FFP 024: Frustration and Overwhelm

Frustration and Overwhelm are Not Okay! Here's what to do about it.

In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast I talk about how and why frustration and overwhelm impacts so many, and more importantly, I talk about what we can do about it.

I have met too many people who talk about frustration and overwhelm with a sense of pride, a badge of honor, and as if it is okay. Why is that?

Frustration and overwhelm are NOT okay.

I’m not here to tell you that you’re doing it wrong. I’m not here to tell you that you’re living life wrong. I’m not here to be the expert. I am here to get you fired-up and to share some helpful ways to confront and conquer frustration and overwhelm. I also want to challenge your thinking and help you out.  

Frustration and overwhelmed or not OK. You should be leaving work proud of all that you did to make a difference. At the end of the day you should be proud of the way you lead your family. You should not go to bed nor wake up with regrets.

 Frustration and overwhelm the deplete us of the energy we need to raise our families, chase and fulfill  our dreams.  Frustration and overwhelm is a thief of our time. It’s a thief of our focus. It can create depression and anxiety if not addressed.

This episode will help you combat frustration overwhelm, level-up your leadership and design a more dynamic life. You will feel better about yourself too.

You will leave this episode feeling better about your day and the work you face. You also will look at your friends, coworkers and family in completely new ways! You are going to love this episode.

Many of you are purchasing Christmas presents this time of year; I also hope you will consider my book Along Came a Leader as a gift for yourself, a colleague, and administrator, and a family member this holiday season. It’s available on Amazon. It was a work of love. I am so proud of it. Level-up your leadership. Discover the 8 core attributes of leadership and how to put them work to impact lives and lead. We need leaders. If you’ve already read it, I hope you will leave a review. 

I also encourage you to follow me on Instagram between now and Christmas Day because I am sharing lots of my artwork. I am drawing a Santa Claus every day and posting the speed-painting video of me drawing it, which is so much fun to watch, alongside the art. You can only find it on my Instagram.

Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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FFP 023: The Four Essential Actions of Leadership

The Future Focused Podcast Returns for Season 2

This twenty-third episode of The Future Focused Podcast is the start of our second season. This episode focuses on The Four Essential Actions of Leadership.

Eleven minutes and forty seconds of pure “let’s level-up our leadership and design a dynamic lifestyle.” Buckle-up as I share the absolute transformational power of The Four Essential Actions of Leadership. They’ll take you to the next level, but be cautioned: these actions take practice, courage, and skill, and our best developed over time with reflection . The first action is so easy, but the other three are tough, and the fourth separates leaders from everyone else.

You are going to love this episode. It’s note-taking worthy. Share it out, replay, recommend, and subscribe.

I also hope you will consider my book Along Came a Leader as a gift for yourself, a colleague, and administrator, and a family member this holiday season. It’s available on Amazon. It was a work of love. I am so proud of it. Level-up your leadership. Discover the 8 core attributes of leadership and how to put them work to impact lives and lead. We need leaders. If you’ve already read it, I hope you will leave a review. 

I also encourage you to follow me on Instagram between now and Christmas Day because I am sharing lots of my artwork. I am drawing a Santa Claus every day and posting the speed-painting video of me drawing it, which is so much fun to watch, alongside the art. You can only find it on my Instagram.

 

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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram