Why I Have Banned The Word ‘Busy’ From My Vocabulary.
Early this year in January, I’ve just come back from three weeks in New Zealand, and I’m just about to leave for San Diego barely six days later. The time was 3:30 AM and I am sitting and reflecting. I came back from New Zealand catching up with my family. The journey was tiring and long and I came straight back into work with meetings day and night and yet my energy levels are higher than they have ever been with less sleep than ever before. I don’t tell you this to brag I just tell you to put it into some context as to how full and rewarding my life has been over the last week. It could, however, have been completely different.
My friend and fellow Vistage Chair Chris Everard gave me a coaching session just before Christmas and I was explaining the upcoming month of January and how much I had going on. I was frequently using the ‘B’ word and on the reflexion could feel my energy shift and change every time I said it. Chris challenged me as to why I kept using the word and I responded well that’s just what it is.
He helped me understand I do have a choice I could quite easily do less or even none of what I had planned but it was all through choice so are using the ‘B’ word am I choosing to put pressure on myself and think that I am the ‘B’ word. Reflecting planning and looking at what I had coming up it was all stuff that excited me was fulfilling that would give me a huge amount of joy and happiness. This change in stance viewpoint has meant I have looked at this period completely differently to how I would’ve done previously.
During coaching sessions this week with some of my Vistage members I noticed similar traits and habits when using the B word when challenged incredibly interesting to see the emotional attachment and the negativity that we all most of us put towards the B word.
What does the B word mean to you? Is it stress and pressure and anxiety that you put on yourself as you have chosen to do feel and plan what you have coming up.
In a world where we are surrounded by distraction, do we create a space and an environment where we have to be ‘B’? I ask you to think about your mindset to how and what you’re doing. In www.checkinjournal.com that I co-wrote with Robert Craven, we get people to focus on what’s important and reflect on where what and how is going on. So consumed by what we think we should do instead of allowing ourselves to do what is really important.
What’s the one thing you can do today that by doing it will make everything else easier or unnecessary?
If you hear me using the ‘B’ word you have permission to challenge me.
Adam helps business leaders to develop and leverage strategic networks for enhanced results. Highly Commended Non-Exec Director of the Year Award 2016 by IoD East Midlands
He is ‘The Introducer’.
Adam has worked his way up the business ladder from being a trolley boy. With his innate creativity and unique insights, he skilfully dismantles everything audiences thought they knew about networking, introductions, leadership, sales strategy – and success. Then he helps to rebuild those ideas.
Adam specialises in providing leaders with the insights and tools they need to develop expertise in making the right introductions and how to leverage this knowledge for strategic sales success. In other words, he’ll help you determine who and what you need to know, then who and what they need to know; to produce measurable and sustainable business results.
Co-author of the Check-in Strategy Journal – a unique business tool to help owners, managers and team leaders plan and deliver with accountability
