Are you a better manager or leader of your life?

I will be very honest, I really struggle with self-management.  I am over the top when it comes to ideas and visions of the future for me and everyone else!  (I am pretty sure my children would agree!) As a result, I waste time living at the effect of mismanagement of my time, resources and potential opportunities.  Don’t get me wrong,  I am enjoying success and the realization of my vision but I think I could have gotten here more quickly if I had learned how to intentionally prioritize my thoughts, feelings and actions.

My interpretation of the difference is that the leader is the visionary and the manager is in charge of execution (getting things done, not doing things in!) When these two actions are out of balance we are not aligned with our vision and block the realization of our goals.

If I am being led in a direction that does not resonate with my values, I become disengaged.  When I am managed by forces that don’t have my best interest at heart, I fell undervalued and overworked.

I want lead my life according to my values and vision with intuition and inspiration.  I want manage my life in a way that allows me to make my vision a reality.

Manage from the left: Lead from the right. While leadership decides what “first things” are, it is management that puts them first, day-by-day, moment-by-moment.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
(Habit 3: Put First Things First)

Question #1: What are your Core Values?
I recently took the Values Index Assessment (free) to help me identify my core values although I was pretty sure I knew what they were.

My core value is Wisdom.  Everything I do supports my desire to embody and share wisdom.  The Connectedness® talent theme I have helps me see the big picture of how wisdom and compassion fit into my world.

Now, take a look at your strengths (I will use the Talent themes defined byStrengthsFinder 2.0) and identify the ones that play the leadership role and those that execute the plan.

Question #2: Where do you want to go? What is your vision of YOUR future? (Not the future of the people in your life that you manage!)
As a leader, I activate my Ideation® and Futuristic® talents to create a vision for my life and my sphere of influence.

Question #3: How will you get there?  What is your strategic plan?  What is the order of events that must occur?  
As a manager of my life,  my Strategic®, Woo®, Communication® and Activator® talent themes are the tools I count on to get the job done and reach my goals.

NOW………HOLD YOUR VISION! Support your vision with empowering language and thoughts.  Identify and release any thought, feeling or action that blocks your vision.

Please take the time to tell your story, share your vision, and engage in the power of a shared view of our lives.