Love Learn Lead January 5, 2017

Do you ever have trouble writing the date after the New Year? You get the month and the day right, and then start to write the previous year down? Yeah, me neither (actually I will be writing 2016 in my journal until February!).

But no matter what date I write down on the page, 2017 is here, and it is brand new. There are no scratches or regrets on it yet. Though some of us may already have appointments and events on the calendar through May or June—the truth is, nothing is written in stone. All of it, or none of it could happen, without ruining the possibility that this New Year holds.

With this in mind, for today’s Love Learn Lead, I am sharing a healthy recipe I love, something I am learning about starting the New Year, and a new leadership tip. Happy Thursday!

Love

One of our favorite food blogs is Nom Nom Paleo. When we first did a Whole 30, and then continued to eat more Paleo meals, so many of the recipes online looked similar—except the ones from Nom Nom Paleo. Michelle Tam, the creator of Nom Nom, fuses her love for food, her Asian background, and the Paleo guidelines to bring about some wonderful recipes with great flavor. Our favorite recipe is her Asian Chicken. It involves a make a head marinade that is delicious (just use the right fish sauce), and it pairs well with smashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or sweet potato fries.

What recipes are you loving these days?

Learn

For at least the fourth time in the past five years, I came home from the holidays sick. For the second time in the last five years, it was a stomach bug. Whether it was the time spent on airplanes flying to the two states our families live in, or giving lots of hugs to family members getting over their own illnesses—my husband said we were doomed to get something. I wish he was wrong.

Every year that I come home from the holidays sick and depleted, I am forced to do the opposite from what our culture tells us to do at New Years. As local gyms are offering new membership deals, and talk shows are offering the latest diet ideas, the only thing my body can do is rest. At first it is frustrating. It feels like an awful way to begin a New Year. Until I realize rest is actually the best way. It is crazy to pack a ton of good things in to one month, and then expect myself to not only bounce back, but to make major changes in my life, when the clock strikes midnight on January first.

I am learning to give myself a week (maybe two), after the holidays to rest, replenish, and even reflect on the changes or goals I have for the New Year—before actually making steps to achieve them. Good and real change doesn’t have to begin on the first day of the year; it just has to begin. And it is better to begin strong.

What have you learned about starting the New Year strong?

Lead

Leadership tip #3: Good Leadership begins with Self Leadership

I have heard it said that you can’t lead someone where you have never been. As a leader who has lead people in situations I hadn’t been in before, I have to tell you this saying does not apply to external situations—it applies to who we are within. In order to be good and effective leaders, we need to start by leading ourselves towards places of growth and maturity. We need to make the right choices and do the hard things when no one is looking. Otherwise, how can we lead others, or expect those we lead, to do the same?

For me, self leadership looks like reflective journaling, reading stuff from people who will both encourage and challenge me, listening to informative podcasts, and when possible, seeking out local mentors.