At the conclusion of a workshop, I always give the participants what I like to call a "mandatory-optional" exercise, in which I give them the opportunity to consider what they've discovered during the course of our work together, what they will do with it, and who can help them. 

However.

There is such a tendency for people to leave thinking that they are going to be able to apply everything they've learned. Which they won't.

There is such a tendency to imagine that once back at their work, or in the midst of their families, they will remember everything we've talked about. Which they won't.

There is such a tendency to think that asking for help is a sign of weakness, and even if they know it isn't, they believe that they will be able to manage it all on their own. Which they won't.

They have the best of intentions for putting life back together differently with their new insights and information. They are energized by the thought that doing things differently will acually make a real difference. But without giving some thought to what to do once life outside the workshop doors engulfs them, they are pretty much guaranteed to lose most, if not all, of that newfound information and insight.

Thus, the "mandatory optional" exercise. They are given time to reflect on, identify,  and write down the following:

THREE meaningful things I have learned or discovered today are:

TWO specific action steps I will take are:

ONE person who can help me stay accountable is:

And you know what? They always, always, always know how to answer those questions. 

Now, I know that you and I haven't just spent the day in a workshop together, but I'll bet you can answer those same three questions (posed just a bit differently) for your life right now. Sometime today (maybe even right now before whatever is left of your day gets away from you), give yourself some space to reflect on, identify, and write down your answers to the following questions:

THREE meaningful-essential things (ideas, beliefs, commitments, values,) that I need to remember and stay connected to are:

TWO specific action steps I will take on my own behalf are:

ONE person who can help me stay accountable is:

Trust the answers that show up on your page. Always. Always. Always.

3-2-1 Go!