​What do you remember about the last conference or training event you attended. The food? The conversation? The entertainment?
 
What about the content?
•    What did you learn?
•    How much of that material did you retain?
•    How are you applying it now?

Good Course - Zero Retention
I’ve been to countless sessions over the years that were wonderful. They were chocked full of great information and ideas. I left thinking; “Wow! I can’t wait to put this into practice.”
 
The next day, I got back to the office and dealt with the piles of emails that amassed while I was away. Finally, I attended to the day-to-day challenges of leading a team.
 
The stack of notes I took from the training sat on the side of my desk.

• A few weeks later, the stack got moved to the file cabinet
• A few months later, it was forgotten.

 
I didn’t retain a great deal of the information, and I certainly didn’t apply much of it either.
 
The same could be said for books I’ve read. Many books, have gone in one ear and out the other.
 
Good Course - Tons of Retention
Contrary to those training events or books, I've received immense value from other courses I’ve taken, seminars I’ve participated in and books I’ve read. The difference is, I learn and retain the most when I studied the material. Even more was remembered when I studied in a learning community.
 
We need to study the material
Studied. You know, read, review, and then practice. Fail. Go back and review the content again. Do it over. Talk about it with someone. Try once more. Get some feedback. Notice some improvement. Teach it to someone else. Study.
 
I studied Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen.  I took notes from the book. I applied the suggestions. I re-read certain sections. I became a student of GTD. More than that, I talked about GTD with others GTD geeks. I created a learning community of my peers studying the GTD method. That shared connection allowed me to strengthen my understanding and application of this profound time management philosophy. 
 
It is even more effective to study in a learning community
A learning community, according to Wikipedia, is a group of people who share common academic goals and attitudes and who meet semi-regularly to collaborate on classwork. That makes sense, of course, of those in school. But it also makes sense for you now. Maybe even more so!
 
Your personal learning plan should include others
I am a firm advocate for creating your learning plan for your career and especially your leadership journey. As you identify the type of leader you want to be and work to develop yourself, you will need to learn. I strongly suggest finding a community to aid in that learning.
 
A learning community doesn't need to be formal.

• Yours may look like meeting with a mentor regularly.
• You could create a learning community with a few ladies that get together on a conference call once in a while to talk about a particular piece of content you are all studying.
• I have some clients who set up book clubs with a few of their peers.
• Other clients have joined online courses and participate in the Facebook learning community.

 
The bottom line, is that learning communities enhance your learning. Here are 3 benefits of joining a Learning Community

If you are interested in joining a learning community, consider the Mastering Confidence Intensive. Inside this book club, you'll learn to master your confidence, allowing you to lead with confidence and enjoy impactful leadership. Learn more here. 

In celebration of the launch of the audio version of Mastering Confidence I decided to share a set of quick tips to help you boost your confidence. Each of them is expanded on in depth in Mastering Confidence.

You can grab the book Mastering Confidence on Amazon, Audible and iTunes

If you are interested in the Mastering Confidence Intensive, that I talk about in the videos, you can find the details here.

Here is the quick tip:
Remember the word Response-able.
​Instead of feeling powerless, take responsibility for the situation. Take responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and actions in each situation.
​Learn more in this quick tip video:

Here is the quick tip:
Keep the 3 W's in mind: Who, Where and Why
​Get clarity on who you are, where you and your team are going and why that is so important
​Learn more in this quick tip video:

Here is the quick tip:
Tune into the right voices in your head
​Turn down the negative mind chatter and turn up the volume on your inner cheerleader
​Learn more in this quick tip video:

Here is the quick tip:
Learn to manage your emotions rather than having your emotions handle you.
​Don't let other's comments and actions hijack your emotions. Learn to regulate your emotions and channel them in helpful ways.
​Learn more in this quick tip video:

Here is the quick tip:
Act courageously, don't wait to feel confident
​​Confidence comes after we’ve had the courage to act even when we don’t know exactly how it’s going to turn out but knowing that we are take this step or making this stand because it matters. 
​Learn more in this quick tip video:

Getting to the point where you are thriving in your leadership and life, on a regular basis, isn't easy. Sorry to burst your bubble. It's going to take some effort, you are going to have to connect to why it's so damn important that you do it and honestly, it's going to take a while. In fact, you are going to have to get gritty.

Learn more about what grit is and why it's vital to thriving in this article. Keep reading my dear, you probably need to hear this today!

What is GRIT?
Grit is the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals. It isn't just some fancy noun we use to describe someone's character, like the pioneers of days gone by. It is a scientific term that determines who is going to be successful. You want to be successful at thriving right? Then consider the 3 aspects of grit and how you can apply them in your life.

How gritty are you?
If you want to thrive, remember, you have to get gritty about it. Persevere, connect to why it matters and commit to working hard. To see how gritty you are, click here to get the guide to see where you land on the grit scale and develop a plan to get grittier. Growing your grit will help you to thrive in both leadership and life!

Watch this
Want to learn more? Watch this to hear more insights on how you can get gritty about thriving!

You have been hearing me ramble in these last two Facebook Live sessions about the Surviving to Thriving Continuum. I’ve encouraged you first to assess where you land and then create your thriving target so you can move towards thriving in both your leadership and your life.
 
Perhaps you meant to grab the worksheets and do them but haven’t yet. I know. You are busy. I get it. But here is the thing: Nothing will change if you don’t!
 
In this blog, I am going to very quickly and perhaps a bit bluntly tell you why you need to stop avoiding looking at the Surviving to Thriving Continuum, and what you need to do, today!

Ignoring the Surviving to Thriving Continuum will keep you stuck in a place you don't like!
If you ignore assessing where you are at on the continuum, you will stay stuck. You will continue to minimize how bad it is because you’ve probably lost perspective. If you don’t pause and get a new assessment of where you are at, it’s only going to get worse. You, my dear, will continue on the downhill slide of falling apart physically and emotionally. Your relationships both at work and in your personal life will continue to deteriorate, and you will risk burning out.
 
Don't be like most people
Now I don’t mean to sound all doom and gloom, but let’s be honest here for a minute. What most people do is they wait for things to change. They wait for the busy season to be over. The hope that things will be different after this project finishes. They wait for that person to stop creating such havoc in their lives. Don’t be one of those people! Don’t be one of the ones who loses themselves waiting.

Create a powerful vision
Imagine thriving in both leadership and life for a minute. What would that look like and feel like?

• Would it mean you left the office with energy at the end of the day?
• Would it feel as though you were more productive and engaged in your work?

 
You, my dear, have a choice to make.
​THE CHOICE I DON'T RECOMMEND - Do you want to feel like you are barely surviving for the rest of your life?
THE CHOICE THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR LIFE - Or, do you desire that feeling of being alive and thriving? What kind of life do you want to be living?
 
If you decided that you want to do more thriving, then go and get a new perspective on where you land on the surviving to thriving continuum. Then, create your thriving target and let it guide you forward.

​Are you ready?

• Click here to assess where you are on the Surviving to Thriving Continuum.
• Then create your thriving vision with this guide.