A Good Year and a Good Life

Let me start by wishing you a happy 2016, with health, achievements, connection, and ‘Gelassenheit’ this powerful combination of ‘loslassen’ and ‘sich einlassen’ (Gelassenheit goes back to Master Eckart, the mystic from the 13th century).

Thinking of a good 2016 one might even engage in thoughts about a good life.  I want to draw your attention to a remarkable TED talk by Robert Waldinger.  He is the director of a long term Harvard study that has been going on for 75 years where the researchers have been studying what makes a good life.  They have been accompanying 750 individuals in the course of their lives. Their findings are both bold and simple: a good life is one nurtured by healthy relationships!

Please check out: Robert Waldinger: what makes a good life?

Now, at the turn of the year, I invite you to spend some time to make an assessment on where you stand in your life in terms of relationships.

Please identify 10 people that are important to you, choose 5 from your personal and 5 from your professional life.

For each of the 10 ask yourself the following questions:

• how would you rank the quality of your relationship with this individual today?
• how would you rank your effort during the last 12 months to improve the quality of your relationship?
• what do you think is top of mind of this individual right now, e.g. ambition, concern, focus area?
• how could you be of service to this individual?
• what would be a concrete action that you can take to improve the quality of this relationship?
• what is something that the individual could be doing to improve the quality of your relationship?  Are you willing to make such a request?
• what is a resolution that you are willing to take in relation to this individual?

I wish you courage and luck shaping good and healthy relationships.

All the best for a good year and a good life,

Ekki