We rounded out a 4+ month long season of 2nd grade basketball this past Sunday. I can tell some kids are ready for the next adventure while others will miss the opportunities we have had as a team.
As the wind down process takes place – could be a team, season, project, event, etc. – there’s always the opportunity to look back to then carry something forward. That something to carry forward will look different in each situation but all that we embark on brings forth ways we can learn, grow, or just simply say thank you for the opportunity and moments to remember.
The takeaways we have to extract from our experiences shouldn’t be limited. We should be challenging ourselves during the wind down process to use our zoom out lens reflecting on the journey to carry forward valuable insights. When I think of this group of 2nd graders, of course I hope they gained more skills and insight into being a better basketball player. But what to carry forward should go well beyond just dribbling or shooting a ball. Talking all season about what it means to be a great teammate should carry into the next sport, at home, in school. Work ethic, attention to detail, working through adversity, building relationships, and all the other challenges faced in these 4 months are all opportunities to be carried forward to any of the next endeavors these young boys face.
During the wind-down process, the takeaways we should be investing our time in reflecting on are the transferable skills that impact life in a variety of ways.
Projects at work expose us to different teams to partner with, more pieces of the organization to learn from, more insights to other roles and where their focus lies – carry this forward to connect more dots on the overall organization’s success.
Jumping into a community project invites in more of an understanding of what challenges your community may be facing or the diversity of thought in approaching building the community – carry this forward to work towards a better future for your community.
Many roads come to an end in our journey and while it’s easy to get caught up jumping to the next road ahead, take time to reflect on the path taken. Reflecting will help you identify and then carry forward valuable insights from each experience. These valuable insights start layering on one another quickly as you continue to challenge yourself in new areas. More to carry forward to the next road ahead means you’re bringing a newer and wiser version of yourself to each of your next endeavors.
Take your step: identify a recent ending of a road for you – project at work, volunteer event in your community, coaching, etc. First, challenge yourself to zoom out and look at the road just traveled through a broader lens. Think beyond the task at hand and reflect on additional takeaways you had that may not have been expected. A relationship you started, uncovering a new topic of interest, great learning moments of being a leader. Anything that comes to mind that shines a light on something you’ve uncovered you’d like to carry forward to the next endeavor. Challenge yourself to leverage these insights to carry forward to multiple aspects of your life.