The Altitude Talks Podcast
Welcome to The Alissa Avenue Company! Our goal is to inspire you to become the best version of yourself. We focus on personal and professional development and self-discovery. We offer valuable insights and practical methods to help you take control of your well-being, wealth-building, and workflow.
Alissa Duhon is a 25-year human capital success coach, applied positive psychology practitioner, and CEO of Alissa Avenue.
The Altitude Talks Podcast offers valuable insights and strategies to help individuals overcome common obstacles that may be hindering their full potential in both their professional and personal lives. Listeners will learn to cultivate their purpose and passions, facilitate their breakthroughs, and unleash their brilliance. We invite you to join us on Friday evenings at 5 pm as we come alongside you to optimize the quality of your life.
PODCAST DISCLAIMER:
- This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health, tax, profession] advice.
- We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast.
- This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
- The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.
The Altitude Talks Podcast
Pause for Progress: Navigating Your Goals in Q1
It's time to hit pause and reassess your goals and well-being as we navigate through the year. This episode of The Altitude Talks Podcast dives into the importance of conducting a quarterly check-in with yourself {and team}, encouraging you to reflect on your progress, objectives, your wins, and areas needing attention in both your personal and professional life.
I'm Alissa, your host, and I'll be guiding you through practical strategies to hit pause, resulting in clarity and renewed focus.
I'll be sharing the pertinent questions you need to answer to keep progressing forward in work and life with intention and clarity. By completing this self-assessment, you'll get a better grasp of where you stand on your journey.
Here are the downloadable resources to help you stay on track:
- Q+A Journal Assessment
- Life Wheel {8 Areas}
- Next Quarter Planner Worksheet
Whether you’re in need of motivation or guidance on your next steps, this episode holds the keys to creating a fulfilling journey in work and life. Don't hesitate to share your biggest takeaways, as we champion one another in reaching our goals with grace and authenticity.
Subscribe, share, and let’s continue to thrive together!
Copyright 2025 AlissaAvenue.com
Welcome to the Altitude Talks podcast, where we help you get back in the pilot seat of work and life. Learn helpful strategies for navigating the unpredictable twists and turns that come with the pursuit of happiness and work-life harmony. Here's your host seasoned success coach and applied positive psychology practitioner, alyssa Duhon.
Speaker 2:Greetings everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Altitude Talks podcast. I'm your host, alyssa Duhon, founder and CEO of the Alyssa Avenue Company, and today, on this episode, we are going to help you to hit the pause button. Can you believe it? We're already almost at the end of the first quarter of a new year. It feels like, you know, january was yesterday. Right, it does. It really does. So today we're pressing pause for a bit, just a bit of real talk. It's time for a quarter one check-in, and this is you. This is an opportunity to reflect on how things are going in your personal and your professional life. It's an opportunity to assess progress and, of course, make those adjustments that are needed so that you can continue to progress forward. And we're helping you by sharing some tips and some strategies to finish strong and to also kind, of course, correct where you need to.
Speaker 2:Oftentimes, we don't hold space for these kinds of things. We often find ourselves like overwhelmed and we're busy, we're in the thick of things, we're zoomed in and pretty soon, you know, we get lost in the sauce, right, we get lost. We probably get a little bit too busy and absolutely get overwhelmed. There's a lot going on, right, especially on the news, and some of us we're juggling multiple things in this season. For a lot of us, we're coasting through. I've actually polled a lot of the audience, a lot of you and some of my community, and you guys are killing it. Some of us are hitting the ground running on business goals, some of us in our health and wellness goals, so, of course, we're all experiencing life very uniquely, and because of that, because we're all different human beings and because we're all experiencing different stages and phases of life, life that can happen. So what we want to do, though, is to help you to practice hitting pause during the year, instead of doing, like this whole end of year thing. We do an end of year check-in, but we like to do these throughout the course of the year to help you, because oftentimes, we're so overwhelmed with tasks, or we're so busy with what we're doing are productively moving forward that we forget to take this time to assess.
Speaker 2:So grab a cup of coffee, grab your journal and or a notebook and your planner, and just settle in as we walk you through a guided assessment together. We're going to walk through this with you, alongside you, and by the end of this episode, the goal here is to help you to clarify your wins, what's working and what's not, determine where you need to pivot in any particular area of your personal, your professional life, and how to move forward with confidence and with peace. That's really what this is about. So let's get started. So the big picture here is to help you to zoom out. A lot of times, we are so focused on what we're doing that we are locked in. That's great for a time right. That's why flow is so important. When we are locked into flow, we're just locked in, we're zoomed in and we're in the zone. But it is necessary to zoom out so that you can get an assessment of the bigger picture and where you are. And you do this by posing really wonderful questions, and that's what we're going to do right now.
Speaker 2:And I want you to get your journal out. This is not the time for you to edit, it's not the time for you to pick on yourself. It's not a time for you to try to articulate everything perfectly. It's just for you to jot down answers, everything that comes to the top of the mind. I want you to empty them out on paper.
Speaker 2:So, number one how are you feeling? How are you feeling and I want you to write that question down and I want you to write under that number, write the letters A, b and C. How am I feeling? And for A, physically, for B emotionally and C spiritually. Okay, and I don't want you to answer them now, because it's your homework If you have time to pause, and that's great. If not, these are the questions you're going to answer. These are the things that you're going to begin to articulate onto paper. How are you feeling really? Not. How are you feeling after you do so many things or whatever, how you want to feel? How are you feeling really in these three areas?
Speaker 2:Number two are you making progress on what matters most when it comes to your goals and objectives, or are you just busy? Okay, I want you to write that down. Am I making progress on my most important goals or am I just busy? Here's the difference between the two I want to share.
Speaker 2:If you're busy, it may look like this You're always doing something, but not necessarily moving forward. You're just always expelling energy, but it doesn't seem like you're achieving much. Right, your focus is on the time you spent rather than results achieved. If you're busy, you're often multitasking, switching between tasks, and you're feeling overwhelmed. You're feeling just all over the place. You're overwhelmed.
Speaker 2:Maybe you prioritize urgency over importance and you're reacting to life. You're reacting to everything instead of focusing on key priorities. Are you just in a reaction mode? This was me in the beginning of this year. I was just in a reaction mode. It's almost like you. Beginning of this year, I was just in a reaction mode. It's almost like you're sitting there. You're standing there with a hose and you're just putting out fires, or you feel like you're in limbo. You ever felt like that, or there's a tailspin and you're just kind of reacting to everything and oftentimes, because it's urgent, we prioritize urgency over what's important. That, right there, is tricky, because oftentimes we perceive urgency as a priority all the time. Now, I'm not saying that, if something is urgently happening, that you shouldn't at least take a look at it to determine whether or not it's imperative that you take care of it, but make sure that you define its importance, because not everything that seems urgent is important, okay. So if you're reacting to everything that seems urgent, then this may be a sign that you're busy. You're busy, okay, and instead of you know, really focusing on what's, you know, at the top of your priority list. You may be feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, burnt out already, but you have a little to show for all of the energy efforts you've put forth. That is a sign of busyness as well, all right, so I want you to answer that question Are you busy or are you being productive?
Speaker 2:If you're productive, your focus is on high impact tasks, things that make a difference, things that are a lot. They align with your objectives. They align with where you want to go in the eight areas of your life. We often share what those eight areas are Pretty much. If you've been listening to me for a really long time, you know what those are and I'm going to touch back on those in a bit, but right now, I want you to determine whether or not you have been focusing on high impact tasks that are absolutely associated with the goals that you set and the objectives that you set for your person, your professional life.
Speaker 2:If you're productive, you're working smarter and not harder. You're leveraging systems, you're leveraging delegation and you are absolutely executing prioritization. You are prioritizing things. You know exactly what needs to go first, what's next, what's important, what's imperative, what's pertinent. You know what all of those tasks look like and you've mapped them, okay, they're in your planner, and if that's not where you are, then it's definitely a good idea that you're doing this.
Speaker 2:If you're productive, you understand the difference between being busy and creating results. That's how you know you're being productive, because you oftentimes examine and you practice assessing whether or not, throughout your weeks, throughout the the, you know the hours of the day, whether or not you're focusing on things that are just keeping you distracted and busy, or whether or not you're. What I'm working on is actually getting me results. It's you know. It's aligned with where I want to go. I'm productive in this area. I'm being effective. I'm to go. I'm productive in this area. I'm being effective. I'm being efficient.
Speaker 2:If you're productive, you practice saying no a lot and you don't have to repeat yourself. Often. You say no to distractions and unnecessary tasks, and not all the time. I'm not saying that we're perfect if you're productive and it's perfect every day, but the practice and the routine is getting it's more refined than what it used to be. If you're productive, the end of the day looks like. You know, I have done this and now I can clock out, I can stop, I can do what I need to do, I can unwind, I can spend quality time with my family. End of the day means that you have a sense of accomplishment and you're not just tired and exhausted. Right, that's how you know you've been productive. You're not just tired, you're not just exhausted, but you absolutely end the day with a sense of accomplishment. You're not just exhausted, but you absolutely end the day with a sense of accomplishment. So that's the difference between being busy and being productive.
Speaker 2:Okay, remember, you know we're going to come, we're going to, you know circle back to this throughout this series. But I wanted you to just kind of get a refresher on the difference between the two, because oftentimes we mix them up, especially the ones that are attached to what seems to be urgent. Urgency kind of trips us up every now and then. We have to really assess what we define as urgent and then go forth from there. And then, you know, go forth from there.
Speaker 2:So, number one am I feeling? How am I feeling? Physically, emotionally and spiritually? Number two am I making progress on my most important goals or am I busy or just busy? Number three what's been working well in your life? What's been working well in your work? What's been working well? You want to write just that down, even if it's if you, you know for you.
Speaker 2:You might say well, this was big for me, you know, for me it was being able to come to a stop at the end of my day, plug up my tech so that I can be charged for the next day, tidy up, turn off the lights out of my office and I'm done. That was something that worked well for me. I reach a stopping point in my day. I don't grab my work and bring it into another area of my life, my personal quality time with my family, or just my self-care time on my schedule, or my fitness time or, whatever it is, my spiritual time with God. I absolutely set a boundary there and said nope, work, you're going to stay here, I'm going to move forward in these other areas. So what's been working well for you in your personal life? What's been working well for you in your work?
Speaker 2:It could be that you have decided that you are no longer going to be the only one doing everything. Maybe you've been delegating more and you've moved away from the micromanaging mindset. Maybe that's a win for you, micromanaging mindset. Maybe that's a win for you. Maybe you've decided that you're going to take on more you can, so you will, and you have. Maybe in your work, you've clearly defined what productivity looks like for your specific duties, like what you do and what your position is, and you're doing just that. Maybe that's what it is, maybe for you, what's been working well is that you've prioritized rest in your life. Maybe you've prioritized your health and wellness more this year.
Speaker 2:I want you to write those down. Whatever they are, whatever those are, I want you to write them down, all of them, I don't care how small they may seem. It's important for you to write them all down. Maybe you've decided this year for me, I was not going to allow perfection or little mistakes to keep me from moving forward. So now, good enough is often my target. Maybe that's you. You know, and absolutely I strive for excellence in everything that I do, but in a perfect world, we know that good enough will get you to where you want to go as well. So there are times when I'm like you know what? I didn't get everything done, just so, but I feel like what I did was enough and that's good. I'm okay with that.
Speaker 2:Last, where do you feel stuck In your personal life and in your professional life. Where are you drained, where are you overwhelmed? Okay, this is another one of those questions where you do the ABC thing when do I feel stuck, drained or overwhelmed? Even if you have to label, you know I feel stuck in this area and put the word stuck and then, you know, write some numbers down underneath that. This is, you know, the different areas where I feel drained and this is where I feel overwhelmed. Here's an example Maybe you're feeling stuck on um an idea or two for your business. Maybe you're feeling stuck with an idea or two for your business. Maybe you're feeling stuck with whether or not you should put that two week notice in.
Speaker 2:Or you're feeling stuck because you don't know whether or not you should go ahead and rip the bandaid off and have that really difficult conversation with that loved one. Maybe you feel stuck with whether or not you should leave that relationship or whether it's worth it anymore, and you're just kind of reeling about it. You've been ruminating about things from the past. Maybe you're stuck because you're unsure of how to proceed forward in one or more areas of your life. Maybe you're feeling drained because the routine that you've been practicing is just not for you anymore. Maybe you feel like I'm drained here. I don't know, I just feel like I'm overworked or I'm overthinking. I feel drained because I don't know. I just something in my body is telling me that I'm not getting enough sleep or rest. Maybe it's time to visit your primary care physician. Maybe it's time to get a checkup. Yeah, maybe you're feeling overwhelmed with your schedule because you're trying to take care of what you have to do and everybody else in the process. That could be why you're feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you're overwhelmed because something has come to an end and you don't know how to move forward. You know something has changed, something has. There's a trend. You're in the middle of a transition in one or more areas of your life and that's why you're overwhelmed.
Speaker 2:I want you to write those things down. You want to take a moment to reflect. If you have your journal, you want to jot down your thoughts. Like I said, don't beat yourself up. It's not time for you to edit anything. Don't worry about being perfect, just write it all down. For you to edit anything, don't worry about being perfect, just write it all down. Get it out of your head. Okay, you're basically creating real estate. You're freeing up real estate, mental real estate out of your mind. You need that space, you need it. So I want you to write it down. And it's not that you're not going to do anything with it, it's just you have to get out of your head and to get it out of your heart. If not, I want you just think about your gut response. Sometimes that's all you need to reveal the truth. Sometimes it's just a lot of times we're stuck, we don't know what to write. Just whatever your gut tells you to write, whatever it is, just put that down. And oftentimes that's all you need to really reveal how, what you know, what you are really experiencing, your perspective on what you're experiencing.
Speaker 2:And here's some key, a key insight here Awareness is the first step to change. A lot of people do not realize that Awareness of something is the first step to change. If we don't pause and we don't practice pausing to reflect, we keep running on fumes, we keep running on autopilot, you know, and we're missing the opportunity to adjust and course correct. Awareness is the first step to change and the only way you can become aware of something is if you sit down and fully give yourself that opportunity to fully. You know, take, stop, what's going on. Wait a minute, wait a minute. What am I doing every day? How am I spending? You know my energy. You know energy is currency, it is, and it's a blessing to have energy to do a thing. So you don't want to just be busy doing anything right, you're wearing yourself thin doing just stuff. That's why it's important for you to assess All right, now let's break it down a little bit further here.
Speaker 2:Let's start with work. Whether you're an entrepreneur, leader, corporate leader or balancing multiple roles, or whatever it is, I want you to ask yourself have I achieved the work goals so far? Have I achieved the work goals I set for quarter one. Are you close? If not, why? Why do you think I want you to write that down? Have I achieved the work goals I set for quarter one? If not, why? Why haven't I?
Speaker 2:What has helped or hindered your productivity? Okay, one area for what has helped, another area for what has hindered my productivity this year so far. Get very clear on both of those. Is it distractions? Is it you know? Maybe it's budgeting or money. Is it you know? You just haven't had the energy. Maybe you've been dealing with you know your. You know personal, families, situations, issues, relationship stuff. Maybe I don't know what's hindered you in your productivity distractions, you know you can't focus for some reason. I don't know what's hindered you in your productivity distractions. You know you can't focus for some reason. What's helped? What's helped with your productivity? Maybe you have implemented some type of system or a process. Perhaps you've changed your schedule or you have a new routine. Get very clear on what has helped or hindered your productivity.
Speaker 2:Next, am I working in alignment with my values and my calling, or am I just chasing deadlines? Am I working in alignment with my values and my calling, what I feel I'm putting on this planet to do or am I just chasing deadlines? You know how to answer this better than anybody else because you know what you believe. You've been positioned and placed in this particular time in life, in such a time as this. You know what that is and if you're unsure that, it may be time for you to create space for you to get clear on that. Am I working in alignment with my values? Am I working in alignment with my purpose? Am I working in alignment with my calling, or am I just chasing the next due date to do something? Okay, now that's done and we go to the next thing and it just seems like you're checking off boxes. But are you really headed anywhere? Do you feel like the level of fulfillment with whatever you're working is? Think about it, think about it and write it down.
Speaker 2:Last question in this area have I maintained boundaries between work and home life? Some of us, one of our biggest goals was supposed to be I'm going to put the phone away during dinnertime. I'm not going to bring my work home with me. I'm going to stay absolutely present when I'm speaking to my loved one, when I'm speaking to my kids. I'm going to attend more of my children's extracurricular activities. I'm going to stick to that date night routine that we've set, me and my spouse.
Speaker 2:Have you maintained boundaries between work and your home life, or are you chasing waterfalls? Are you chasing the dollar, you know? Are you trading hours for dollars? Think about it. Are you setting real boundaries, or have you already allowed that wave to wash over you? Where you're just like I got to reach this next, you know, rung. So I don't have time to spend with the people I love, and so now you've set your relationships on the back burner. Your self-care is on the back burner. Your spiritual life with God is on the back burner. Think about it.
Speaker 2:So, if you feel like work has taken over, it may be time to reevaluate your priorities, and it may be time for you to practice delegation more. It may be time for you to elect a team of individuals. Maybe time for you to hire some people to help you. I don't care if it's just somebody to come and do the lawn or babysit even while you're working, or someone to, or just actually, you know, placing somebody in a position or going to your boss and saying, hey, I need an assistant, or I'm going to need some help here for this particular project or whatever it may be. It may be time for you to put something down. Why are you doing all of these things?
Speaker 2:I had one particular client in the group who came to me and said it was something you said about delegating. And then you talked about what's really motivating this and it woke him up. And he was this very, very wonderful person. It's very ambitious, overly ambitious, almost to a fault. And I said what's motivating you to feel the need to plug into all of these different projects, all of the all of these different, you know work-related tasks and all these different you know what's? What's motivating that? And he said I just realized that I was trying to prove a point to I don't even know who I you know he would post all these accomplishments on social media.
Speaker 2:He absolutely loved people patting him on the back and saying, great job, oh, you're doing this now and everything, when, in actuality, you know how fleeting a like is these days. Someone just follows you randomly. I'll tell you When's the last time you've been on any of your social media platforms and you spent more than five minutes looking at a post before you swiped away. Think about it 30 seconds even. That's how quickly you know what I mean. People go oh, that seems nice. Oh, look at that cute picture Like swipe. Oh, I don't like that. Thumbs down Swipe. Oh, this looks almost like this person's doing something great Swipe. Sometimes it doesn't even, it's not even a full thought.
Speaker 1:They'll go oh.
Speaker 2:I think that's so-and-so. Swipe I'm not interested in that person. Swipe oh, I didn't even know. I was still friends with that person. Swipe, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:So if you feel like work has just washed over you and it may be time for you to reevaluate your priorities, this is the absolute opportunity for you to do that. So maybe unplug for some things. Maybe you have too many irons in the fire. Think about what's motivating that. Why do you feel like you have to do all the things? What are you trying to prove? What exactly is the vision here and what's motivating that? Is this vision something that you just put together? Because you're motivated by likes and follows and accolades or pats on the back or people or attention? A lot of people I've worked with they like getting paid attention to more than they like getting paid, and I'm like well, is that, was that the ultimate overarching goal for you to start a business, or are you just you know, it's true, I mean, but if that's your end goal, then great, but if not, then you may.
Speaker 2:It's time to reassess. It's time for you to reevaluate priorities and determine what's motivating you to be plugged into all of these things, because you can be absolutely successful just zooming into one or two things you really can. You don't have to do all the things. On the other hand, if you're not feeling as motivated, perhaps you need to reset your goals. Maybe it's time for you to revisit that vision and those goals. If you're feeling not so motivated and not so excited anymore, maybe something's changed. Perhaps you are not interested in moving in that direction anymore. Okay, it may be time to hit reset so that you can align with what truly excites you, what you really believe and truly feel you're called and purpose to be doing. Really believe in, truly feel you're called and purpose to be doing, or just in this particular season, it's time for you to just do some self-reflection and take an introspective look at your life to determine where you're headed, where you've been and where you're headed if you stay on this course. So here's some encouragement for you.
Speaker 2:Your work is important. It is. I love my work. Working with groups and individuals and running my company is absolutely important to me, but so is my wellbeing. So is your wellbeing.
Speaker 2:Success isn't just about getting a lot of things done. It's about doing the right. It's not just about checking off all the to-do lists. It's also about and feeling. You know, yes, I feel accomplished, but are you experiencing fulfillment and satisfaction as well? Yeah, think about it. All right.
Speaker 2:Next let's shift gears and talk about you Beyond work. How's life going? How's life going? Have you prioritized rest? Have you prioritized joy and self-care this season? And, if you have, write down how, how have you been prioritizing your rest? Are you going to bed earlier? Have you decided to leave your phone on your desk and not bring it to bed? Have you decided that you're going to improve your evening routine? Have you stopped eating, you know, after 6 pm, like what, what, what's have you? How have you been prioritizing rest? You're taking more naps, you know, not binge, watching a bunch of stuff overnight and staying up till two or three o'clock in the morning yeah, I'm stepping on my own toes here. Have you prioritized joy?
Speaker 2:Some of us are in just a funky mood. We may be productive, but, boy, we don't look like we're enjoying it. We don't look like we're enjoying life at all One bit. So when's the last time you've actually not? I want you to really think about what joy means. What does that mean? Not just happiness, joy. When's the last time you've experienced joy in your life? What does that mean? What does that mean Not just happiness, joy. When's the last time you experienced joy in your life? What does that mean? What does joy look like for you? How does that feel? When's the last time you experienced joy and have you prioritized self-care? I know, I know it's everywhere on the internet, it's everywhere on social media oh, self-care, oh my God. But it doesn't make it any less important. It's pertinent that you block off time to care for your mind, body and spirit.
Speaker 2:If you do not have a strategy to help you to be here and be well, it's pretty good chance you're going to start experiencing less. You know positive well-being. You know what I mean Sickness, illness, things like that. Positive well-being. You know what I mean Sickness, illness, things like that. Stress and anxiety most certainly will cause you to get sicker for longer. So you have to prioritize that.
Speaker 2:Are you nourishing your body with good food and movement and sleep? Here's a better question how are you nourishing your body, how? How are you doing that? What are you eating now On a daily basis, if you can go back the last seven, 10 days, and how often are you moving? How do you know that? Do you put your Apple Watch on or your uh, you know you have something that your your step counter or something on your you know you have an app that helps you to let you know hey, it's time to stand, it's time to walk, whatever Like. Have you been assessing your movements every day? I know it's a lot y'all God I know, but it's important. It's important and it's possible for you to do that. That's why it's it's really important that we do these check-ins. And what is your sleep pattern for that? Are you, when you get up in the morning, you're still tired? Are you still sleeping?
Speaker 2:I know, for a lot of us some of us were in different stages and phases of life. I just said that, and if you're a new parent, you may not be getting a lot of sleep right now, so I understand that part. But during the times when you may not be getting a lot of sleep right now, so I understand that part. But during the times when you can sleep, I have a son. He's expecting. He and his girlfriend are expecting a baby boy in the next, within the next eight days, and I and the first thing they'll ask us when we're sitting here and we're talking, what you know, we're preparing for this and we have that and we have this. And my husband and I were sitting next to each other and we're just giggling and going. We're so excited because we're going to be first time grandparents and they asked us all these questions and we both said get sleep. While you can Sleep, go to sleep, go sleep early, just take naps. How about that? Whenever you can take naps, go to sleep. And we've been telling them this since they found out they were expecting Sleep.
Speaker 2:What does it feel like? Is it time for you to go to a sleep center? Maybe talk to your doctor, determine whether or not you need an aid or maybe something to help you to rest better. You need an aid or maybe something to help you to rest better. Get up hurting. Some of us get up hurting. Could be a number of things going on there, so it's time for you to go to your doctor.
Speaker 2:Have you spent quality time with God? Many of you already know that I'm faith-fueled and driven. Have you spent time with God? Have you spent time with your spouse Quality time, not talking about the kids and bills just being on a date, enjoying one another, laughing and dating again. For the past 10 years, my husband and I we have all of our kids are over 20, all three of them. And I think it was when my oldest son went off to college that I started to say, hey, now we have to start prioritizing dating and things like that. And he's like, oh you know, we every now and then we started to notice that we spent more time with our kids and their extracurricular activities and what they had going on in their lives and all this stuff, and we didn't prioritize dating for a really long time and we thought we were doing a good job, we thought we were great. And then, when my oldest son went off to college, we started to have these little times where we're like oh gosh, we haven't had any quality time.
Speaker 2:We haven't done anything. We don't go out of town as much as we used to, or we don't spend enough time having a conversation that is not related to what needs to be done or what needs to be paid, or what we've done for work that day, or what's going on outside the house. So have you spent quality time with your significant other and I'm not just going to glaze over that question quality time with God either? When is the last time you've actually sat at God's feet and just was quiet, right? I don't mean just prayer here, I mean listening, listening for answers, spending time in the peace of God in grace, just saying thank you, thank you for everything, thank you, I'm going to count it all joy. When's the last time you've done that? How often do you do that? Write it down. You're supposed to be writing, by the way. Okay, have you spent quality time with your kids?
Speaker 2:I had this habit that, um, when my kids were getting out of school, they'll tell you oh my God, they're like. But I would spend about 30, 45 minutes between the time we picked them up from school and then we run a few errands and we're in the store together, I'd say what was lunch like and what was you know would you have for lunch, and what happened today? And I would crack up because my kids had the funniest stories about their teachers and their people at school. And they would just go on and on and on. My daughter would tell me so much. After about five minutes she was out cold in the back seat, she was sleeping, she was gone. So it was so funny. So allow them to answer you in their you know, just let them be a child, let them be kids and just talk to them and listen, listen, listen to them with their teenagers, listen to them. Listen, you know, just stop parenting for a minute and just listen. Whatever's big in their world, you know, make it big for you as well. Just listen to them. When's the last time that quality time was like that? Maybe you don't need the television and the screens, perhaps you need to go have lunch. You'll take your kids out to lunch or go to the park or something and just allow them to share with you what's going on. What about the people you're close to outside of your home? Any close friends, any close relatives you haven't spent time with? So last time you've done that quality time with you know an aging parent or someone, an elderly family member, someone, maybe a neighbor. So last time you checked in with people, quality time with them, quality time Not you looking at your watch or looking at your phone scrolling while they're talking, I mean real quality time.
Speaker 2:All right, what's one area of life you've neglected that needs more attention? Ready, what have you neglected? Have you been snacking? Have you not been exercising? You said you would, and then you're like I'll do it tomorrow, I'll do this tomorrow. I walked a little bit. We started making all these excuses. Yeah, that was pretty good, I did what I, you know. Or have you just completely said I just I'm not going to do that now? What's one area of life you've neglected that needs more attention? Write it down so I know it's easy to put you know yourself last. But hear me. But hear me sis, hear me brother.
Speaker 2:You can't pour from an empty cup. You can't withdraw from a negative balance. You have got to refuel. You have to refuel If you've been running on fumes. Now's the time to recalibrate Even small shifts like 10 extra minutes of prayer, 10 minute walk outside, saying no more to unnecessary commitments, turning off the screens, sitting at the dinner table for dinner instead of in front of television, sitting at the dinner table for dinner instead of in front of television, just sitting in the quiet listening to some music instead of you know, or reading a book standing out on that beautiful.
Speaker 2:You probably have a beautiful front porch or a patio, maybe a nice cafe that you haven't visited, or even your local library. You know, I'll tell you this, I love libraries, I'm just an advocate for them. And if you have not gone to your local library, you know I'll tell you this I love libraries, I'm just an advocate for them. And if you have not gone to your local library, if you don't even know where it is, find it, bring your kids, tell your friends. Hey, you guys, every so often we're going to meet up at the library. Just go, go, get library cards, go, go, go.
Speaker 2:But anyway, what can bring major peace in your life? These things that we need to do and to refuel. Those are imperative. That's what I'm saying. So here's a faith moment. You knew it was coming. Matthew 11, 28 reminds us come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. God doesn't want us burning up, burning out, striving and running on a hedonistic treadmill. He wants us to surrender. He wants us to surrender to him, to surrender. He wants us to surrender to him. He wants us surrendered and thriving, not just striving, striving, striving. We're stuck right. That's what abundance looks like. You're fully surrendered and you're thriving in it.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right, y'all, we're almost done Setting your next quarter up for success, and this is why I published this particular episode this early. We still have a few weeks left in this quarter, but it's the beginning of March. For those of you who are later on, you've listening to this. Just plug it in where you can, and, believe it or not, this does not necessarily have to, you know, be associated with an end of the quarter. You can do this anytime. You can do this anytime. Let me just say that If you haven't practiced checking in and you just need to do it, and you just haven't you don't have to wait till the end of a quarter, in a week, or first of the year. Do it now. Do it now. So, now that you've taken the time to assess where you are, let's get clear and grace filled with our quarter.
Speaker 2:Two plans, all right. What's one major goal you want to focus on in the next 90 days? One major thing in your health and wellness, in your work, in your relationships, in your social life, your family, your personal relationships with your family, maybe in your business and your career, in your finances. What's one major goal you want to focus on in the next 90 days? Remember I talked about? Uh, I'm going to pull it up right here. Let me do it right now.
Speaker 2:And for those of you who don't um, if you don't have um a life, will I want you to come over to the Alyssa avenuecom website, find this episode in the blog under podcasts, and you will see a link to a couple of these resources that I'm going to talk about, and you can click on it or you just opt in. Underneath here there's an opt in for you to share your name and email and once you opt in, it will redirect you to a page where you put in a password which is going to be revealed to you, and you can download all this. I know it seems like. Believe me, it's a few clicks and you want to keep this in your journal or in your life planner, or in your planner, your scheduler or whatever, and you want to continue to assess these areas. So there's your career, your finances, your mental health, your physical health, your relationships, even your hobbies and your interests. Those are important. Your home life, your spirituality, all these different areas of your life are very, very important.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I will offer you a free resource and you'll be able to click on it, right and it. And I'm going to give you one that's already labeled, but then I'll give you one that is blank. How about that? You can do that, right, every yeah. You one that is blank. How about that? You can do that, right, every yeah. So we're going to upload those and that way, you can pretty much label these different areas to fit your specific and unique lifestyle, because everybody's not experiencing life the same. So I'll give you one that as an example and the other one you can use. And for a lot of us, our lives change, you know, pretty quickly and pretty often. So you can continue to download one, print one of these out every time, you know, depending upon the season and stage of life you're in.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you're going to assess where you are and get clear and determine a plan that is focused more so on grace. What's one major goal you want to focus on in the next 90 days for each of those areas, right? What do you need to say no to? Who do you need to say no to so that you can create space for what matters most? Whom? Write that down? Number three what small, consistent habits will help you stay on track? Even if it's you know this is going to this one thing if I just implement this one little thing, this is going to help me stay on track. Even if it's you know, this is going to this one thing, if I just implement this one little thing, this is going to help me stay on track.
Speaker 2:For those of you who are, I have a lot of college students who listen to me and I love it. I absolutely love it. You're killing it right now. I'm so proud of all of you. Maybe it's studying while you're on the treadmill, you're working out. You maybe can couple a habit with a habit that you already have going on. You're brushing your teeth, so why not do some squats? You have to do that every morning anyway, right?
Speaker 2:So what small, consistent habits will help you stay on track? Maybe you can read a chapter, you know, while you're waiting, um on your kids, um and their practice or whatever. Maybe bring your homework with you. Uh, for those of you who have businesses, maybe it's um more engagement with your customers or your clients, maybe just polling them or assessing feedback and asking them to share their experience with you more. For those of you who are leaders, perhaps it's time for you to sit down and listen and hear your team or your partner or your congregants and whoever. Maybe it's time for you to just sit and allow everybody to have a say and express what they're feeling, without correction, without a whole bunch of. Just allow everybody to have a seat and express themselves openly and freely, of course, with respect.
Speaker 2:So remember, your progress isn't about perfection, it's about direction. Okay, your progress isn't about perfection, it's about direction. So, whatever it is you're doing, what decisions you're making every day? What direction is it moving you toward? Think about it when you're progressing forward every day. What direction if you stay on this particular course with your money and how you spend money, how you've been making decisions, how you've been working with your relationship with the people you love, how you've been making decisions, how you've been working with your relationship with the people you love, if you stay the course on how you've been eating, or how you know if it's been too long since you've, you know, gone to the doctor, or you keep putting off or whatever it may be. Whatever those habits are, what direction do you believe you're headed into If you don't pivot, if you don't start to assess and you know they get become very intentional about what's going on?
Speaker 2:Your progress isn't perfection. It's not about perfection, it's about direction. So, even if quarter one didn't go as planned, that's okay. You can still finish this year strong. You have time, even, no matter where you are in it. Listen for those of us at the end of the year at this point um, you're still. You can still finish this year strong. You have time, no matter where you are. Listen for those of us at the end of the year at this point you're still able to learn the lessons and extract wisdom from what has happened, and that's a win in my book. Okay, that's a win. Growth is still a win. Knowing better is still a win. Understanding is still a win. Understanding is still a win, okay.
Speaker 2:So progress happens when we take small, intentional steps in a what? What direction? Forward, forward, or are you moving forward? Now here's a quick little thing. Um, oftentimes we do have to take a few steps back. We do have to take a few steps back. It's okay In times of when we're unsure, when we feel stuck. It's a good idea. I say this all the time. I did this in one of my old courses about 15, 20 years ago, and in the book that I wrote and I'm going to relaunch this year. You guys, I know everybody's been saying it when, when it's coming, it's coming, it really is.
Speaker 2:It's often very helpful for you to take a step back to get a better look forward. You know, to get a better view and a better aim. Just think about, um, those people who are professionals at archery. You know to get a really good look at the target first, and then they position themselves and then they draw back that arrow way back, and then they give it a good aim. So oftentimes you have to step back. What do you have to step away from? Is it time for you to step away from something? Step back. Maybe it's time for you to allow that person that you've delegated to do what they're going to do. Maybe it's time for you to allow that person that you've delegated to do what they're going to do. Maybe it's time for you to step back and let your kids grow up. Maybe it's time for you to step back and realize that this is not for you anymore. Maybe it's time for you to step back and receive help and receive love. You've been the one taking care of everybody else. It's time for you to step back and allow someone to love you back and to care for you. Now it's all right, it's okay to ask for help. Maybe it's time for you to have a seat and listen up. Maybe it's time for you to stop teaching and for you to learn. And that doesn't mean that you're weak. It doesn't mean that you're losing ground. It doesn't mean that you're falling backwards. It just means that you're allowing, you're creating that space for more growth and more wisdom to happen.
Speaker 2:What I say earlier about awareness yeah, don't let your ego do that to you. Make you feel like I'm going to stay, keep my head in the dirt, act like I don't see what I'm seeing or hear what I'm hearing. That is ego, and boy it'll get you in trouble if you're not careful. I don't need anybody to tell me. I know what I'm doing. I'm never wrong. Yikes, right. It happens to the best of us. I know, as a CEO of my own company, it happens, and I have practiced stepping back a lot, because there are my there are people who I work with both contractor workers and my team who are more brilliant than I am in a lot of different ways, and so I stepped back and allowed them and their brilliance to do what they do, because I know that's not my area.
Speaker 2:It's okay for me to say that. It's okay for me to understand that it's okay for you to tell someone who always comes to you I don't know, I don't know the answer to that. I don't know the answer understand that it's okay for you to tell someone who always comes to you. I don't know, I don't know the answer to that. I don't know the answer to that. Maybe it's time for you to recommend someone who's more equipped than you are. It's okay for you to do that. It's all right for you not to have all the answers Mom, dad, boss, leader it's okay that you don't have all the answers, it's okay and maybe, just maybe, it's time for you to recommend and refer you know, boss, entrepreneur, whoever you are.
Speaker 2:So remember your progress isn't about perfection, it's about direction. Remember your progress isn't about perfection, it's about direction, and you want to also understand that your work is important, but your well-being is a priority. Awareness is the first step to change. If you don't take a pause and reflect, you're going to run out of steam, you're going to run out of fuel, you're going to burn up, you're going to burn out and then burn up Happens, right? Okay, so let's wrap this up.
Speaker 2:I hope this check-in has given you the clarity and the confidence and the grace to move forward, or to take a step back, with fresh, new perspective and energy. And here's what I'd love for you to do. I want you to take five minutes today to write down what your next season's focus will be. Right, share your biggest takeaway from this episode. I want you to share it. Um, you can come on my Instagram page, alyssa Avenue, or you can find us on facebookcom.
Speaker 2:Forward slash Alyssa Avenue. Um, you can tag me at Alyssa Avenue. Um, whatever, you can come on the website and um, I'll open up comments. Sometimes we get these weird bots, you know how that is. Find me, and I want you to share your biggest wins, biggest takeaways. Okay, maybe I. What I'll do is I'll post a link to this episode on my Facebook and on my Instagram and you can share your biggest takeaways. Right? Keep it positive. And if it didn't work for you, it's all right, it's okay. Just save some of the nuggets for another season. Extract from it. What would help you right now? I always tell people that Okay.
Speaker 2:So if this episode has blessed you, send it to a friend, please, who needs encouragement. Send it to someone you care about. Send it to your team. Send it to your congregants. Send it to someone that you feel like this is the right thing for them. Right? I'm cheering for you. I'm cheering for you. For you, I champion my tribe and my followers and my members. I stand in the gap for you. I pray for you. Okay, so let's keep walking in purpose. Let's keep walking in grace, let's keep it productive and effective and efficient. Love yourself today and those around you and until next time, stay bold, stay faith fueled and stay aligned. See you on the next episode of the Altitude Talks podcast. Bye.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Altitude Talks. Make sure to share the show and subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Be sure to visit our online store and blog for more resources at alissaavenuecom. Follow us on Facebook at facebookcom slash alissaavenue. And on instagramcom slash alissa, underscore avenue. Until next time.
