Pub. 4 2015 Issue 4

19 w i n t e r | 2015 any years ago, when I was in broadcast sales, I had the opportunity to sell NASCAR broadcast sponsorships. Being a city girl from Pittsburgh, who could hop a bus, hail a cab and walk to any neighborhood destination, I couldn’t quite figure out the NASCAR fan fascination for driving fast and turning left. However, I loved my job and was thrilled at the opportunity to learn and pitch a new product to businesses who supported NASCAR. Our initial meeting to unveil the sponsor- ships were held on the Richmond International Raceway (RIR) track in Richmond on a blue sky summer day. I arrived early for the meeting and decided to take my own “test drive” on the track. Seat belt fashioned, sunglasses on, I guided my baby blue Subaru Legacy onto the track and gunned it. Windows down, hair flying in the breeze, I had no chance of being discovered as the next new female driver for the sport. My speed never exceeded 45 miles an hour! Quick reflexes while maneuvering speeds approaching 200 miles an hour was not in the cards for me. Upper body strength and a high tolerance for risk are other factors that determine success. The crew and the team rely heavily on the driver to optimize the car. Some knowledge of the car’s systems is key. What I didn’t count on or what I couldn’t see was the banking of the track. Most NASCAR tracks are banked from 12 degrees (Martinsville) to 36 degrees (Talladega) to create greater momentum and velocity through the turns. The main purpose of banking is to ensure safety without losing grip or traction particularly in the turn. While you are maneuvering through the turns it is important to look ahead. Stability on the track is created through banking as you maneuver throughout the turns. Drivers know that they will encounter surprises along the way; other drivers, weather con- ditions, car challenges, track conditions. Track lengths vary as well. Daytona 500 is 200 laps or 500 miles. The Coca Cola 600 is 400 laps. If you are banking on a fantastic 2016 you will want to balance what’s in front of you and what’s around the corner. The New Year provides another opportunity to get closer to the goals that mean so much to you, your business and your overall health. Here are some tips that have worked for me and my clients in looking ahead at a new year, new goals and new satisfaction for all the work that you have and will ac- complish in 2016. 1. Applaud your 2015 Highlight Reel – Before you race off (sorry for the pun) to 2016 goals, take a breath and a moment of time to take inventory in all that you have accomplished in 2015. Your comple- tion of work goals certainly had support from other areas in your life that served you well: time manage- ment, focus on health, relationships in balance and strong financial decisions. Research has shown that the brain needs applause consistently and calmly in order to form new behaviors. 2. Select the Track You Want to Be On – Not the Lane My feeling is that it is more important to know what race you are a part of than to stay in a specific lane. If you are making movement, it may not matter that you are in lane 10 or lane one. You are in a position to maneuver throughout the lanes because you are in the race. By being fluid with your goals, you will have the flexibility to stay on the track but the knowl- edge to select another option if that behavior is not getting results for you. 3. Pedal to the Metal – Many people think of new goals as a pressure situation. They think, “I must perform”. I would invite you to reframe the “pressure mental- ity” as a “privilege mentality”. You have new goals because you are a part of a growing and thriving organization. You have personal goals because you have a family you care about. You have financial goals because you want to move ahead in your ca- reer and enjoy the benefits of that hard work. Many people we encounter are challenged with no jobs, no families and no hope. What’s around the corner for you in 2016? Knowing that you have taken inventory of all that you have accomplished in 2015, the flexibility that reaching new goals requires and being fully fueled with the mentality of abundance, I know the track you pursue in 2016 will take you to the finish line. Joan Bowling – A 25 year broadcast sales, tele- vision & business veteran, coaches sales profes- sionals & business leaders to deliver confident and effective presentations to make the impact they want with their audience. President Elect National Speakers Association/Virginia; Area Director/Toastmasters; TedxRVA 2015 Coach. www.joanbowlingpresents.com Looking Ahead – What’s Around the Corner? By Joan Bowling M F E A T U R E