Just love a challenge which is why I couldn’t resist Maddie Grant’s meme (see my reply) or rthe latest from  KiKi L’Italien / Shelly Alcorn’s. There is certainly a part of me that abhors all the resolutions and cute exercises to set a tone for the new year. Let’s face it how many really stick or are even remembered?

Last year after a series of disappointments and angst about all that’s happening in society (not to mention broken resolutions), I started a habit that I have found to be even more satisfying and – yes helpful. Each night as I lay my head on the pillow, I thank God for at least one thing. If I can only muster one, so be it.

While I will certainly continue that, I thought maybe, just maybe I should give this New Year rite a chance. Then I had fun reading Lowell  Aplebaum’ s, Nikki Jekse’s and Jay Daughtry’s posts and was convinced to try.  So I reset my Twitter wall with my public To Do List and offer here the 3 words I think I’ll live by…

PACE

There are three aspects to this: (1) pace myself, (2) pick up the pace and (3) pacing those distracters, work for change. Yes the third reference is a true use of pace; as a preposition it means “with the permission of; with deference to; to express polite or ironically polite disagreement”.  (As an aside, pace is also a company or herd of asses—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486 … hmmm)

Pace has applications to my personal and professional life. In order to be a better dancer and triathlete, I am relearning how to use my body (wow I never realized how wrong my running stride and push-up form was, and how underutilized my core was!). Professionally, I need to both slow down the pace (yep let’s just say no, negotiate more time) and speed up the pace. The former refers to that nagging procrastination!

Lastly, two top goals this year are to help association’s shift their volunteer model and rethink their community model and so do that I believe I have politely disagree with clients and some of my peers. I tend to back-down in public (my first preference is to avoid disagreement and confrontation.)

BREATHE

My goal (and yes I’m 3 for 3!) is to focus on breathing deeply. I am starting with several 60-sec deep breathing sessions a day. When I am frustrated with the kids, client, or the driver in front of me, I am mentally forcing myself to breathe.  And, with the help of my trainer Neghar Fonooni, I am learning the art and science of proper breathing in exercise. (Check out her blog for great ideas to Eat, Live & Be Happy.)

This goes beyond my personal space, as I hope to bring this concept to my work. My volunteers (in our four associations) need more opportunity to breathe in their jobs. I hope to help them do this through stronger support, employing technology and coaching.

CHOICE

Everyone has choices. My volunteers have the choice to serve or not. My presidents have the choice to lead or manage or do. My clients have many choices to change or maintain status quo. My sons have choices in school and with their friends. And I have choices every day. My goal this year is figure out how to make better choices, faster and without guilt, and to help those around me do the same. On this, I am open to suggestions!

Not sure how I’ll fare in the end, but with this being Leap Year at least I get one extra day to try. I know that I will accomplish #2 thanks to my token …

What are your words or rites to bring in the New Year?

Maddie Grant kicked off a Meme, in response to Craig Newmark’s post, asking all association peeps to answer “how are you going to change the world in 2012”.

In 2012, I hope to help associations reinvent the volunteer model. With my intrepid partner, Peter, and a host of very cool peeps (like my fellow ASAE Executive Management Section Council team and good friend Leslie White), my goal is to deconstruct the volunteer model. Then, tapping cool examples from the community-service sector along with innovative ideas coming out of a few associations, we’ll explore lots of options, ideas and possibilities.

We know that volunteers are what make associations unique as organizations and fuel our success. But,  even as we in associations embrace new technologies and – to a more limited degree – new business models, we haven’t addressed the volunteer model. We are still recruiting, developing, managing and rewarding as we did decades ago even though this no longer works. ASAE's Decision To Volunteer study sent out an alarm in 2008 that we can expect a turnover rate in our most active volunteers of up to 28%.  It’s time to change.

We’ll get some help on this journey through ASAE. A group of us from the EMS Council submitted an idea for a think tank project that I understand has been selected for funding in 2012. Also, two of us from the Council have submitted a very cool session for Annual Meeting on the topic (fingers crossed!). And, we have an informal group of association execs who are exploring, through open conversations, new models and sharing their own association’s journey. (We welcome more to the table for those conversations – just contact me for details.)

Lastly, to help inspire people to volunteer for their association and to shine the light on the great contribution association volunteers make, we launched a Facebook page Association Volunteers! Join us there, like it, add your own comments, and celebrate volunteers you know!

Happy to hear from others … join the meme (hint, hint Leslie White, KiKi L’Italien, Cynthia D’Amour, Frank Fortin,  Kerry Stackpole, Kim Howard).