What are the most important roles in your life today?
Roles are where life happens. Roles are so fundamental to human identity that when we ask people to tell us about themselves, they always answer in terms of roles: "I am an engineer." "I am Jane's spouse." "I am a parent."
The trick is to keep them all in balance. The way each of your roles plays out in life affects all of your other roles.
Our brains naturally organize information in categories like roles, so organizing your life in terms of roles makes a lot of sense One of the most effective Q2 things you can do is to narrow your focus. Take the time to identify the few most important roles in your life today; evaluate how you think you are doing in each of them then define what success looks like in each role. This will give your brain the targets it needs to greatly enhance the decisions to make every day.
Making Your Roles Extraordinary
Now that you have identified and evaluate your most important roles, how do you transform them into something that will guide you and help you make better decisions about where you invest your attention and energy every day?
Anchor your purpose and passion in a Q2 Role Title.
Think broadly and deeply about one of your roles. What does success in this role look and feel like? Capture it in the title of that role. For example, change the title of "Housemate" to "Supporter," or "Photographer" to "Visual Artist." If you like it then keep it going with your other roles.
Craft a Q2 Role Statement for each role.
For each role, craft a brief statement that articulates the outcomes you are after and the essential activities or methods that will help you achieve them. You are not looking for a goal; you are looking for a combination of outcomes and activities that will guide your goals, plans, and decisions. Use this formula to help craft your statements:
"As (role title) I will (extraordinary outcomes) by (activities.)"
In addition to connecting to the motivational centers of our brains, clarifying our roles and goals taps into the deepest purposes we have in our lives. The Q2 time you take to think deeply about your Q2 Roles and Goals will help you tap into these deeper wells of motivation and high performance.
For more on Choice 2, watch this video with FranklinCovey's Global Productivity Practice Leader and lead author of The 5 Choices, Kory Kogon.
Invest your time, attention, and energy on your highest priorities. Register to attend a complimentary 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity webcast to learn how.
