As work slows down for the holidays and you begin to reflect on what you want for yourself next year, are you thinking about setting goals to solve your problems?

I hope not.

Instead consider, “What do I want to create next year?” You are full of gifts, capacity, intelligence, skills and love—you have everything you need to declare a new and exciting promise for yourself.

Peter Block, in his book Community: The Structure of Belonging, lists out a number of questions that can help you create a new context for seeing yourself and how you participate in the world. Here are a few questions to spark your mental circuitry:

• What is the “yes” you no longer mean? What do you want to say “yes” to instead?
• What is the gift you are holding in exile? What commitment to your gift are you willing to make?
• What is the positive feedback you receive that still surprises you? How can you share this gift more often?
• What could you do if you truly felt free?
• What are the new conversations you would like to create?

Now, picture next year based on what is possible for you. Please share it here if you are willing to make your declaration public.

There are many more mind-rattling questions in Peter’s book. I recommend the book both for personal transformation as well as for team and community development.

It’s time we change the conversations to be more generative than deficiency-based. Want to join me in this exploration?