On the evening of Tuesday 4th January, still reeling from the news of another national lock-down during the dark, cold and moody months of January and February, I texted the following to a couple of friends…
And the rest is history as the energy grew exponentially from there, propelling me through the next 6 weeks which, major life events aside, has been the best 6 weeks I can remember.
SWAN stands for Six Week Accountability Network and it’s called that because the metaphor of a swan, exemplifying control and strength blended with compassion seems relevant. This is the third iteration of the name so it, like the network and its members, is improving all the time. I tend to label each cycle according to position within the year so the six week cycle commencing on Monday 22 February will be called 2021SWAN#2.
SWAN is the small Whatsapp groups, made up of energetic entrepreneurs, exercise enthusiasts, personal growth hobbyists and anyone who wants the solidarity of being part of a group of smart people who want to get better at whatever they do.
Feedback from members of 2021SWAN#1 has suggested that a larger Whatsapp group of members who don’t know each other so well would be less effective at achieving the goals since members would feel less open to sharing their goals and the frank and honest conversations that support progress towards them. So membership of the groups remains small and limited only to individuals who have chosen to work together.
In our multiple small Whatsapp groups, we check in at least weekly, sharing successes and areas to improve. We discuss particular challenges, receiving advice and support with honesty, wisdom and compassion. And the coversations of personal growth, productivity and mindset are fascinating.
If you’re reading this on the weekend of 20-21 Feb 2021, I am inviting you to form your own SWAN group, either with me and/or with others.
If you’re wondering what a typical set of goals could look like, I share my own from 2021SWAN#1 below. I’ll share another post to talk about the quality of these goals but for their faults (I probably knew I couldn’t have a product en route to the Amazon factory, or actually do 30 mins of exercise every day) these are what I set.
My 2021SWAN#1 6 Week Goals
- 42 (i.e. 1 per day) Videoed Solutions of the hardest GCSE Maths Questions, as voted by my class during their recent exam preparation
- A product en route to the Amazon FBA Warehouse
- Set and achieve 3 SMART Teacher Development goals in agreement with my mentor
- 30 minutes of exercise plus 50 push-ups, 100 squats, 100 seconds of plank per day
- Minimum of 1 hour completely present with my Son per day
- My Son doesn’t see my mobile phone, apart from taking photos
- Maximum £20 unplanned (less than 1 week in advance) spending per week
- Read ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’
Next Steps
If you feel like the energy from being part of something as (in my opinion) amazing as a SWAN group is something that would electrify, motivate and propel you through the next 6 weeks, send me a Whatsapp. If not, no worries.
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