Getting the outcome you want

Yesterday, we held a party to celebrate a great year of training. Some people filled a room with chatter and laughter, food and hugs and stories. We had a lovely afternoon.

More people could not reach us yesterday. Some had hoped to come, and couldn't. Others had other plans.

As I connect with the people who couldn't come to the party, I realize again that the party served my outcome in several ways. It is almost as nice to hear the good wishes from people who didn't get there as it was to connect with the people who shared our afternoon. My outcome was not so much to throw a particular kind of party as it was to make a particular kind of connection with people as they think back on this year and look forward to the next one. All the nice notes remind me that just inviting people made that connection.

They also remind me that I am lucky to have so many people I really enjoy making a connection with as I celebrate 2009 and look forward to 2010.

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