Career
Ngozi Adebiyi: Punt aan the lijn! [Full Stop]
Punt aan the lijn is Dutch for full stop! On a recent trip, a group of us stayed briefly with a Dutch family, amidst banter and laughter one evening the phrase was used. Out of curiosity, we wanted to know what it meant, and it was defined for us as a line used to depict the end of a matter.
• Full stop
• Period
• End of discussion
• The end
As I pondered over it, it set me thinking….
What is it time to:
➢ Close out on?
➢ Retire?
➢ Say no to?
➢ Remove from?
➢ Delete?
➢ Take away?
➢ Erase?
➢ Clear out?
➢ Do without?
➢ Just simply end?
Punt aan the Lijn!. In other languages it is Finito [French], Nkwusi [Ibo] ni kikun duro [Yoruba] Shekinan [Hausa]. Point to the line in simple translation kept coming at me mentally and it set off deep questions, which I challenge you with today.
What needs to be pointed to the line at work? In life? Sieve through and introspect –
• What’s eating into your time?
• What’s keeping you from getting things done?
• What’s making you fall behind on deadlines?
• What’s cutting short your sleep or time at work or productivity?
• What’s making you tell fibs? Causing you to lie to your employer or family?
• What’s distracting you?
• What’s making you procrastinate?
• Who’s contributing in making you not achieve goals?
• Who’s causing you to get into trouble often?
• What are you spending on unnecessarily? Is it really an investment?
• Who is your advisor? Your sounding board? Are decisions in your interest or theirs?
• When do you need to stand up for yourself?
• Who seems to be the one dragging you back to old habits?
• Who is not respecting your boundaries? Consistently?
• How are your tracking on your resolutions & KPIs? Are you your greatest deterrent?
• How do you plan to make a change?
• When are you going to put a giant full stop in place in these areas?
Fire up a punt can the lijn where it’s most needed now. Time is fleeting and the business of life waits for no one. Make it count and know when to put a full-stop.
Photo Credit: Dennis Owusu-ansah | Dreamstime.com
