Ending well, starting new
Bill Powell
Seasoned copywriter and marketer who helps high-tech, manufacturing and service organizations powerfully communicate with their markets
As 2018 draws to a close and 2019 beckons, take some time to both finish well and to consider what you’d like to focus on in the coming year.
Plan to complete a select group of key projects or responsibilities so you can look back at this year with a real sense of accomplishment. Preferably, the tasks you cross off your list are truly significant in terms of moving you toward your ultimate goals—whether personal or professional. Some may be something you just need to get off your plate. On the other hand, you may decide that some tasks you’d planned to complete really aren’t that important and simply erase them from your “do list” for a season or permanently.
One of the end-of-year tasks we may have, is asking our self what did and didn’t work in 2018, and then deciding how we want to alter our behavior and course for next year. I remember a talk about life/time management where a speaker used a glass jar with several rocks, as well as many pebbles and several tablespoons of sand in it as a visual aid. His point was that we needed to ensure that we put the rocks (the most significant tasks) in first, and then the pebbles (slightly less significant tasks) in second; the sand (the least significant things) would naturally fill the spaces around those things. That simple illustration shows us why people often end up with too much sand in their days.
What are your personal and professional “rocks” for 2019? Maybe one is deciding it’s time to explore business ownership—whether it’s starting a business, buying a business or buying a franchise. It’s a big decision, but one that may be worth your time so you learn what you don’t know and minimize your regrets. Even if you decide to explore business ownership now, it needs to be the right thing at the right time for the right reasons to move forward.
One of my mentors once told me: “God loves you … and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Make sure you’re working the right plan—for the balance of 2018 and for 2019.
Bill Powell, Franchise Consultant, FranNet MidAmerica, 513.235.4451, [email protected]