Setting Intentions for the New Year

Most of you know my annual ritual of naming my years.  In naming my years, I will it into what I want it to become.  My favorite time of the year is the period between Christmas and New Year.  I love Christmas, don’t get me wrong! I love the joy in my kids’ faces and the feeling that just for a moment the world has stopped, and all is well. But as soon as the presents have been opened and the Christmas tree is taken down, my type-A personality kicks into high gear.  I love that I get an annual do-over where I have absorbed the lessons from the previous year and start adjusting for the coming year.  In this role of CEO, there is so much to figure out and although it is all “figureoutable” (taken from one of my favorite authors and speakers – Marie Forleo) I need this time to breath and set the tone for the new year.  Is our team healthy and happy? Do we need more roles or consolidate roles? Do we need to add to product blend or focus? What does the industry and the world look like in the coming year?  Do we have gaps in our offering? Where can we improve our service to our clients? 

For this past year my name for the year was “In-Focus”.  And was it ever! I set many aspirational personal and professional goals and was so focused on making them happen that I barely came up for air. I literally traveled all 4 corners of the States and then some. Delta loves me!

I started the year of “In-Focus” by setting my calendar. I followed Rachel Hollis’ method of starting in December and spending serious time investing in planning 2019.  I began with my family. By the time 2018 was near complete, I realized that I had spent very little time focused on my family and husband outside of the must do’s – soccer, work events, work travel, etc. and I did not want to repeat that behavior. If it’s in Outlook, then it’s set in stone as far as I am concerned. By creating appointments in my calendar with date nights with each of my kiddos and my husband as well as girl trips, supper clubs, and personal trips, I was able to focus on what was the most important to me. I was then able to build out my calendar from there.

I went through all of the events, tradeshows, networking events, and associations that I was part of in 2018 and took a hard look and analyzed each one where my time and finances were focused.   Many of these events I had been part of for year and yet they were not fruitful. Many were time suckers. So, as Dr. Phil asks, “Is this working for you?” – Nope?! Peace out and off my calendar you came.  

My rule for tradeshows has a longer cycle to determine its viability. I believe in the 3-year test rule. The first year that you attend a show, you are getting your feet wet. Not too many people know you, they aren’t seeking you out, and they may not even know who you are.  The second year, my feet are wet, I have followed up with you, made some new friends, and people recognize my brand from the marketing and communication that we have produced, and we have hopefully started doing business together.  The third year, that is my clencher year.  This is the year that we determine if we have made our ROI the previous years.  I took a hard look at the shows that we attended and sponsored and determined which ones we would be continuing with and which ones we needed to say bye-bye. By purging out what wasn’t working, I was able to open up room for what is fruitful and successful.

 From there, I defined my goals and spent a tremendous amount of time in this space. Where are my weaknesses? What is something that I always wanted to do but never had the “time” to do? What scares me the most? What pushes me? Where am I falling short? I start each year with at least one personal and one professional goal. For 2019, my personal goal was to learn how to ballroom dance. Matt (my husband) and I attend events throughout the year and we still dance like we are at our 8th-grade formal.  So, we signed up for dance lessons. Although we were only able to have the patterns down, we were able to spend time together, turn many of the lessons into date nights and are also more confident on the dance floor (without just swaying to the music).  

Professionally, my goal for 2019 was to do more public speaking.  This was a huge fear of mine that I needed time to develop not only for myself but for my organization. I started by taking baby steps. I joined our local Toast Masters and met with them regularly to develop my confidence and handle the nerves when approaching the podium. I developed a few webinars where I was able to speak with the assistance of my laptop and notes without the audience seeing me and focus on the flow of words without stressing about the performance.  And then, it was time to work with a speech coach to create and develop my speeches throughout the year and make sure that I was able to deliver them effectively.  Although a skill I am still working on, I no longer have the fear of the stage and am able to deliver messages more clearly without the shaking of my voice. 

Personally, I refocused my mental state and my physical state. 5:00 AM comes early but changing the time of my workouts from the evenings to the mornings has assured that I actually get them in on a regular basis. I had previously worked out in the evenings and by the end of the day I was exhausted or there was someone else that needed my time. I also added a 15-minute meditation afterward to start the day clear headed and physically ready to manage the day.  It’s a marathon from the time I wake up to the time my head hits the pillow and I needed the strength and endurance to manage the demands both personally and professionally. By staying diligent with my health and mental state, I am able to take the time necessary to align appropriately. None of this was easy. I had to find the system that worked for me. 

Every part of 2019 was In-Focus.  You see, I needed to be focused to set my calendar, my goals, areas of improvement and now as we are winding down 2019, it’s time to start layering what I learned. So 2020 will be the year of intention.  Being intentional is planting the seed for the future. Now that I have my daily routine, my focus, and my parameters, I’m able to strengthen the goals that I had set from last year and continue to layer upon them and become more intentional on the coming year.  2020 will be the year to grow the seeds that have already been planted and continuing to plant new seeds for the following year. It’s about cultivating what I have already learned and developing them into something greater. It’s one foot and then the other.

I have spent the past few days building out my calendar for 2020 filled with new hopes, dreams, and goals.  Personally, I’m focused on going back to school.  It’s a battle for me to continue to learn and grow but I’m determined to be better today than I was yesterday.  I’ll be attending executive leadership classes through Cornell and Dartmouth both the first and the latter part of the year. I don’t know what I don’t know, and this is the best way for me to become a stronger leader.

Personally, Matt and I will be continuing with ballroom dance lessons and although we may not be the next Fred and Ginger, you won’t see us swaying anytime soon.   Health-wise I’m heading to my first half marathon – wait, what?! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger … or something like that.

The Intandem Promotions team continues to build, grow, and thrive.  Now that we have developed new systems and processes, our intentions are back where they should be – with our clients.  Our intentionality is on the full user experience from the time that we receive a request through to the delivery of an order. We are ensuring that our values are aligned with the experience that our clients receive. 

When defining our focus for 2020, I found this quote from Oprah Winfrey that I love:

“I am a person who lives my life based on intention. I don’t do anything without intention because intention determines the outcome of your life. It’s like cause and effect.”  

And with that, we are looking forward to a very intentional 2020! 

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InTandem Promotions is a branding and promotional powerhouse. We work with our clients to focus on branding with purpose and create a targeted approach to your branding needs. We understand that connecting with a target audience is the secret behind every successful promotion. But you want more than a fleeting impression. You want a deep connection with lasting impact. At InTandem, we dive deeper to connect deeper. We take the time to understand your company’s needs and goals. Then we immerse ourselves into understanding your target audience and begin the search for that customized solution that engages on a whole new level. A human level. Let’s connect.

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