What Will Matter For You In 2018
In a matter of weeks, 2017 will come to an end. This time of year brings about different emotions as we stop to reflect on all that has taken place. We consider what went well, where we fell short, and more importantly, those areas we will benefit by added attention. My encouragement is for you to take stock of this year and how you can parlay these experiences towards a successful 2018. January 1st is not a magical reset of the clock especially if no planning, preparation, or positioning has begun. This month will be a frenzy towards end of year challenges, closures, and desired changes in the new year. Now is the time to take stock on where you see 2018 heading. Visualize what the next year looks like in a professional and personal sense. I recently saw an old interview Oprah Winfrey had with actor Jim Carrey in February 1997. He recounted how he used to visualize his success and break-thru to the point of writing himself a check for $10 Million Dollars. He dated the check for Thanksgiving of 1995. Shortly before the date, Carrey recounted how he discovered he would in fact earn the $10 Million from his role in Dumb and Dumber. The point was that he visualized and took focused action towards bringing his vision to pass. In the hustle of bustle of the last month of 2017, take time to slow down and reflect on what you would like to see happen in 2018. What needs to change, be refined, or completely altered? What different steps need to be taken to change the narrative? Below are a few suggestions and items to consider...
1. Celebrate What You Actually Accomplished: Take a few moments to think back on some of your victories this year. More importantly, analyze the steps you took to being it home. Were you Prepared? How was your Discipline? Did you remain Focused? Whatever happened to create these positive results will once again be in play when you decide what is next. Embrace the feeling of accomplishment you felt to propel you towards greater accomplishments.
2. Write Down Goals: Until I stuck to this discipline, the results were scattered and unclear. Writing down exactly what you want to accomplish serves as an important road map towards where you are trying to go. Brian Tracy once wrote that you should write down your goals once a day. This added step described keeps them front and center. Writing them down is critical as there will be competing forces and distractions for your time.
3. Expand Yourself: Put another way, get out of your comfort zone. In my experience as a Task Force Consultant with the Carver Hotel Group, I regularly learned a new hotel, new staff, new areas, and sometimes a new time zone. This experience strengthened my willingness to develop new routines while remaining focused on the extraordinary opportunities around me. The key is to be willing to accept the uncomfortable feeling and staying with it. I have learned thru my experience that real growth is just beyond comfort. This mindset also allowed me to attract an opportunity earlier in the year that has allowed for more stability and the chance to get off the road.
4. What You Want: For once, think about what you truly want to do. Yes, there are certain considerations based on family obligations, financial pressures, and yes, life. However, challenge yourself to do something that you have always dreamed of doing yet resisted until now. My goal in this area is to write a book. I have long thought about it yet never acted upon it. Therefore, over the next few weeks, I am concentrating on what that book actually looks like and what it needs to say. This will be a stretch goal requiring focus, discipline, and action. We benefit by having someone who will hold us accountable. They are the annoying voice that keep us going long after we want to stop.
5. Enjoy The Journey: Above all else, stop every now and again to savor the beauty of life. In the hustle of everything, things become a blurry. Endless meetings, projects, family responsibilities, and over commitments can take the joy out of the simple pleasures all around us. Slow down and take some time to smell the life around you. Enjoy the moment of the NOW. It might be an ocean, mountain, or simply a visual in a park. I could include the sounds of laughter from your kids or the fulfillment from your spirit of service. Savor these moments and use them to bring things of importance back into perspective. These moments are what really matters.
6. Keep A Journal: When this was suggested to me in 2011, I was apprehensive. However, the habit of keeping a journal has served me well in two important ways. First, there is a discipline involved to make yourself do something everyday especially if you do not see an immediate impact. By writing everyday, it forced me to identify time towards reflection, emotion, and frankly, what I needed to do to continue pressing forward. Second, by reading my entries periodically, I have seen the growth and maturity in my thoughts and actions. The written word is key towards specifics and direction.
Whatever your aspirations, you can certainly do it. You have the gift, talent, drive, and determination to make it happen. However, fully engage in what you need to do such that things are done in order and to the level of promise qualified to have your name attached. I wish you much success in 2018 and look forward to sharing in your victories.