WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE NEXT 12 MONTHS?

Most of us begin thinking of the next 12 months even before New Year, and planning what we hope to achieve. It’s time for everyone to figure out their New Year’s Resolutions which they probably won’t keep, and wonder what the state of the world will be by next January.

That’s what we’ve done year after year, until some finally decide to ditch the New Year’s resolutions and spare themselves the angst of not ‘performing’ and all the spin-off negative emotions. I, for one, am not in either category. I’ve decided, some time ago, to do things differently, and perhaps you’ll find this something you’d like to consider.

First of all, I’m going to map out the next 12 months very simply and add to each just one thing I’d like to accomplish. It may be business related, or it may be personal.? It’s not going to be anything that’s too complicated. Each one must be something I can do myself without running into too many obstacles.

“You’re taking it easy on yourself!” I can hear you say. Perhaps, but, hear me out. There’s a reason for this. And it’s not because I’m slack, lazy or unambitious. Quite the contrary. I’m putting fuel in the tank so the engine can run!

You can probably relate to this: As life gets busier and things are generally becoming more challenging, it’s taking more out of us. Hence all the self-care and self-awareness advice we see on LinkedIn. Yet, even with all this advice, we still tend to get bogged down in the nitty gritty, everyday things that need to be dealt with, and some that cannot be delegated. That can make us feel pretty overwhelmed at times, even when we love what we do - and I do love what I do. Helping people have more time for their lives is just about the most rewarding thing I can think of!

So, as I said, every month in 2024, I’m going to have a single goal I set myself. Not just any goal, mind you, but a goal to do, or achieve one thing that I really want to do and will enjoy doing.?

Now, I’m not saying that setting this single goal means I’m not going to plan any other business, or personal, goals. Of course, being CEO of Optevo , and someone with many personal commitments, that would never work.

But, the single goal I’m talking about is something entirely different. It’s going to be something that is not too difficult to achieve and yet will give me a feeling of accomplishing something worthwhile.

For instance, it might be something as simple as going for a walk every day for a month. Or, it might be visiting somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit, or previously enjoyed visiting, but never seem to get around to going to. Or, it might be reading a book I’ve been wanting to read. Or, it might be getting in touch with someone I haven’t seen for a long time, just to catch up. Or, it might be spending 10 minutes each day chatting one on one with a team member, just to see how they’re doing.?

Achieving these kinds of goals won’t take much time and it will be a break from the normal routine. It will be enjoyable.? Accomplishing something, while also enjoying doing it, will, I’m sure, feel great and be uplifting.

But, the impact goes even further. They say that a body in motion tends to stay in motion, while a body at rest, tends to stay at rest. In other words, the momentum created by doing something I want to do, and enjoy doing, creates a momentum that expands into all the other things that I need to do. Plus, it’s also a way of decompressing and helps prevent feeling overwhelmed.

What do you think about this? Do you think it will work? Have you ever done anything similar, and if so, how did it work for you?

I’d love to hear about this in the comments.

#Motivation #Leadership #2024