What would make this year a significantly better, more satisfying year for you?
- What would create a big upgrade?
- What would help you feel more [fill in the blank]… fulfilled, on-mission, alive, nourished?
- What would help you take on new challenges, get out of your comfort zone, and grow in new ways?
- What’s one thing you want to achieve this year that you’ve always wanted to do or experience, personally or professionally?
These are the questions my clients and I are sitting with this month. I know in my core that this year needs to be a radical upgrade from last year. Like many people, last year had its ups and downs, but in my ongoing commitment to evolution, I am ready for change. It’s time for the next growth frontiers both personally and professionally.
In the last few weeks, I’ve felt energized exploring these questions with many of my clients. One of my clients is working on establishing new systems and team roles in his company to free him up to do some big, industry-changing projects. Our work in session has been getting crystal clear on the changes he wants to make and creating a plan and timeline to execute. Our priority is to set him and his team up for success.
Another client is putting work in clear perspective – ruthlessly prioritizing her highest impact tasks while making more time for family and personal joys. In her case, boundary setting is a golden key to make that happen. We plan to follow up and ensure she stays consistent and true to herself as her busy schedule pulls her in many directions.
Another client is putting structures into place to uplevel her creative flow. Creativity often requires a perfect balance of structure and no structure – the right structures that allow freedom of structure-less flow! We have unpacked and reverse-engineered the things that foster her creativity to flow most freely. We are putting those structures into place consistently so she can be a content-generating-and-flowing machine.
So what is it for you that matters most this year? And what will help you make that happen? To most successfully follow through on the changes you want to make, follow these Seven Guidelines I’ve learned from many years of experience:
1. Clarity is Queen. You can’t create a plan, and take action, and move forward without a clear idea or vision of where you want to end up at the end of the year. It’s worth investing the time to gain that clarity.
2. Visualizing and feeling make it real. You’ve likely heard me say this before; neuroscience teaches us that when we visualize and feel a new reality it helps our brains take steps to manifest it. What do you want to feel, and what do you see yourself doing in 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year?
3. Break it down into bite-sized first steps. And then the next first steps and the next. Big change often happens through a lot of smaller steps. Each day and week, create the next attainable steps that ultimately lead you to greater change.
4. Consistency and repetition are critical. Most people lose steam on consistency, but I recommend creating daily rituals that remind you of your clarity and keep you aligned with your intentions. Some people recommend at least reviewing if not writing out your goals daily. When I have shared notes with clients, we put their goals for the year at the top of the sheet so we review them every session. Whatever rituals help you, it helps to automate them or build them into your daily routine. This will best ensure consistency, momentum, and progress.
5. Update and upgrade your goals as you go. At the minimum, review your goals, vision, and intentions in June or July (if not quarterly). Plan for it and put it on your calendar now! Are your goals still true and accurate for who you are today? How’s your progress going? What will help you elevate your progress or increase momentum? Think of things you’ve tried as experiments. What experiment didn’t work, and what did you learn from it? How will you pivot? What’s your next experiment?
It’s worth noting that a failed experiment can be incredibly useful; it sets you on a new path and encourages you to try something different. Failure is sometimes a necessary element of upgrades. I had several experiments this year that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped; ultimately, it was incredibly clarifying and it aligned me with new, next steps.
6. Think holistically. The biggest obstacle I’ve seen for people to realize their goals is when their intellect runs too far ahead of their hearts and bodies. Their subconscious will find ways to sabotage goals that aren’t in perfect alignment. Is your goal realistic for the rest of your life and your health? Is it in alignment with what your heart and gut brains also want? Does it ring with truth for all of you?
For example, I would love to facilitate more workshops and retreats this year. BUT… when I first stated that goal to myself, my body complained, “Retreats are a lot of work. If you increase the number of retreats, how will you take care of me before, during, and after the retreat?” It wasn’t until I created a plan to lighten my load – e.g., delegate, streamline, and systematize tasks – that I could get behind this goal/desire and feel it in alignment.
7. Have witnesses and accountability partners. These could be peers/colleagues or a coach or mentor. I serve as the accountability partner for my clients. Who supports you to stay on track and keep it real? Who celebrates with you and helps you upgrade your plan? It’s easy to lose steam when you are in a vacuum trying to hold yourself accountable by yourself. Most people overestimate their willpower and forget that they’ll have harder days when they don’t sleep well, have lots of stress, travel, other distractions, get sick, or whatever might derail them. So, when life challenges you to stay on track, it’s invaluable to have one or more humans to remind you of your values, priorities, and potential.
It is possible to create some extraordinary and powerful change this year. If you have a wild and crazy goal or desire this year, I highly recommend Marie Forleo’s book “Everything is Figureoutable.” As you see from the title, it gives you a step-by-step process to manifest even the wildest desires.
Whatever your truth is about how you want this year to go, I want to support you in realizing your potential. And I look forward to hearing about your next-level dreams!
Did this article resonate with you or inspire some new thoughts and ideas? Email me and let me know, I’d love to hear about it. And, as always, please share this article with anyone who could benefit. Thank you!
If you’d like more 1:1 support, let’s dig into your goals, dreams, desires, and mission this year; figure out what’s in alignment; and create a plan to execute. Let’s take this year to the next level. Schedule a session. New clients can schedule a free 30-minute intro session with me.