How was your 2018? Did you achieve everything you wanted to? Did you achieve anything on your list? Overall do you feel 2018 was a great year for you? Or, was it a more challenging year for you?
Step #1: Pause and Reflect
Whether you ended 2018 on the mountain top or in the valley, you owe it to yourself, your goals, your dreams and visions right now to set yourself up for success in 2019! What can you do? Read on!
Notice that I began this post by asking you questions? I encourage you to schedule a pause in your life as soon as possible to truly reflect and think about your 2018. During this pause turn off all of your technology, grab a pen and paper (a journal would be awesome!) close the door to your office, or get out in nature, go for a hike, grab a glass of wine, put a fire on and think about these questions:
- What worked for me in 2018?
- What didn’t work for me in 2018?
- What goals did I achieve?
- What goals did I not achieve?
- Wait…did I even have any goals???
- What would I have done differently if given the chance?
Step #2: Create a Game Plan
Taking the time to think about your 2018 is a great first step-but it’s only a first step. Now it’s time to create your game plan for a successful 2019. Start with making a list of goals for the year. If you need some help in brainstorming start with this phrase…
“By this time next year…”
Then list what you want to have accomplished by this time next year. Here are some examples:
- “By this time next year I will be promoted to…”
- “By this time next year I will have exercised three times a week, every week.”
- “By this time next year I will increase my sales by 10% over last year.”
- “By this time next year I will have read four books focused on my personal and professional growth.”
- “By this time next year I will be debt-free.”
- “By this time next year I will start my own business.”
Once you have your 2019 goals WRITTEN down (this is crucial folks) then you’ll want to do the next step throughout the year…
Step #3: Pause and Reflect
This step is very important-you need to take time throughout 2019 to PAUSE and do a status check on how you’re doing towards accomplishing your goals. I encourage you to block out time in your calendar, or simply set calendar reminders for the future to remind you to block out time to pause and reflect. Friends, this will NOT happen if you’re not intentional about it, so be sure to block out the time or set a reminder to block out the time.
Then during your “pause moments” look at your goals and evaluate yourself honestly on your progress. When your goals are right in front of you it’s easy to know if you’re moving towards them, stuck in neutral or going in reverse!
Create an ongoing game plan based on your progress (or lack of) with these three key questions:
- What do I need to start doing?
- What do I need to stop doing?
- What do I need to keep doing?
Follow your roadmap throughout the year and watch the amazing breakthrough you’ll experience, by this time next year!
Happy New Year!!
