5 Steps to Kick off the New Year!

New beginnings are so much fun!

Those fresh starts feel so good. They fill us up with hope and promise.

We all have the same opportunity at the beginning of the new year. A chance to look back at what worked and what didn’t.

Choosing what to focus on and what to weed out.

Here are 5 steps to help you kick off the New Year in the right direction:

1. Make your mornings positive.

Years ago I read a book called Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven. He shares ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training but also throughout his life.

How you start your day affects the rest of the day. Instead of getting up on the ‘wrong side of the bed’, switch your mindset to the ‘right side of the bed’.

I’ve always found that it is a choice. No matter what happens. No matter what life puts in your path, you choose how you will respond.

Choose positive in the morning. It does your body and mind good and sets the stage for success.

2. Do some gardening.

Weeding and planting in the new year is imperative.

Intentional weeding. Getting rid of what doesn’t fit any longer. Both in the literal and the metaphoric sense.

An overgrowth of weeds will block your view. What closely follows is procrastination, unbelief in both yourself and your projects, a blockage of new growth, and a lack of hope.

That weeding and decluttering, can include both people and things. Ouch! Not always an easy subject to approach. We tend to develop a hoarding mentality that impedes our growth. Collecting things and people that stand in our way because we have become comfortable with them around us. No matter how they affect us.

Consistent planting is the next step. Once you have fertile ground, free of obstacles, planting is essential. Growth will begin before your very eyes.

It’s time to ask yourself some questions.

What do you want to achieve? Who and what is keeping your from achieving this list? If it is yourself that is slowing down the achievement, what has to change? What are you willing to change? What are you not willing to change?

I read a quote a couple of weeks ago, “If you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.”

Once you discover and uncover what that something is, it’s time to implement what needs to be done to achieve it.

Then the fun part, the harvesting can begin!

3. Put together a plan that is custom fit for you.

One with goals that fit in the acronym S.M.A.R.T. — Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time-Bound.

Putting a plan together isn’t always fun. Almost never convenient. But always necessary.

If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you have arrived?

Benjamin Franklin stated, “If you fail to plan, your plan will fail.” I’ve been the recipient of that truth many a time. It was only when I set out, intentionally, taking pen to paper, writing down a plan, and then walking in it, that success followed.

Take time to make that plan. Then set micro-goals along the path. I love micro-goals. Gives us the opportunity to have little celebrations along the way enabling that plan to end in fruition!

4. Work smarter.

A simple statement that can produce huge results.

Many of my clients have found themselves on proverbial hamster wheels. Doing the same thing over and over. Working harder and harder. Only to find themselves spinning the wheel faster and faster. Living in pure exhaustion.

It’s time to put that wheel to rest. Step off of it and work in a new and different way.

According to the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, 20% of your efforts will give you 80% of your results.

If that is true, wouldn’t it make sense to put all our concentrations on that 20 percent?

Make this the year that you uncover what that 20% looks like, take it into the above plan, and give it your all.

Success is just waiting to be found.

5. Learn something new.

This can be the most powerful tool in your life and business toolbox.

I like to start with reading. Set a goal to read 50 books a year. Wow, you say, that’s a lot. If you break it down, though, it’s one book a week. You can do that! Whether it is a physical or audiobook — it is an achievable goal.

There are a plethora of resources available to you online to learn something new.

Skillshare, MasterClass, Coursera, Khan Academy, Udemy, Babbel, Highbrow, and Linked In Learning (formerly Lynda), to name a few!

Pick one!

What can learning do?

Just for starters, it exercises your brain. Gets you out of your rut. Helps you to embrace change and growth. Keeps your mind and body engaged. Enhances your quality of life. Reduces stress. Provides confidence.

I can guarantee without a reasonable doubt, that putting the above steps into action will enable forward movement.

One of my favorite statements is that we were not created to always create alone. If you need someone to help you walk through any of the above, hire a coach or a consultant.

Investing in yourself, your business, your marriage, or fill in the blank, this year, definitely looks good on you:)

With Vizion, Sue:)