As 2018 is coming to a close, your business (and your life!) deserves dedicated time for reflection and strategic planning as you look forward to 2019. So set aside the time to identify ideas and activities that will make a lasting impact in 2019.
Look Forward: Strategic Planning for 2019 Starts with Looking Back in 2018
Review Your Experiences in 2018
It’s all right to anticipate and look forward to a fresh new year when December comes. So how can you start planning for the next year?
Looking forward to the new year requires some time to think back on all the things that happened in the past. Start by looking back and reviewing 2018. Identify the areas in your business where you excelled, achieved, evolved, and experienced breakthroughs. Enjoy this opportunity to acknowledge your strengths and the times you were willing to step into your greatness. Even if you fell short of your ultimate goals, can you identify the areas you moved in the right direction?
Identify Areas for Improvement
Next, and with self-compassion, identify the areas of your business where there is room for improvement. Where would you like to do better or feel more confident? In what areas would you like to step up to the plate more frequently?
What Emotional Baggage Are You Carrying?
As part of this exercise, I’d like you to consider how we all have emotional baggage we’ve been carrying around for a long time. Some baggage is heavy and weighs us down. Some baggage is light and provides so much positive support for our dreams and aspirations that it almost carries us!
Welcome the Opportunity to Change
Take a look at your life. Are there areas where you feel dissatisfied? Would you like things to be different in your health, relationships, or career? How long have you been dissatisfied? And why haven’t you made a move?
For many of us, we like the status quo, we like being in our comfort zone, we enjoy our habits, rituals, and sameness. Occasionally, we SAY we’d like to see a change, yet we don’t do anything about it. All talk and no action is driven by fear of change. Our fear of change supersedes our dreams for a different and better life. And so we settle because things are “good enough.”
We all seem to have friends who refuse to change their eating habits, or begin exercising, stop drinking/smoking, or etc., until a doctor tells them their choice is to either change their habits or face the dire consequences of medications, limited mobility, hospitalization, or even premature death. The doctor’s frightening prediction of a shortened life full of suffering causes many to finally make a change.
Overcome Your Fear of Change and Accept New Challenges
Why do so many of us have to hit rock bottom before we make a change? Why can’t we resist our fear of change at an earlier point before the pain peaks?
Think about your life. Do you really aspire to be average and just good enough, or do you aspire to be the best you can be? To “get through” each day or enjoy each day to its fullest?
What often stands in our way is simply the fear of change. It can dissolve your aspirations before they have a chance to bloom. Pretty soon, you’ll find yourself reinforcing that fear with excuses you start to believe.
“I’m too old – too young – too tired – not smart enough – not experienced enough – too late – too early to make a change in my life.”
Manage Your Baggage and Set Your Goals
So, as you create your vision for 2019, consider the baggage you choose NOT to carry with you into the new year. Some examples:
- Procrastination
- Negative self-talk
- Avoidance
- Poor time management
- Low self-confidence, self-deserve, self-worth
- Fear of change, rejection, failure, success
Now, identify the baggage you choose TO carry with you into the new year. This is baggage that supports your success! Some examples:
- Joyful productivity
- Positive self-talk
- Daily activity to promote your business success
- Excellent time management
- High self-confidence, self-deserve, self-worth
- Courage to act
Proclaim Your 2019 Intentions
I find it helpful to write out your intentions. First, identify the baggage you want to leave behind:
- “I choose not to carry procrastination into 2019!”
- “I choose not to carry the fear of failure into 2019!”
- Or, “I choose not to carry the fear of change into 2019!”
Then identify what you really want to bring with you into the new year:
- “I choose to carry a positive self-talk into 2019!”
- “I choose to carry the courage to act into 2019!”
- Or, “I choose to enjoy each day of 2019!”
Set Expectations and Anticipate Positive Changes in 2019
Remember, your courage to choose wisely will come from your commitment to personal development. You can also write out your intention to pursue a daily personal development practice.
“I choose to embrace personal development. I easily find the time today and every day for my personal practice!”
Don’t just randomly travel into the new year. Choose your baggage carefully! Step into 2019 purposefully, with solid convictions, inspired dreams, and joyful optimism. You can also search for forward-looking quotes and put them up around your room or office for more motivation in the upcoming year.
It’s time to close out 2018 and any negative baggage and start looking forward to happiness in the coming new year. You can do this for both your business and your own life. If you’ve spent years crouched in all kinds of fear, then let this be the year you embrace Outrageous Courage.
As you look forward to 2019, what baggage are you carrying now that you want to leave behind? What positive intentions will you embrace and carry with you? Share your comments below.