It’s the start of a new year. Everything smells fresh and you can almost taste the excitement from a world full of possibilities. You can do anything you want. You could do everything exactly the same way as you did it last year, or you could try something completely different. It’s up to you.
Paint the Big Picture
Whatever you decide to do, structuring your goals will help make them achievable. Vision boards can be a great way to start the process. A friend introduced me to them a few years ago, and I’ve been using them ever since. The idea isn’t to make an action list, but rather to help keep you focused on the big things you’re trying to achieve.
What do you aspire to achieve at work? With your family or friends? Bucketize things however they work for you, but make sure you’re clear on what the big things are. It’s worthwhile thinking about where you see yourself in 5/10 years, how do your goals for the year tie into that picture?
“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” – Melody Beattie
Be clear on your key pillars
Understanding your goals is a great first step. Getting there is the results of lots of small steps, and lots of small decisions. Having a few key pillars to help guide your choices, can make it easier to know what to say Yes (or No) to.
Your personal pillars are no different to the pillars you’d use to differentiate a product. What are you going to prioritise over other things? What makes the difference between attending an event or passing it up? Print them out & stick them up. This is something you want to come back to as frequently as possible. They’ll help you make that picture a reality.
Chris Brogan calls them lighthouses, he has a fantastic article about his 3-words and how this helps him. His blog details all of his ‘3 words’ dating back to 2006. It’s interesting to see how things have evolved & worth reading as you mull over your pillars. I agree with Chris that 3 is the right number, more is too unwieldy & less is too narrow, stick to 3. My three pillars (words) are:
Vivere. This is the Latin word for ‘live’, from the expression Memento Mori: Memento Vivere (remember you must die, so remember to live). It’s a reminder that I need to draw clear work/life boundaries and enjoy life. For the last few years I’ve been too engrossed in my work & I’ve neglected my own passions. That’s negatively impacted other areas of my life & left me more stressed. I only realized how stressed & overworked I was when I finally took a week off in Dec. This word is to remind me to focus on the rest of my life too. To be more disciplined about saying ‘No’ to projects & meetings that I don’t have bandwidth for. To decisively make space for everything else in my life.
Connect. Mid-last year I met some friends that I haven’t seen in a long time & it was great. Then at the tail end of the year, as the festivities began, we started to meet a lot more friends. It made me really happy. I also met a bunch of really smart people for the first time, they got the wheels in my head turning. People that are fun & that keep your mind sharp are rare. This year I’m going to meet more people & stay in better contact with the ones I enjoy.
Rigor. Leonardo da Vinci said ‘Every obstacle is destroyed through rigor’. It’s about being detail orientated, having discipline and not allowing obstacles to blunt my desire to succeed. Seemingly simple, this is probably the hardest of my three words. I need to thicken my skin and not be affected by rejection, criticism, or lack of progress.
Remember to cut things out
In our excitement to do new things & grow, it’s normal for us to take on more than we can reasonably do. Especially at the start of the year. If anything you’re doing isn’t contributing to your goals, ask yourself objectively “Should you keep doing them?”. Rigorously defend your time. Say no, or drop projects that don’t help you get where you’re going.
This year, I’m ready for some adventure. Whatever you do, I hope it goes great & have fun doing it!