Making 2018 Our Best Year Yet

Now that Christmas is over, you might be like me; hunkering down in the quiet of the week between Christmas and New Years’, pondering plans to organize everything for the upcoming year, gathering healthy recipes (since I know I’m not the only one who gained about 10 lbs the last couple of weeks), putting together charts for exercise (darn it, I’m going to stick to my workouts this year!) and just basically regrouping and psyching myself up for a fabulous 2018.

What are your aspirations for the new year?  And does anyone seem to struggle as much as I do to get goals on paper?  I want to ask you a few questions to get your creative juices flowing and maybe, just maybe help you get those goals in an achievable form.

1. What do you want to see when you look back at the year in review next December? Do you want to see your interior design business do 10 kitchen renovations?  Or maybe, you want to save up enough to travel to the next destination on your bucket list.  What about finally forming your official LLC or corporation?  Write it down.  Now!

2. Next, what is it going to take to get there? Some things are more easily achieved than others and we all excel in different things.  For instance, many people are scared of the commitment of becoming a legitimate business and put off the legalities of it.  Others maybe excel at selling those 10 kitchen renovations but fail at the follow through in getting the jobs completed.  Spend some time writing out how you will get there, one specific step at a time.  And get help when you stumble in areas you aren’t as good at.  We all want to help each other succeed, so don’t be afraid to ask.

3. Now, you have to follow through!  Writing down the goals is one thing, but achieving them is another. Bottom line, there are 3 critical pieces of the puzzle in getting where you want in your business (or life) – you must have persistence even when the going gets rough, patience when it looks like things are never going to change, and you must follow through once things start moving!

Whether you’re an interior designer, or you knit doggy sweaters for a living, we all need goals in order to make progress in our careers and businesses.  Getting your goals on paper in an organized manner will help map things out.  Break down each goal into achievable parts.  If your goal is to lose 100 lbs, the thought is probably daunting.  But, if you break it down into small chunks, it can become reality.  Yes, you still need to see the big picture, but always bring your focus back in and only look at the day in front of you, the meal in front of you, that 30 minute workout scheduled for this afternoon.  Or on your first kitchen renovation, step back and only look at the first appliance to be ordered, the paint color choice, the flooring.

Everything else will happen in its own perfect timing, so don’t let yourself get overwhelmed and discouraged at the get-go.

Spend some one-on-one time with those goals today.  Take a break and do some recharging and regrouping with me this week in preparation for a stellar 2018!!!