Three Holiday Tips for a Happy New Year!
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Or so the song says.
In all actuality…it’s one of my favorites. Not because of the gifts, decorations, and food, but because this is the time of the year when I sit back and reflect on all that happened, during the year.
This is when I set the stage for next year and set myself up for success!
You see, nobody succeeds by winging it. Success is birthed from planning and discipline.
So, I want to share three little tips to help you get ahead of the game and make 2020 a fabulous year!
Tip #1: The Assessment
The Assessment is derived from a game my brother and I played on New Year’s Eve when we were young. If the past year had been a good one overall, we’d take a deep breath moments before New York’s Big Apple dropped on our family television and blow the air out at the turn of the New Year. We thought we could carry on the good “Juju” into the next year this way. Likewise, if the year had been less than stellar, we’d empty our lungs of air seconds before the clock marked the turn of the year and take our first breath free of calamity.
The Assessment is similar in that I take the first week of December to sit and reflect on the year. With pen and paper in hand, I ponder over a cup of coffee in the morning and decide what went well and what didn’t. What did I do, think, agree to, create, or change that pushed the needle towards the positive, and what did I do, think, agree to, create, or change that crashed in a fiery inferno?
Some memories make me beam with pride or laugh aloud and others make me cringe and shake my head in woe. Whatever, both lists look like…I own both of them.
Tip # 2: Take the Best and Leave the Rest!
I’ve noticed that humans spend a lot of time grieving the lost things. We spend one day a year celebrating our birth…one of the most miraculous things that have ever happened to us yet can spend the entire year beating ourselves up over a misdeed or poorly chosen words. The truth is, that we all fall short from time to time. That is a part of being human and although to grieve our mistakes is human and proof that we are no sociopaths, to grieve endlessly is debilitating.
During week two of December, I take a look at my two lists. The list with all of the good stuff…I cherish it! I do the happy dance and celebrate all of the right moves I made. That list is solid gold and is mine for the keeping. As for the “other” list…well, I take a good hard look at it and see what I could have done, thought, or said better. I ponder the role I played in creating that mess, capture the lesson, and then toss it!
Life is too short to undo everything that we failed at. Sometimes it takes longer to fix than it does to start over. Having said this, when it comes to personal relationships, I am a firm believer in The Reckoning. There is always time to apologize and make amends and the perfect time to do that is now. I’m able to move forward confidently knowing that next year is bound to be better.
Tip #3: The End Game
Week three and four are a pish posh of eggnog, festivities, and goal setting. What a mash-up! Call me ambitious but I love a good win. I step into the New Year with my eye on the prize and a well-thought-out plan to get me there. Many of us get to the end of the year not having accomplished much of anything and that is simply because we came to play ball without a strategy or the prescribed gear. Champions come prepared and this is a House of Champions…right?
As a Life Coach, I connect with my clients every week to make sure that they are on task. Together we discuss their desires for their life and define a vision for their future. The next thing we do is The End Game and map our way there. Much like any game of sport, it takes a number of strategic moves to win. So, together we set and map 2-3 big goals that move them closer to winning The End Game. No one plans to lose but without a plan, you are practically begging for the ‘L’.
Look, I don’t know about you but I have BIG plans for next year, and achieving them is going to require a lot of grit, a cup or two of resilience, and a whole lotta planning. However, failure is not an option.
Are you ready to burst into 2020 on “fiyah” and ready to win?
Is 2020 going to be YOUR year?
Then commit to the process, work the program, and make the investment.
I’m in it to win it and I hope you are too!
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Have you been wondering how Life Coaching can help you? Click the link below to learn more.
