This Time Next Year – TPW326

This episode is being published just a couple of days before Christmas, during the time of year when I typically spend some time reflecting on the past year and setting intentions for the coming new year.  I thought it was a good time to talk about a process for doing that.   Getting from where you are to where you want to be When I think back over this year, there are four elements I am using to think about what I want to accomplish in the next year. 1. Remember - remind yourself of what has happened this year in your life * Make a list of the highlights of this year * What are the best things that happened (even though it's been a tough year) * Make a list of your accomplishments, big or small * Think about lessons you learned (we talked about that last week in episode 325) 2. Dream - where do you want to be this time next year? What would you like to be able to list as highlights and accomplishments? Envision what you want. Picture yourself this time next year, looking back... * How do you feel? * Who are you with? * What are you celebrating? * What memories are you savoring? Dream in all areas of your life (business/professional, health (physical and mental), and relationships). Remember we can’t predict the best things--they often surprise us. Remember to always leave room for the unexpected joys. But this is an exercise in letting your imagination go, so don’t limit yourself! 3. Evaluate -what you've been doing and what you want to do. * What do you want to keep doing? * Me: work out regularly; getting on the treadmill almost every day * What do you want to start doing? * Me: reach out regularly to old friends and new, sending cards or scheduling calls. * What do you want to stop doing? * Me: limiting myself by my own doubts 4. Plan - with the picture in your mind of where you want to be next year, think about this question: "How do I get from here to there? What needs to change, and what do I need to do to change it?" * Focus on your actions, such as the things you can do. You might not be able to change your circumstances, but you can change your actions, your mindset, and your thoughts. * Remember that our habits matter most--what we do regularly makes a much bigger difference than what we do occasionally. Choose one new habit to focus for the first quarter of the new year, one that’ll make a big difference.  * When will you do it? (How often? What days? Time of day”) * What current habit will you tie it to? * Choose the most important thing you want to do by this time next year, then reverse engineer and break it down. * If I want to be settled in a new job by this time next year, when do I want to start that job? When do I have to start the job search? What resources do I need? * If I want to have written a book, what day to I want to finish it? When do I need to start? How many words or pages a day would I need to write? * If I want to be at my ideal weight, when do I need to start, how much do I need to lose (or gain) each month, and what do I need to do to make that happen? * If I want to spend next year’s holidays in a ski resort or on the beach, when do I need to book the reservations? How much money do I need to save each month/week? * Identify the obstacles (Time? Money? Other people? Fear? Lack of confidence?) and brainstorm actions you can take to overcome them when they arriv...