I has a Great 2013 because ….
Well – how did you do?
Did you achieve what you set out to achieve in 2012?
Did you make ambitious plans and fall short of them or did you make any plans at all? – If you did, well done!
I don’t know about you but making plans and actually achieving them is always challenging and at the start of the year I find myself at the start of that loop all over again making promises than often will never materialise!
A few years ago I wanted it to be a little bit different and I had my own creative and quite practical idea, which was inspired by a book I read called “The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander (a really interesting motivational book by the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and his wife who is an executive coach).
This idea is rooted in the power of visualisation – the principle behind this is that if you visualise what you want to achieve then there is a much better chance of it actually happening (unbelievers ….stop reading now !!)
Here goes ..
Take a pen and paper and simply write your diary entry in advance for your last working day of the year to come..
Imagine just before you switch off the lights in the office, before you head out the door to do some last minute shopping and enjoy a well-earned rest, you quietly write your diary entry.
It might go like this..
23rd December, 2013
Wow, that was some exciting and really fulfilling year!
It was a great year because I really achieved what I set out to both personally and professionally and even more besides because of those opportunities that cropped up that I wasn’t even expecting. At least I had my eyes open and when they occurred I spotted them and grabbed them.
I started the year with a few really clear goals including (go for it, be specific – list at least 5!)
I thought these goals were going to be really challenging, but I achieved these as I made a few important changes in my life that were necessary such as (be honest – what needs to happen for you to achieve those goals – your conditions for success).
It wasn’t all plain sailing and I had a few setbacks but I kept a clear focus on my goals, I kept a positive outlook and by digging deep and having a clear belief in myself and my abilities I managed to achieve them all in the end.
I’m glad I kept a positive outlook and kept my eyes open for those genuinely unique opportunities, which I know will only present themselves in this challenging economic climate – it made a huge difference to my business this year, which I wasn’t expecting.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 2013 – Bring it On!
Your signature (make sure you do this)
Put this in an envelope, place it in your top drawer and have a peep at it on the first day of every month (set a reminder in your computer to do this) and see what happens.
We did this with our full team at the end of 2010 and 2011 and I can tell you it worked out quite well, thank you very much!
We will do it again this time round – I’ll let you know how we got on in about 12 months’ time.
By the way I’ve just spent a year driving a really nice new car – guess what was on my list at the start of 2011!
…what are you waiting for?
Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion
