If you’re committed to making 2018 your best year ever—to make the changes you want in your life, to become the person you want to be, to live up to your potential, to make your dreams real—here are eight ideas:
1. Define best.
What would make 2018 be the “best” for you? Make a list of what you want to achieve, of what you want to have done by the end of the year. Dig deep. Feel the wanting in your gut. Base your list on what will give you joy, fulfillment and growth, not on shoulds or as a reaction to your Instagram feed.
2. Word search.
I use this tool to find my word for the year. If a word is too limiting, you can also use a phrase or mantra. Put it somewhere visible to remind you of how you want to live in 2018.
3. List making.
Your start-doing list are actions you can take that will honor your word. For example, if your word is “balance,” your start-doing list can include:
- Have dinner with your family five times a week;
- Be aware of the seasons in your business and take advantage of the low seasons to build a life outside work.
Your stop-doing list can include:
- No phones on the dinner table;
- No checking of work email once you leave the office.
4. Choose well.
When making decisions, ask yourself: Does this choice align with my word for the year or does it take me away from it?
5. Review.
In The Sunday Night Journal, there are pages so you can assess your life every quarter. Questions include: What have I achieved that should be celebrated? What have I learned? What can I do better? What else am I committing to in the next three months? Do the same and ask yourself the following questions even if you don’t have a copy of the journal.
6. Assess.
Midway through the year, check in with yourself. Do your goals still resonate with who you want to be? Does the word sit heavily on your spirit, feeling more like an obligation rather than a joy? You can change your word midway through the year that matches what had already transpired and your changing priorities.
7. Resist or persist?
When you’re procrastinating on one of your goals, check in if you’re feeling resistance out of fear (What if I fail? What if I get rejected? What if no one thinks it’s good enough?) or a lack of alignment with who you want to be. Be honest. There is no best-year-ever police who will be running after you if you don’t meet your goals. Instead it will just be you feeling the twinges of knowing you could have done better.
8. It’s a process.
Hey, what you want for your life might take longer than one year. You might get distracted by bright shiny things. Your life might change in ways you didn’t expect at the start of the year. Have compassion for yourself. And understand that whatever lesson life brings you is exactly what you need to know right now.
