6 ideas to get you started on a bigger, better, bolder, more beautiful, bodacious and brilliant 2018!!!

I’m not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions per se. I am a bigger fan of the notion of ‘off with the old, so you can get on with the bigger, better, bolder, more beautiful, bodacious & brilliant’. After all, if you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.

My mum used to refer to me as unsentimental when it came to keeping old things like clothing, knick knacks and furniture. I learned to be. In one 12 month period way back when in my late 20’s, I moved 7 times. It helped me develop ‘the muscle’ required.

Well your career and life are the same. Some of us keep on piling on with new ideas, bigger ‘n better goals, maybe an increase in pay or two, along with more and more responsibility … until the wheels start to fall off.

Getting laid off, or having a career/life defining moment where you’re forced to re-evaluate, while incredibly tough in the moment, can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. Think of the old frog in a heating saucepan analogy. And the phoenix rising from the ashes.

Sometimes you didn’t know you were better off out until something happened, and then you got out.

In the absence of getting laid off, or having a career/life defining moment, here are some tactics you can use to force yourself to re-evaluate so that you don’t get caught out in the future.

1. Write yourself a list of 50 things you are grateful for achieving in 2017. Personal AND professional. Don’t hold back. You may have had the worst year ever, but in between there will be some gold – a new friendship, a significant learning, an opportunity. It will not only remind you of the wins and achievements, but help you reframe the things that didn’t really go your way, and also help you identify opportunities or room for improvement in others.

2. Do set some goals and targets for 2018. But along with your goals, identify how you want to feel when you achieve those goals. Try setting your goals with an abundance mindset, an ‘effortless ease’ approach with some health, wellness and energy qualifiers attached. Landing a salary of $450K might be a great goal, but is it doing work you love with people you like working with? Is your voice respected and are you making a difference? Don’t forget to ditch the old ‘hard work’ or ‘busy is better’ mindset so you don’t wear yourself out in the process, ensuring you get there fresh as a daisy, or skidding in with a glass of bubbles having the time of your life instead.

3. If there was one big, hairy, audacious move you could choose to execute that would help you achieve your goals, what would that be? On a scale of 1 – 10 (with 10 being incredibly scary) how much does this scare you?  If you answered 8, 9 or 10, then it’s big enough. Put it on your list.

Don’t let the big, hairy, audaciousness of a move scare you. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

4. Do a drain and sustain audit. If you’ve worked with me already you know how good this is. Don’t delay, do it today! And then schedule it again for 6 months time.

5. Ask yourself –“whats the dumbest thing I do around here?” Make a list. You’ll find heaps. Your staff can do this too. Once you’ve identified a few, get rid of them. ASAP.

6. Another variation on #3, #4 & #5 is to examine your plan for friction points. Where in your life do you have friction? Last year I did this process on my travel, because as much as I love travelling I don’t sleep well in hotels which wears me out (friction). Instead of grinning and bearing it, I now have corporate arrangements in Sydney and Brisbane, in hotels I know I can get a solid 8 hours. Easy peasy. I can’t wait to get started again!!! (Sydney tomorrow).

If you want help with any of this, let me know. I’m doing it all myself right now as I prepare for #WomenOfImpact2018 kick off.

And remember – you can think about an apple, you can study it, teach others about it, video it or put photos on Instagram of said apple. But until you eat the thing, you don’t really know what the apple is like.

So just do it.

Then let me know when you’re done!