In the words of T.S. Eliot: “What we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
The beginnings and the endings are everywhere in our lives, yet as we approach the end of the year, my mind goes to the famous “new year’s resolutions” and how to give myself a better chance to accomplish them. What do I want to take over into the next year, what do I want to leave behind? What new paths do I want to explore?
I strongly believe, that, to maximize chances for success, any resolution one plans to make, should be well integrated into the larger ecosystem of one’s life. It needs to be backed by energy, and usually, this is created by putting passion, strong belief, and enthusiasm behind them. Last but not least, it should be easily absorbed by our minds. Writing, drawing, adding pictures is an excellent way to help them take a premium seat in the show of life. By doing this, we prime our unconscious mind to seek and find ways to reach our goals. Our unconscious mind can absorb and process, 24/7, a lot more information than our conscious mind. (for research on this, e.g., check the work of prof. Richard Nisbett – University of Michigan)
My approach is a four-step process, and I strongly encourage you to create your own. One valuable thing I learned from my coaching practice is that, in the end, I need to have a plan clearly laid out in time, a specific and feasible first step, and means to establish if I am on the right track, getting closer to my goals. Navigating through life is never a straight line – it resembles more to handling a sailboat: when the wind blows from the wrong direction, the skipper needs to take a zigzag course, but it always draws closer to the destination.
Reflect
The holiday season is an excellent time to slow down, and before making any resolutions, reflecting on the year that ends adds meaning and value to both the past and the future.
Goals: I usually start here: short- (up to one year), medium- (maybe a few years), and long-term goals (the ones for the next 10, 20, or 30 years). Did I reach or at least get closer to them? Or did I wander around or away from them?
Stakeholders: Who are they? What are their goals, and how aligned are they with mine? Family, company, clients, community, etc. Who is new? Who is out?
Actions: What didn’t pan out as planned? What could have I done better? Where did I do exceptionally well? What did I learn from all this?
If this kind of exercise is appealing to you, remember to be gentle to yourself when things did not work exactly as planned. Be generous, and appreciate the positive. Reflecting on ourselves is not always an easy process. We tend, at times, to dismiss both success and failure. Make sure you celebrate success and reframe failure as a learning.
Once the image of the past year is clear, and I could find some meaning or understanding, then and only then, I move on, and think about the resolutions for the next year.
Envision
I go again through the three dimensions, this time, with a forward-looking attitude. I make a drawing (I prefer the shape of a tree) of these elements and add inspiring photos.
Goals: What are my goals for the next year? Do my medium- and long-term goals need adjustment?
Stakeholders: Do my inner agreements with them still stand? Do they need to be renegotiated? (I am not referring, necessarily, to legal ones, but mostly to my own inner ones regarding the alignment with the stakeholders) Who could I get on board to help me reach my goals?
Actions: It’s important to be specific and integrate actions in the larger context of life. I use the same approach and check their impact on the other stakeholders and their alignment with my three time-horizons for goals.
Plan
They say in the entrepreneurial culture, that: “Ideas are two for a penny. Execution is the key to value creation.” Without a plan, execution stands no chance, and all decisions remain half a penny idea.
I take it seriously and plan for the actions to be taken, with time horizons and means for measuring if I am getting closer to my goals.
When I feel stuck, I break down the plan into really detailed steps until I know the first step I could do immediately and successfully.
And I write down, again, everything.
Observe
Now that I have a plan, a vision for next year, in writing and drawing, I get back to it, regularly. I briefly go through the three steps to check how I am doing.
I aim to do this every day for a minute or so, every week for half an hour, every month for an hour helps me stay on track.
I wish you a great year in 2021!