Five Questions to Slingshot You into A New Year
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
I’m not talking about the holidays - although I do love Thanksgiving and Christmas more than the average person (You’re telling me you don’t start listening to Christmas music on October 1st?).
The reason I love this time of year is because everyone is talking about goals. I am a HUGE goal nerd - so much that I carry a giant penny in my pocket and leave a finger trap on my desk when I’m coaching. I’ll tell you more about that another day.
Maybe you’re a goal nerd like me, or maybe this is a frustrating time of year for you. Perhaps you’ve made resolutions in the past that haven’t stuck, or perhaps you struggle to think about goals when you have no idea what the following year will hold.
Wherever you find yourself in relation to goals, I want you to have the best year possible. Because of that, I’ve written a few questions that will help you start strong and finish well.
What is my life calling? Each person has something they care about more than anything else. It could be your faith, your family, the impact you make in your career, or something else. Whatever the case, I encourage you to reflect on what your top priority is, and plan your days around it as often as possible. This is important because it’s far too easy to let what’s urgent take precedent over what matters most. When you know what your values are, you’ll be able to better block out distractions and make decisions that reflect your top priorities.
What went really well last year? When you start thinking about new goals, it becomes easy to focus on struggles, weaknesses, or past disappointments. Improving in these areas is good, but at the same time, don’t lose track of all the good things you already have going on. Take time to patch holes while also continuing to build on the foundation.
What are my core strengths? This question pairs really well with question #2. Again, there’s value in creating goals around areas of weakness where you’d like to see improvement. However, what if our focus in the new year was more about improving on areas of strength and natural giftedness? You could go from being good to great, or great to elite, in a skill that you already have. This will give you the maximum potential for success and impact.
What do I want to be true at the end of the year? Stephen Covey illustrates this concept perfectly in his well-known book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” where he challenges his readers to “Begin with the End in Mind.” It’s a simple, but powerful, activity. Imagine yourself at the end of the year, looking back on a successful twelve months. What has happened? What have you done? Equally important, who have you become? How have you grown and changed because of what you have seen and experienced in the past year?
Who’s going to help me get there? I have a friend who often tells me, “If you want to go fast, run alone. If you want to go far, run with somebody else.” The most successful people in the world aren’t afraid to ask for help. In fact, they realize how foolish it is to run towards their goals without help. Don’t be afraid to ask for support or advice from a friend, colleague, or mentor, especially if you believe that accomplishing your goals is more important than upholding your ego (and you should).
Before you move on, take some time to reflect. How are you feeling about the new year? Write your thoughts down in a notebook and keep them in a safe place so that you can look back when the year is over.
