While this is a great time to do your business planning for 2006, there are some other important ways you can tweak your personal operating system to bring success to you with less efforting. Shift some attention from working on the "what" to working on the "who" you are going to be in 2006 and you'll tap into a natural flow of attracting what you want!
- Right now, visualize your perfect year. Ignore the committee in your head if they start in about being reasonable or knowing how. A big goal that excites you in its possibility can get achieved and is more likely to be fun, stretch your mind, your capabilities and your thinking. Small goals lead to more-harder-faster thinking and working, rather than forcing you to do re-design. Think of transforming yourself into a butterfly instead of becoming a faster caterpillar.
- Simplify what you say "no" to. This could be the most important decision to make for the coming year. The actions that made you successful last year won't yield the same harvest this year.
Markets are changing.
- You need to weed the field before planting new ideas. Let go of the bottom 50 percent of your marketing efforts if they didn't give solid results last year and reposition your marketing to the low hanging fruit. Stop doing things because everyone else is or because you think the seller expects it. Use your sales skills to educate the seller to what does work and why.
- Make room for the new business. Throw out old stuff. Let go of the high maintenance, energy vampires. Upgrade your rolodex.
- Say "no" to people and obligations the memberships in groups you don't enjoy.
- Say "no" to the things that you are less than passionate about.
- Continually raise your standards. This is one of my favorite! While I believe a business plan can be very useful, I see lots of people with plans that are in no way empowered or excited about their plans. On the other hand, I see successful people who are solely focused on continually increasing their skills and value by raising the bar at every opportunity. Each day ask yourself this question," How can I do this (whatever process you are doing) better?" Then implement. Put the change into your systems, procedures or habits.
- Practice extreme self-care. The word "selfish," has a bad connation in our society. Here's the rub. If you don't take care of you, there is no golden hen to lay the eggs. There are a billion fabulous ways you can pamper and reward yourself.
- Leave behind any hate or resentment. It doesn't mean you have to accept happenings or mistreatments, but it does mean you will no longer burden your psyche with resentment.
- Quit being so tolerant. Now this may seem like terrible advice in our day and age, but are you tolerating a messy workspace? A lack of systems in your business? Lack of time or money? Start 2006 by zapping these tolerations. Set boundaries with others. Set times to clean up.
- Practice gratitude. The amazing wealth that surrounds most of us gets overshadowed by our longings for what we don't have yet. Each night, write down 5 things that you have to be grateful for.
- Expand your community. Who's part of your team/community? In 2006, if you expand your team, you'll accelerate your business. Quit trying to be so darned self-sufficient and include others in your expansion of your business. Yes, this does mean you will sometimes have to give up the control freak part of yourself. Can you do it?
- Pay It Forward. The premise of the novel by Catherine Ryan-Hyde, Pay It Forward is something that any person can implement in his or her own life, at any time. It begins with doing a favor for another person -- without any expectation of being paid back. Then make a request that the recipient of that favor do the same for someone else: ideally for three other people. The unconditional favors can be large or small. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Make the world a better place by giving before you are asked!
- Accept the present. This doesn't mean to "settle," rather be content with small victories. You are alive; you have food & shelter. While everything may not be your preferred state -- it is where you are, based on your total life experiences and choices. It is the only place the future can be built from. All of your challenges and road blocks have given you valuable lessons to help with the future. Even if everything in your life isn't your idea of perfect, start to more fully cherish what you do have.
Some work on the personal operating system will position you to be all that you can be in 2006! Will you be having your best year ever? I hope so!
