Pulling A Plan Out Of Overwhelm & Chaos.

It is that time of year. A time when everyone begins to talk about the “new year” and hoping that it has happy, better, bigger everything. That we all become “better” in business, in our personal relationships, and in our own eyes.

 

That can be a bit stressful for some. Well… perhaps for more than some. Depending on how you look at your past year.

 

If I look back at the past year, and I see a long list of “stuff” that I did not get done, or did not go the way I had hoped, then I end this year feeling like I failed.

 

That energy, in that state of mind, makes looking at 2018 as a helluva lot of work… without a lot of “extra hours” and “extra money” to take care of that workload. It also can be tough to believe progress is possible when I am looking at a list of last year’s potholes and brick walls.

 

If instead, I look at the past year looking for my “wins” and making myself look at what I DID get done, what went well, and what progress was made, then I look at the next year with some confidence that I will be capable of kicking more business butt in the next year.

 

I don’t know a single business owner who has a calm, uneventful, always consistently stable and predictable company. The entrepreneurial mind is creative, and it is wired to continually think about how to make business “better.” Not always because things are broken, but because entrepreneurs want to push the limits and be “the best.”

Best work. Best customer service. Best sales. Best profits.

 

I also don’t know a single business owner who does not have a thousand different things on their mind that they want to fix, solve, figure out, or try not to forget. And with the added “noise” of texts, emails, calls, videos, and all of the cool tech gadgets that can distract you and entertain you, it can be a bit tough to get the clear headed thinking time to make a “plan” for the new year and have clarity on where you want to head… and why.

 

This is why some of the best business minds I know travel to do their planning. They attend a workshop or a planning course, and force themselves to pull out of their normal routine and distractions, and get the thinking work done. The key of the success of those courses sometimes is not the actual framework of the materials, but just the simple fact that you pulled people out of their normal environment and got them to focus and think differently.

 

I was on an industry forum recently (the Strategies for Success forum) where a host of business owners, some very successful, were sharing what resources they use for planning.

 

What was interesting was that a number of these business owners wrote me personally, asking to see what I use for pulling my plan together out from the middle of the chaos of everyday business and “life.” There was a hesitation to publicly post for the help, which I completely understand. When you are “in charge” of your company, it can be uncomfortable to stand up and say that you don’t have an area of your business dialed in.

 

The interesting thing was not the requests for help. It was that we ALL are in the same place, looking to do things even better, and even the best entrepreneur will think that he or she could do it a little better. That is in the nature of the people who jump out into the uncertainty of owning your own business, and taking responsibility for your own future and the future of everyone connected to your company.

 

That’s an inspiring… and scary… path that very, very few people ever take. Most people are not business owners. Most would never make that jump.

 

For those who do make that jump, the trick, if there is one, is to make that path toward making the future bigger and better one that is rooted in positive energy, and not negative. Coming from confidence, gratitude, and excitement, instead of coming from frustration, stress, and a sense that you must make it better because if you don’t you are a failure.

 

So for those who asked me for a sample of a planning tool for this new year, I am sharing one that touches on what I go through when I am reviewing the past to give me power and direction for the future.

 

The download of the planning tool, and the instructions, are down below.

 

If you have any questions, my email is on the instructions sheet.

 

I would like to thank those who asked me for this, and I hope this helps you to plan what will be your best year ever for you, your business, and your family.

 

Wishing you, your family, and your business a very happy and prosperous new year,

 

Lisa