B088: How to finish the year strong

What will it take to finish the year strong?  Not just with your business goals but also your mindset, your health and well-being. The idea is that on December 31st, you will feel calm, cool, collected and totally satisfied with how far you’ve come this year.

Earlier this week, I spoke to Scott Miller from FranklinCovey, all about how to lead your team through big change and I loved when he talked about the “See-Do-Get” cycle. Specifically, that when we clarify what results we want (that’s the “Get” part)… what drives those results are our behaviors, as in, what we “Do” and how we act. But first, we’ve got to make sure our mindsets are open to “See” the possibility of achieving this goal. From the book…

“How we see things affects our behavior, which in turn affects our results. 

Paradigm. Behavior. Result. 

See. Do. Get.” 

So, sure you could just focus on changing your day-to-day behaviors and that might yield short-term results. Classic example: wake up at 5am to workout at OrangeTheory Fitness on a Monday… by Friday, you’re likely hitting the snooze button when your muscles are totally aching.” But if you really want to create long-term impact in your work and life, you have to tackle your mindset first.

So, how do we do that? I think it boils down to three things:

• rethink your belief on time
• jump off the hamster wheel (with intention)
• get out of your head

Here’s how to finish the year strong – 3 things to consider:

1. Rethink your belief on time

I’m sure you’ve already seen the countdown clocks everywhere… at the time of recording this, there are only 46 more days left in 2019. Heck, there’s only 46 days left in this decade! (The sky is falling, the sky is falling… everyone PANIC!) Do you know what I say to that? MEH. I refuse to fall into the trap of scarcity, fearing that there’s not enough time, not enough money, and certainly not enough resources available to conquer all of my “not enough-ness” that society puts on my shoulders. It’s all lies. The whole lot of it. Remember, time is simply a construct.

But 99% of us can’t throw our clocks out the window nor reject the reality that we gotta keep chugging along to make that 10am meeting today. However, we can rethink how we believe time works.

1. 1. TIP: Just for today, I want you to try a little experiment. I want you to slow down and say yourself, over and over again, “I’ve got all the time in the world today. Time is most certainly on my side.” No matter if you’re trying to get the kids out the door for school or attempting to push out a big sales proposal by 3pm today, I want you to tackle it with absolute certainty that you’re going to hit the deadline and do it with grace. So, write it on a post-it note, put it as a reminder in your phone. Tell yourself this every single time you take a sip of water today. Whatever it takes, give yourself this gentle, loving nudge. And remember, when you shift your perspective away from the “OMG, I’m always running late!” mentality, just like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland and move towards a flow state where you know and believe that you are a master of time management, you’ve shifted the paradigm in your mind and are more likely to finish the year strong and #dothething.

2. Jump off the hamster wheel

We go, go, go and we are in a constant state of wanting more, more, more! Blame it on the sticker charts we had as children in school. But I’m finding the constant striving to achieve bigger and better things in my life a bit exhausting, don’t you? What if we jumped off the hamster wheel of life and started to rethink how we frame things a bit? Remember, more does not equal better. Simplifying might bring you the joy and deep contentment you’re seeking. 

1. TIP: So, in the however many days we’ve got left this year, why not shift your focus a bit and ask yourself this, “what would really feel the MOST satisfying if I completed this by the end of the year?” Set a 7-minute timer and journal it out. And I’m not just talking about your work goals, but I want you to zoom in on every aspect of your life… your health, your relationships, your home life, where you unwind and have fun, your everything. What’s ONE thing you could do to bring yourself one step closer to the life you were born to live? This clarity work requires you to jump out of your “rat-race” routine, take an assessment without guilt or shame and then, with intention, decide to reset your compass and go for it. With this newfound sense of direction, finishing the year strong is now well within your scope of view.

3. Get out of your head

Okay, I know this (totally) sounds counter-intuitive… I’ve spent the last few minutes totally telling you that your mindset might need a bit of strengthening and work, but hear me out. I believe that there’s your mind, your body, your heart and your spirit that can guide you. These are all resources that are readily available to guide you along, at any given moment. All you need to do is ask. It’s that deep, innate inner wisdom that you were born with and you have cultivated all of these years, whether you knew it or not. And let’s face it, some parts speak WAY louder than others. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the one you listen to, right now. Remember, not every thought you have is true. Not every idea is meant to be actualized, right now. And just the same, not every craving your body is having in this moment must be actioned on. (Hello triple stacked donut burger!) You get to decide.

1. 1. TIP: If all of this mindset work is leaving your mind spinning a bit, get outside. Take your shoes off and sink your feet in the grass, just for 5 minutes. (Yes, yes… it may be cold where you are. I know. Do it anyway!) This is the simple practice of grounding yourself to Mother Nature and release any nervous energy, negative self-talk, or anything that no longer serve you. Release it down through your feet and imagine yourself developing deep, nourishing roots with the Earth. And equally, imagine Mother Earth rising up in you all of the nutrients, wisdom, and love that you require to do big things today. 5 minutes is all you need. It’s the simple practice of getting out of your head and getting into nature for stillness, silence, and a little space to tap into your heart center and body.  

One final whisper

If change has thrown you off-course this year, I want you to know, you’re not alone. It’s been one heckuva year for me, too!

The highest of highs (my daughter Zoë is on Junior Bake Off) and the absolute lowest of lows (my mom’s spinal surgery at the beginning of the year). And when these big changes occur, it can knock the wind out of your sails or send you down a path you TOTALLY weren’t expecting to end up.

And what I’m learning is that’s okay. Truly, it is. 

What may feel like a failure might actually be a time of (much-needed) waiting. Farmers know this truth. Some fields must lay fallow for a season before they can re-seed and grow beautiful, bountiful crops again. They know that you can’t expect all of your fields to produce rich bushels of deliciousness, 100% of the time. What if this truth applies to you, too? Right here, right now, in the muck and in the rushing around… 

What if you could surrender to the idea that it’s okay to do less and still be doing “enough?”

Because it is enough.

And you are enough.

And that surrendering is not giving up but actually letting go of the crippling grip of white knuckling it through life… because ugh. It’s exhausting. And life could be so much more sweeter if you truly believed that time is on your side. And that you’re not a prisoner to the hamster wheel you’ve found yourself in. And that every thought that crosses your mind is not meant to be held on to. 

And more importantly, that you are an incredible ray of light for so many people. When you shine bright, it isn’t when you’re doing 100 billion things simultaneously… it’s when you slow down, make eye contact and stay in the present moment with me. That’s where life starts to get beautiful. That’s where simplicity becomes real, life becomes richer, and finishing the year strong is totally possible.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It’s time to SIMPLIFY.