10 Tips To Create Your Best Year Ever

This list was sent to me and I thought it was too great not to share.  The list was written by Bob Corcoran of Corcoran coaching.  For more info on Bob check out www.Corcorancoaching.com

1.  Visualize your perfect year right now.  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 be 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 redesign.  Thinking of transforming yourself into a butterfly instead of becoming a faster caterpillar.

2.  Simplify what you say “no” to.  This could be the most important decision to make for the coming year.  The actions that make you successful last year will not 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% of your marketing efforts if they did not give solid results last year
• 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 works and why.
• Make room for new business.
• Let go of the high maintenance, energy vampires.
• Upgrade your Rolodex.
• Say “no” to people and obligations and to memberships in groups you do not enjoy.
• Say “no” to the things that you are less than passionate about.

3.  Continually raise your standards.  This is one of my favorites!  While I believe a business plan can be very useful, I see lots of people with plans who 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.

4.  Practice extreme self-care.  The word “selfish,” has a bad connotation in our society.  Here is the rub.  If you do not take care of you, there is no golden hen to lay the eggs.  There are a billion fabulous ways for you to pamper and reward yourself.

5.  Leave behind any hate or resentment.  It does not mean you have to accept happenings or mistreatments, but it does mean you will no longer burden your psyche with resentment.

6.  Quit being so tolerant.  Now this may seem like terrible advice in your day and age, but are you tolerating a messy workspace?  A lack of systems in your business?  Lack of time or money?  Start next  year by zapping these tolerations.  Set boundaries with others.  Set times to clean up.

7.  Practice gratitude.  The amazing wealth that surrounds most of us gets overshadowed by our longings for what we do not have yet.  Each night, write down five things for which you are grateful.

8.  Expand your community.  Who is part of your team / community?  If you expand your team, you will accelerate your business.  Quite being 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?

9.  Pay it forward.  The premise of the novel by Catherine Ryan-Hyde, Pay It Forward is something 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 the favor do the same for someone else: ideally for three other people.  The unconditional favors can be large or small.  It does not have to be a big thing.  Make the world a better place by giving before you are asked!

10.  Accept the present.  This does not mean to “settle,” rather be content with small victories.  You are alive; you have food and 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 le lessons to help with the future.  Even if everything in your life is not 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!  Will you have your best year ever?  I hope so!