With summer nearly full upon us, and days about to get ‘lost’ to sun, fun and a little more relaxation, now is a great time to do a mini year review.
2021 is still an odd one. As a speaker, author, coach there’s never been more of a time when we’ve needed to be flexible, whilst staying connected to our core purpose. There are STILL so many external things to navigate that are ‘fluid’ out in the world. The addition of summer holidays, the still changing regulations on what we can and can’t do Covid-wise, the shifts in working patterns and rhythms…the list of potential challenges to your business are seemingly never ending.
Take the time to take a mid-year time out
That’s why we always encourage you to take stock mid year. A couple of hours’ mini check in to acknowledge how far you’ve come, how well you’ve done, what you can learn and reconnect with what you want to create. That way you can let the (hopefully for you) slightly lazier summer days be not only relaxed, but a little hot house of internal mulling and creativity that you can harness.
Once September comes knocking, so you can hit the last half or months of the year with drive and energy, and ideas to put into play after you’ve had some down time. Our best ideas come when we relax, so reviewing now, sets you up to ‘drop in’ those things you want your other than conscious to play with whilst you go and play!
What to review to set yourself up
Now you understand why it’s useful, carve out half an hour to just do a mental review using the questions we’re about to ask you. Better still, actually grab a sheet of paper and note your answers (there’s something powerful about slowing down enough to really consider it by writing things down). We’ll help you by breaking it down into manageable questions to mull over in a few core areas.
Here are the questions to get you thinking about your progress so far this year:
- What have you now got in your business (and life) that was not there at the start of this year?
o What results are you mentally celebrating?
o What goals have been completed?
o What have you created, made, or published?
o What have you got to show for your year?
- What has this year been a springboard for in your business?
o Have you started working with a new type of client?
o Are you working in a new way?
o Have you added new products?
o Found a new way to onboard people or attract people to you?
o Have you added staff or started outsourcing things?
o Are you building in different rhythms of working?
- What have you learned? — actively through courses / CPD; and by experience; and from mentors?
o What courses have you completed?
o What tutorials or new skills have you learned?
o What new knowledge have you added to your courses and programmes (we are always learning — is there a new way you explain something, a different handout you now provide?)
o What experiences have shaped the most successful ventures so far?
o Who have you hung out with? (Remember, you are the sum of the 5 people you most hang out with…)
o What new methodologies have you produced or incorporated into what you do?
- How does your year line up with your ‘why’ so far?
o What risks have you taken and how did that go?
o What did you do you were scared of?
o What have you done that you’ve loved and want to do more of?
o What did you learn from doing ‘it’ (or not doing it!)?
o Does what you’re doing line up with your purpose still?
o Have you shifted your thinking, doing and being?
Think about what energy you’ve been doing all you’ve been doing in. Most of us want to have a feeling of fun, satisfaction or pride at the end of a working day. If these are not present or only somewhat present as you mull over the questions above, firstly, don’t beat yourself up. The year has gone how it’s gone so far, and you are simply making an evaluation here to give you information.
The key now is to say “Ok, how do I want to answer these questions in December, and what needs to happen to make that happen? What do I need to learn, do, discard or simply embrace in order to make that happen? Who do I need to be around to feel supported and encouraged?” And if you need or want a little more of that, come and join us inside The Connection Hub so you can meet more like-minded people to help you along the way, and get learning through the hundreds of resources and free training on the bits of the business that are still not working the way you want them to. Because we want you to be celebrating even more at the end of this year.
Have a fabulous summer!