I fully intended to begin the year on January 1. Earlier in the fall, I thought that I would use the last two weeks of December reflecting upon the year, internalizing my lessons learned, and using them to formulate my goals for 2018. Not my idea--I had read it somewhere. Perfect!
Lesson learned.
I surmised (around December 27) that originator of the two-week reflection period was not a mom with two school-age children on winter break, was not hosting multiple Christmas gatherings, and did not have obligations to clients during these two weeks. I had no time for reflection during the final 14 days of 2017. Going forward, I will select another time.
Fortunately, thanks to a fantastic peer group, I had drafted and refined my goals for 2018. I only needed to ink them. Once on paper, I broke the goals down into quarterly chunks and weekly benchmarks (with accountabilities) for vital activities. I took this from Gino Wickman's book, Traction.
Finally, thanks to a weekend retreat with my dear college friends, I was able to slow my pace to reflect on 2017 and re-energize myself for 2018. The time with these girls made me laugh and fed my soul. The slower pace and lack of demands brought reflection and rejuvenation. I got out from under the “OMG it’s January 12, and I’m already behind!” I was ready to go!
My advice to you: If you raced into 2018 without a chance to reflect, to set a few well-thought goals and determine how to measure your progress, it is not too late. You need not wait until 2019 to hit the reset button. Carve out a few hours, breathe and be intentional about what you want to accomplish this year. Put it in writing and break it into chunks.
You can always start your new year on February 1.
If you would like help setting and achieving your 2018 goals, I’m here to help!