OK, so I know I’ve spent the year running programs and workshops designed to help people get their stuff done, and that a lot of the questions I ask have to do with what things you wished you’d gotten to this year but didn’t. And I’m not going to pretend that it’s not true that there are probably things on your list you haven’t gotten to—I know it’s certainly true for me.
Some of them may have been on your list for years (“I need to get organized”), some may be super-urgent (“I must pay my taxes”), and some may be secret hidden desires that you don’t tell anyone about and hardly even acknowledge yourself (“I want to write a book”).
BUT I’d like to take a little time-out from all those need-tos and shoulds, and flip the switch over from “coming up short” to “celebrating.”
WOOHOO!!
While I know plenty of people who have no problem rattling off lists of things they haven’t gotten to (and saying some pretty nasty things about themselves because of it), I hardly know any who can rattle off lists of things they have accomplished.
What's the deal with that?
I know, I know—the critical voices just tend to be loud, attention grabbing little monsters. But what if you could say to them, “Hey! I hear you. And you know what? I get it. I did want to get that done. And I promise I’ll spend some time figuring out why I didn’t get to it. But in the meantime, I’d like to take a look at some of the things I actually did accomplish this day/month/year, because I’m proud of what I’ve done. For example, [fill in the blank].”
I just had the participants in my last Get One Thing Done day start the morning by sharing what they planned to work on that day, and then I had them close their eyes and focus on something they’d accomplished, personally or professionally, this past year.
It completely changed the energy on the call. Everyone seemed lighter, happier, calmer—and more focused. Having proof that they were clearly capable of getting things done grounded them and gave them a positive and determined energy. They jumped into the day with a mindset of success, and you can do that too.
Here’s how:
1. List all of the things you wanted to get to this past year and didn’t. You need to just get it out of your system, or the monsters will get louder until you pay attention to them. So put it all down on a piece of paper and move on.
2. Look at the list and say out loud, “OK. I didn’t get to you this year. There are lots of reasons why, some valid and some more procrastination-y, and I’ll look at all of this later to figure out how I want 2015 to be different. But first I want to acknowledge and celebrate some of the things I have accomplished, because I worked hard this year to make things happen, whether I recognize it yet or not.”
3. Now start listing things you did this past year. Big things, small things. You went grocery shopping. You took care of someone. You launched a business. You ran an event. You took a vacation. You dealt with your finances. You got your kids to school. You created something. You took risks. You practiced trusting. No one else has to see this list, so if you start doubting whether something is “worthy” of acknowledgment, and you’d be embarrassed if someone saw you celebrating the fact that you did laundry often enough that you didn’t have to buy new underwear because you had no clean underwear left, screw that. Put it on the list.
4. Celebrate. Celebrate yourself and what you’ve accomplished. Say out loud, “I am proud of myself. This year I [read your list out loud]. Good for me.” Then turn on a song you love and dance. Dance the hell out of that song. Dance, as they say, as if no one is watching. ‘Cause you’re pretty awesome, and you deserve to be celebrated.
OK my friend, I wish you a wonderful ritual of celebration! May you enter the New Year in the energy of knowing what you’re capable of, knowing that you’ve already done so much, and knowing that you have the ability to create a life you love.
And if you look at your list of still-undones and feel a fierce desire to move on some of those things this year, let's talk. There are people who move through things best on their own, and there are people, like me and all of my clients, who make massive progress when they have the right kind of structure, accountability and support.
Schedule a complimentary Insight Session now and we'll look at your list together and figure out how you can get to the most important things on it. That way you can be celebrating those wins at the end of 2015. Click here to book time together and launch your most empowered year yet.
Wishing you much joy!