Successful living
The work I do with my Osteopath clients is, I believe, based upon common sense and the successful implementation of a well thought through plan. However, as business owners, it’s sometimes difficult for us to see the way forward. When we’re busy fire fighting our finances and our noses are pressing hard on the grindstone, we can lose our vision.
As we head towards Christmas and yet another New Year, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect.
Taking time out to review the current year, will give us the opportunity to notice what’s working well and what’s redundant in our business. Let’s take a look at the 7 secrets to a successful year ahead.
Take a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and head up the first column ‘Life’ and the second ‘Osteobiz’. I firmly believe that the two must work in harmony and reviewing our personal lives is just as important as the business side. Indeed, if the former is out of kilter then the second may well be suffering too.
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Appreciation
Yes, you read that right! In the Western world, we tend to focus on the bad, what’s wrong or what/whom we can blame or criticise. So let’s start by looking at and noting what’s going well first. What are you grateful for? Where are you achieving successful results? What works well for you? Focus on the good. Celebrate and give yourself a pat on the back!
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Lessons
What did you learn about yourself or your actions this year? What successful decisions did you make? Did you let go of behaviours or activities or people that were holding you back? Does a particular area of your life or business need better attention? What could you differently to achieve better results? What needs to change or stop? Are you ‘playing small’ in your life? Are you self-sabotaging by getting in your own way? Be honest.
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Achievements
Celebrate!
What are your greatest achievements this year? Note down all the things you have done which made you feel proud of yourself. What were your best decisions? Did you achieve your goals? Did you fulfil any dreams? Did you hit your targets? In what way were you successful? Did you find happiness in your life and work?
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Dreams
This year dare to dream big! Decide on some personal and business BHAGs! That’s Big Hairy Audacious Goals! What are they? When will you do them? Who will help you? What tools do you need to be more successful? Ramp up your goals; act like you mean it! How will you feel when you achieve them? How will you celebrate?
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Plan
Use your diary’s year ahead planner or put a larger version on your wall. Write down your main goals ~ you are far more likely to achieve them if you do this. This is the main habit of successful business owners. Make a vision board with all the things you want to achieve; draw them, add inspiring words, cut out images from magazines and stick them on. Alternatively, create a mind map to create clarity. Now break down one goal at a time into actionable steps and write those in your diary. Break them down further into individual tasks for each week and note them down on the appropriate Monday. Complete them by the end of the week either yourself, by delegating or outsourcing for appropriate help. Pencil in holidays and breaks. Add in fixed monthly review sessions with yourself and/or partner and/or coach.
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Accountability
If you want to be successful, make your monthly reviews sacrosanct. You must take time to work ON your life and business and not just IN it. Take yourself out for a coffee and review your progress. Include your partner/coach. What have you learnt? What needs changing or tweaking? What needs more effort? What’s not working? What needs dumping? What extra help do you need to put in place to keep you on track? What else can you do to improve? What training or resources would improve your skills?
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Actions
Only by taking consistent action will we achieve our dreams and goals. Follow the plan; keep breaking down the tasks into bite size chunks to prevent overwhelm. Start every day with a list of your three most important tasks for your life and your business.
Don’t forget to keep rewarding yourself, be kind to yourself and celebrate your achievements. If it helps, drop me a line with your goals and send me monthly updates to keep you accountable. Nothing makes me happier than seeing your successful progress.
