As we head into the Christmas holidays for a well-earned break, it’s worth reflecting on your progress as a business owner or financial professional this year, and celebrating your wins.
“What wins?” you may ask – as it’s human nature to always want more, and expect more of ourselves.
Everyone will have experienced some wins this year, and as much as it’s important to think about what you want to change, reflecting on what you already have is equally as important.
Celebrating success is a must. While culturally it may not be what you do in your practice or business, as a personal tool for developing yourself it’s critical.
It is human nature to want progress. However, the constant pursuit of it can be absolutely exhausting – hence the need for a well-earned break!
So before you get busy with Christmas, dinners, presents, families and food, take an hour to write down every success you feel you have had this year, as no matter how big or small they all count.
Have you increased your revenue? Made changes to your processes? Hired new people? Won new clients? Changed to better suppliers?
Whatever it is, write it down, and take a moment to acknowledge how far you have come. The simple act of acknowledging your progress goes a long way to building your mental and physical resilience toward achieving even more next year.
Now comes the part that many of you will roll your eyes at. Yes, I know it can be a little weird but stay with me. You need to do more than just read back your achievements. You have to acknowledge them to the world.
We have a gong in our office which is rung for achievements. Whether it’s a gong, a war cry, or even forcing yourself to smile, you need to do something physical to acknowledge your wins. Professional athletes spend a lot of time on deciding how to celebrate a win and how to deal with losing. As professionals in the largest industry in Australia, we need to do the same.
Now that you have felt great about what you have achieved, it’s important to find the time after Christmas to plan what’s next. Here’s a checklist I use to plan what I want the next year to look like. I might not get it all done – but I usually come pretty close.
1. Write down the three things that will change your business the most in 2017.
Is it different staff, a new big client, or a way of dealing with existing clients? Whatever those three things are, list them. Forget everything else. The big three are the ones you need to hold onto strategically.
2. Put a timeline plan around them.
Not War and Peace, but a simple date of when you need to have them in place. If it’s a new staff member, can you recruit by April? A new client? Can you have them bedded in by July?
3. Attach three steps to each of your big three to help you get there.
If it’s new premises, what three things are most important to achieving that – scanning the real estate websites, talking to agents, planning costs? Having a stepped program to achieve the change you are looking for, and a timeline to do it by, makes it a lot easier to make change more than an empty New Years’ resolution. Things are so busy now that most of us hit the ground running after January and don’t look back. With your three-step plan in place, it will incorporate your growth and achievement plans into your busy life and make it easier to achieve.
From all of us here at No More Practice, I want to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year. We are committed to bringing you even more education that is NOT boring in 2017 – and have even built a brand new website for your use next year – I can’t wait to share it with you.
Many thanks for your support – it means more to me than you know.
Regards,
The opinions expressed in this content are those of the author shown, and do not necessarily represent those of No More Practice or its related entities. All content is intended for a professional financial adviser audience only and does not constitute financial advice. To view our full terms and conditions, click here.
