Take these 5 Daring Actions Now for a Breakthrough 2018
Do you feel intense thrill, fear or exhaustion when you look at that rock-climbing picture above? Maybe a combination?
How about as you end the year? Is your body and mind exhausted as we come to the close of 2017? If so, I’m with you. 2017 has been quite a year!
On the personal front, it’s been a year of numerous successes. A child graduating from college. (Read: one less tuition payment!) Same adult child marrying a sharp young woman a couple months later. Travel abroad (sans kids for the first time) to three countries. And the publishing of my first book!
I cannot deny — it’s been a relationally rich season for me. I’ve enjoyed incredible times with friends from countries all around the world. And I’ve developed a whole new set of online friends; we share a passion for creative expression. I appreciate them all.
Indeed, so many diverse hearts, minds and moments have made 2017 a vibrant and hopeful one for me.
In contrast, though, our world seems to have descended into new levels of unpredictability and chaos. Do you feel it?
The line between truth and lies has become blurred. Divisions have become the new norm. Suspicions have grown. Basic freedoms and rights no longer seem so basic. Justice faces challenges at every turn. Lies exposed. Rising nationalism. Accusations and counter-accusations fill our newsfeed.
Challenges around the world often eclipse those in the U.S. War, terrorist attacks, natural disasters. Millions of displaced people. Our world’s climate in the balance. A perilous nuclear threat. Further destabilization in the Middle East. Cybersecurity events daily.
Indeed, on this level, 2017 has been exhausting.
Last year around this time I was on a webinar by leadership expert Michael Hyatt. He does many webinars, so let me explain this one. It had a profound impact upon my thinking about the above.
Michael drew two concentric circles. The outside one represents ME (or YOU). The inside one represents influence. Michael showed how focusing on what’s outside of the outer ring is counter-productive. What happens “out there” is beyond the scope of our control. In fact, if we focus there, it pushes inward upon us, making us (and our influence) smaller.
If, however, we focus on what’s inside our circle of influence, the opposite occurs. Our influence expands, and so do we.
I’ve often referenced these images in my mind again and again over this past year. It’s helped me get through many a dark time. Sometimes it’s worked brilliantly. But other times I, too, have descended into chaos.
I want to do 2018 differently.
For me, this means I’m deliberately going off-grid for the final 10 days of this year. I’m turning off social notifications. I’m going to be low profile for a couple weeks.
Yes, for me, this is daring. It’s daring because I’m scared. Will I disappear? OR, rather, will it put me in a position to thrive in 2018?
That’s what I’m betting on.
Here’s what I’m doing. And I challenge you to do this as well.
(1) Reflect
I will work through Michael Hyatt’s Best Year Ever (BYE) program. I’ve gone through this program before, but I’m determined to use it as a key navigational and reference tool in 2018.
Part of Michael’s BYE program calls for a heavy dose of reflecting. Looking back over the year we’ve just traveled through. For me personally, I’m going to consider how I’ve let outside influences that are beyond my control creep in and steal my time, energy and emotions. Although I advocate being an engaged citizen, I want to prevent the energy drain all the negativism can have upon me. I want to find that healthy balance daily.
And, while enrollment for this program has now closed, Michael’s book with the same name will be available on January 2nd. You just may want to grab one of the first copies released by preordering now. And then put it at the top of your books to read in 2018.
(2) Reconnect
The first order of business is for me to reconnect with my spiritual self. Sometimes I can let my relationship with God suffer in the expediency of the moment. I want to give God my “first fruits” of each day. Often I do. But sometimes I don’t.
I also want to reconnect with my WHY. Why am I doing what I’m doing, spending the time as I do? Why am I writing here? Why do I feel called to creative expression? Hyatt’s BYE program will help me here as well.
Finally, I want to reconnect with those who matter most to me — my husband, children, parents and close friends. I want to make sure they all know they are of supreme importance to me.
(3) Recharge
I happen to have an anniversary and birthday during these next two weeks, along with the Christmas and New Years holidays. So, there’s lots to celebrate. In the midst of it all, I intend to recharge through rest and a few days away.
I cannot say enough of the need to continually recharge. It’s a daily practice I haven’t mastered fully yet. But it’s also a monthly and quarterly discipline. This is a priority for me. Rest, breathe, get outside. Linger. Just not on a screen.
Go ahead. Put your feet up. Really let yourself rest. Doing so, you will recharge, too.
(4) Recalibrate
This one’s so important. It’s the practice of resetting goals and breaking them down into action steps. But even more, the focus needs to be on creating habits that will last. I’ve done this before, and it has helped me make huge gains in 2016 and 2017, including getting my first book finished.
So, for example, if you begin with a big goal like writing a book, you need to create a daily writing habit. How do you do that? Well, begin by just starting. Get your butt in the seat. (Well, I often like to stand, since it’s better for me.) The first challenge is just getting started.
It’s amazing the excuses you can find to avoid doing this. Steven Pressfield, in his seminal (and very readable) little book on the subject, The War of Art, refers to this as Resistance, with a capital “R.” (But this “R” is not one of my action steps!) And, although Pressfield refers specifically to creative expression, Resistance can rear its head in any other arena of life as well.
Keep an eye open for valuable resources. When it comes to writing, I certainly suggest you consider the movement Jeff Goins is leading. His TribeWriters course, community and conference have had a huge influence upon me and represent one of the smartest steps I’ve taken in the last few years.
Jeff also runs the My 500 Words Facebook group and challenge, has authored numerous books, offers a weekly podcast and has written thousands of insightful, motivating blog posts at his website, goinswriter.com and here on Medium — all free to you.
(5) Risk
While recalibrating means adjusting expectations in all areas to fit your reality, risk means stretching just a bit farther, pushing outside of your comfort zone. Always be just slightly unrealistic. Slightly, but strong enough so you won’t settle. Settling is the danger.
We strive for comfort only to find it has moved further towards the horizon. Perhaps we should aim for contentment — no matter what the circumstances — instead. And we should take heed lest complacency settle in and make itself at home.
I want to risk myself more in 2018. What do I mean by that?
I want to put myself out there more. Dream big. Create and share and make some ruckus (as Seth Godin likes to say). But I also risk by saying “no.”
Why is that? Because sometimes “no” is your best “yes,” especially when the opportunity isn’t a good fit. Here’s an example.
About five years ago, I applied for a job at a local educational institution. I was well-qualified — perhaps overqualified. I made it through the initial interview rounds. But in the end I didn’t get the position.
While disappointed at first, I now know this rejection led me to pursue a creative pathway as a blogger, author and entrepreneur (alongside my role as a leader of a local nonprofit). I am loving this new adventure.
Recently the head of that same office contacted me about a new, expanded position opening up. She encouraged me to apply.
Here’s where I’m taking a risk. I’m not applying. The risk involves the chance I’m missing out on some opportunity. But I have clearly defined priorities now, and I’m certain the job at that educational institution is not a good fit for me.
There are many other ways we “risk.” I’m sharing but one here. Still, I think you get the idea. Do something bold, different and counter to what the culture may expect. Create! Change the world — for global good!
Wrapping Up (Sounds like an “R”…but it’s not.)
I suppose there’s one more “R.” That would be Repeat. Ideally every 90 days. Getting out of your regular context for a personal retreat on a quarterly basis will move you towards a breakthrough in 2018. Schedule them now! You can readjust if necessary. Just don’t skip the quarterly process.
Make sure to set out and take these 5 actions soon, and see what this next year will become. The better you are, the better our world becomes. It’s that simple. The world is the sum of its parts. The more healthy and whole each one of us is, the more we will bring to the table to make our world thrive.
You with me? Feel free to let me know how it goes. I am cheering you on!
Here’s one way to expand your horizons in 2018. Get our free ebook, You can be the Bridge: The CultureWeaver’s Manifesto. Get a jumpstart on being a more engaged global citizen in 2018.
