It's a great time to begin.
66 Days Left in 2019
There’s still time to make 2019 your year!
October often feels like a lost month between Summer and the Holidays. At this time of year, it’s so tempting to throw up your hands on any dream, project, idea you had for 2019 and say you’ll do it later. I know I feel the urge to perhaps just glide in to the end. “I’ll get a good start in 2020.” “It’s going to get too busy. I’ll just wait and get a fresh start.”
By my count, there are 66 days left in 2019, left in the entire decade. It’s not too late to finish something, to get started, to get unstuck, to get moving. It’s the perfect time to stir things up before the holiday season hits.
That 2019 goal may be closer than you think.
Sometimes things we want become really big in our heads. I like to call it a big amorphous blob. When it’s big like that, it feels too big to tackle.
The key is to break it down into something doable. An example from my life is that I’ve been planning a workshop for awhile. I was turtle stepping my way through it, still thinking it would never happen, but I kept going. Then I had one more meeting to finalize a location. It suddenly is done and ready to go. I surprised myself in that I was closer than I thought. And now it’s live and ready to go on November 12! Yay me!
Where are you closer than you think? Where are you making something bigger than it is? You might surprise yourself too.
Starting 2020, the next decade, on the right foot.
If you’re over 2019, and already on to 2020, maybe it’s time to get started.
Last year I got started on 2019 in 2019. In January, I was planning instead of acting and it took longer than I thought. I felt like I was playing catch-up for the first half of the year. Because I was.
This year, I’m getting started now by putting a little time aside to dream and scheme about 2020. I did this in my corporate career for decades … not sure why I didn’t do it in my own life for all those years.
How do you want the year, the decade, to look? How do you want it to unfold? How do you want to begin? What are your best next steps?
How about some dreaming and scheming? Thinking big. Wondering. What if. Wouldn’t it be great if … and then breaking it down into what it means for Winter, Spring …
Start 2020 with your biggest dream for yourself.
One of the best ways to begin is with the long view. Try this exercise to get yourself excited about the decade to come.
It’s five years from now and things have turned out the way you wanted.
This is a bit of a meditation in that you’re not thinking about it, you’re imagining it, really experiencing it, really feeling it in your body. Maybe close your eyes or find somewhere where you can look into the distance, over the horizon. Long views open up that dreaming part of our brain.
Imagine yourself five years into the future. Or try ten if that feels better. Your life is where you want it to be. You’re doing work you love to do, you’re living in the perfect place, with the perfect person or people or alone – the way that’s perfect for you. Money is no longer an issue. Your health and fitness has finally hit a sweet spot. There’s some ebb and flow but now you trust yourself and know how to navigate the flow. There’s a new-found confidence and peace that you enjoy.
All the hurdles that you are experiencing now are behind you. You figured them out. You did the hard things, the fun things, the big and little things. Whew!
Is your dream a sketch? Is it clear? Does it seem far-fetched or perfectly in line with where you’re going? Does anything surprise you? You can’t do this wrong.
What advice would future you give present day you about your next step? What would she tell you to do about your current biggest challenge? What does she say about your fears, doubts, hesitations?
Spend some time here. Enjoy how it feels. Maybe you do it once, or maybe you revisit it. Maybe you wake up imagining this. Maybe you go to sleep with your dream for yourself in your mind’s eye.
Giving yourself some positive energy.
If you’re like me, you’ve nailed it on these things – stress, pressure, doubt, uncertainty. Maybe it’s time for something else in your toolkit.
It takes a little more consciousness to open up the positive part of ourselves, which is what that exercise does. There’s a lot of science that supports this. We have made super highways of the neural pathways in our brains around stress. It’s our go-to.
But that calm, relaxed, dreaming way of being needs a little more proactive support. Our positive, calm neural pathways are more like thick forests and at first, so it takes a little more work to create a path. But with some practice, we can create beautiful paths of peace that we can easily walk when we choose to.
Save some time to dream.
If you need help, that's what I do.
If you need any help dreaming or getting clear, I have some great coaching tools that can get you started.
Or, if want to keep moving and get started on or finish a 2019 goal, it’s not too late.
I have coaching packages that include three coaching sessions or six sessions to help you focus before the holidays hit. You can book them here.
Or, if you’re near me in New Jersey, join me at my workshop!
Finish 2019 strong. Start 2020 fresh.
It’s never too late. Keep going! What’s your next best step?
