2020 Word Of The Year: CONNECT

Connect. That’s my 2020 word of the year.

Have you ever paused to consider what word might guide you through the year? I started this process about five years ago (last year’s word was calm) and it’s been such an important part of my reflection process every December.

If you want to take some time and reflect on what you want to focus on this year, check out this piece I wrote for NextAvenue.org: 20 Questions to Help You Reach Your 2020 Goals. I guess some people can wing it and just see where the road takes them but I prefer to set aside some time and really consider what I want to invite more into my life. Connecting with others is a big one. Spending more time outdoors than indoors is another. Moving my body more than sitting in front of a computer. Stuff like that.

But these things don’t *just* happen. At least not for me. I need to consider how to put things into place, like creating new habits, to help make them a priority rather than a side note of my day (because that means it’ll never happen).

So how have I been doing it? Since I’m a deadline-oriented person, I’ve had to set daily deadlines for myself. I know in order for something to become a habit, I need to put it on the calendar with a specific time attached to it. I’d love to say the time is always the same but it’s not. Instead, I look at my calendar the night before and see what work deadlines I need to meet and I schedule around those deadlines.

As part of my reflection process last month, I pulled out the 48-card pack with Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements. One of them really stood out so I taped it to my desktop screen as a daily reminder:

“Find the courage to ask for what you want. Others have the right to tell you yes or no, but you always have the right to ask. Likewise, everybody has the right to ask you for what they want, and you have the right to say yes or no.”

Connect. Show up. Reach out. Breathe and move. Those will be my guiding mantras in 2020. Want to join me? If so, let’s connect.

Harnessing The Power of Momentum

Have you begun writing your 2020 goals yet? Photo courtesy of STIL on Unsplash.

Have you begun writing your 2020 goals yet? Photo courtesy of STIL on Unsplash.

Last year this month, I wrote a piece for Inc.com that went viral (meaning 120,000+ views) – 20 Questions That Can Help You Reach Your 2019 Goals: Reflection and self-awareness can help set you up to achieve your goals in the new year.

I began writing today’s post yesterday, on Halloween, and whenever I’d glance up from my computer, I’d see Chicago’s first snow coming down so hard that the kids made their first snowman for the season. I was in no mood to work but I had started working on my 2020 goals and business plan so I wanted to harness the power of momentum and keep going. So I did.

Part of that exercise was reviewing these 20 questions and answering them truthfully. I also came up with another set of 20 questions which I can’t share right now (but hopefully I can soon!). From there, I came up with a game plan for 2020. Among them are five goals I hope to achieve and tactics to help me reach each of them, broken down by month and, in some cases, by week.

What’s your game plan for the new decade?

I’ve included the list of 20 questions I drafted last year below, in case they might stimulate some reflection.

For those of you who’ve been reading this blog post religiously, or supported me in some way, large or small, throughout the last decade, thank you. What a decade this has been.

20 Questions That Can Help You Reach Your 2019 Goals

~ Reflection and self-awareness can help set you up to achieve your goals in the new year ~

Reflection and self-awareness can help set you up to achieve your goals in the new year. Photo courtesy of Ana Juma on Unsplash.

Reflection and self-awareness can help set you up to achieve your goals in the new year. Photo courtesy of Ana Juma on Unsplash.

It's about this time of year when people start wondering what they can do better next year. With a few exceptions, this calendar year's revenue is accounted for, so we turn our attention to next year, determined to beat this year's results.

Reflection is key to this process, as is self-awareness. Ryder Carroll, founder of the Bullet Journal--a popular method of organizing your work and life by writing them down--often talks about the importance of understanding why we're doing something, because it will help motivate us, as well as help determine if we're even heading in the right direction.

Earlier in November, I wrote an article about Carroll and his Bullet Journals. When I shared that article with some friends of mine who were going through this process, it became clear they were willing to ask the tough questions to get to their whys but didn't really know which questions to ask. So we started brainstorming the questions.

If you're struggling to find your why for next year, here are 20 questions to get you started:

  1. What do I enjoy, and what am I good at doing?

  2. What do I enjoy but could get better at doing?

  3. What do I enjoy doing but don't do well at all?

  4. What energizes me?

  5. What tires me?

  6. How much sleep do I need to really function well?

  7. What relaxes me?

  8. What stresses me out?

  9. What distracts me?

  10. What is the most important thing in my life?

  11. Who are the most important people in my life?

  12. How can I be a better friend or colleague?

  13. What do I want more of in my life?

  14. What would I prefer less of in my life?

  15. What am I most afraid of?

  16. What is one good habit that I have?

  17. What is one habit I want to change?

  18. What is one thing I set out to do this year that I succeeded in doing?

  19. How do I define success?

  20. What's the one thing I want to accomplish next year?

Start by answering each of these questions with the first answer that comes to mind. Since they are unique to the person answering them, there is no one right or wrong answer--it's your answer.

At this point, you might start to see a pattern emerging. When I engaged in this exercise last year, I set a goal of adding more teaching to my life, as well as more speaking engagements. I attached a number to those goals. I took the time to answer the why question, which helped motivate me to keep at it every month and find ways to help make my goals a reality. By November, I had met both of my goals, and a big part of the reason was having gone through the exercise and determined my whys.

The idea is to do more things you enjoy next year, and fewer things you don't. You'll be happier, and you'll likely succeed in reaching those goals, since you'll be having fun working toward them.

Day 26: 30 Days of Nature Challenge

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This morning’s walk made me pause to check out these pretty gerbera daisies 🌺. The cool air is definitely holding on longer these days, and it’s sweater weather. I don’t mind. I’m enjoying the cool breeze! Walked with a new compression sock 🧦, which is finally helping my poor foot deal with the muscle tear and plantar fasciitis. #30daynaturechallenge #chicago #slowliving