Five Simple Steps to Make Sure 2016 Is Your Best Year Yet

2016 has the potential to be an epic year. Regardless of what happened in 2015 (or before), YOU have the power to set yourself up for success in the new year.  Here are a few steps that will get you on your way to your best year ever.

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Figure out exactly what you want to achieve in 2016.  When you are developing your goals, don’t accept your first thoughts. Challenge your ideas by asking why until you get to the root of what success in 2016 and beyond actually means to you.

Words are prophetic.  Immediately start training yourself to speak positively about your future.  Go ahead, declare that your goals will be your reality.  The law of attraction has become a popular thought theory in recent years. It simply states that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts a person brings positive or negative experiences into their life.

Not only that, but studies show that positive thinking alone has many health benefits including

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

 

Map out your strategy to success by identifying objectives, or areas in which you must excel, across different perspectives.  When defining your objectives. consider what success looks like from the the perspective of those around you, including family, friends, co-workers, and colleagues.  Also consider what skills and personal attributes you need to develop.  Next, how do you need to prepare financially in order to fully achieve your goals.  Finally, what internal processes do you need to focus on to succeed.  Just as in an organizational balanced scorecard, identifying personal objectives across various perspectives will lead to a balanced viewpoint.

What gets measured, gets managed.  Be sure that you can quantify your progress in each of your objectives, either directly or indirectly.  For example, if you have an objective to learn a new skill, set a goal to spend a certain number of hours each week learning and document your progress.

Of course, you must also build in a system to hold yourself accountable. For some, this may mean that you need to find a friend, colleague, or coach to support your efforts.

Identify tasks and projects to incorporate into your life to move your objectives in the right direction.  Tasks are things that you can routinely do, like exercising several times a week or mediating daily.   Projects typically have specific phases:  Preparation  ► Planning ► Execution ► Review.

Personal kanban boards are a great way to manage both projects and tasks. These boards help you minimize the mental penalties associated with task shifting.  Personal kanban boards in their simplest form have 3 columns, To Do, Doing, and Done, but they can be modified to suit your situation.  There are only two rules:

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There you have it, decide that 2016 is going to be a great year and make it happen.  All you need is some motivation, discipline, and your own personal map to success!