It started on January 1st when I made a decision. One quick and easy decision made the difference.
You can do the same for 2018 right now.
The beginning of the year feels like a fresh start. We focus on what’s to come instead of our lingering concerns about the year gone by. It’s a time when we hit the reset button and see fresh possibilities, opportunities, and a path toward a better tomorrow.
“It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
I’m feeling good.”
— Michael Buble – “Feeling Good”
I’m excited about 2018. 2017 was good, but there’s always potential in a new year. It’s an exciting moment.
But how will 2018 turn out for you? Will this be a good year? Or, better yet, a great year?
Today it’s time to make a decision. It’s time to determine where your practice is going in 2018.
Most of us will have a good year
The year will likely end up either…
1. Lots of good work done, tasks accomplished, and checklists checked. Clients are happy, employees are satisfied (mostly), and the accountant smiles when he presents the balance sheet. That’s a good year.
Or…
2. All of the above, plus something big. That might be a jump in revenue, a new depth of expertise, a significant bump in take-home pay, a dramatically stronger team, a phone that won’t stop ringing, financial security, or whatever it is that you think of as your dream.
Many of us will settle for the first outcome. We’ll take it. Pretty good is good enough for lots of us and that’s especially true if last year was a struggle. We’re willing to take what we can get.
But some of us want more
Some of us want the second outcome for 2018.
We want bigger results. We want to leap forward. We want our lives to change in positive ways. We’re excited about taking on something bigger than we’ve taken on before.
How do we get the “something big” outcome? How do we end up with something more than a pretty good year? How do we get to great?
It’s shockingly simple. You can do something today that will make the difference between a good year and a great year.
Here’s the deal:
If you want a great year, you need to make a decision. You need to decide what you’ll focus on over the next 365 days.
Yep, that’s it. You need a goal, an objective, a focal point. You simply need to decide what you’re going to achieve this year. Making that decision is the key to victory.
Failing to choose may result in failure.
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I implore you to pick a single point of focus for this year. It will dramatically increase the chance of getting what you want in 2018.
You can still get a good outcome for the year without setting a goal. That’s what most of us will do. We’ll focus on the clients, the team, the technology, the money, and the marketing. That’s how we’ll keep the practice moving forward and get to good. The scattershot approach will get you somewhere; it just might not be where you wanted to go.
But what about great? How do you get to great?
You make a decision today.
When you start thinking about choosing one specific thing to focus on, you’ll probably generate a long list of things that require your attention. They all seem critical, right?
But that long list is part of the problem.
Our inability (or unwillingness) to focus on one thing leaves us at the end of the year with a long list of unfinished priorities. It’s the same list we started with!
Choosing one thing to focus on is the difference between getting nothing done and getting something done.
Making the decision is incredibly hard
Yes, choosing one thing means you will forgo other things.
Yes, picking one thing is hard, because many things are appealing.
Yes, focusing on a single priority means that other priorities are left for another year.
So yes, picking one of many options is hard. It’s scary and easy to leave it until “sometime later.”
Choosing a focus for 2018 is so difficult that most won’t do it.
They’ll wander aimlessly through the year. By December 31, 2018, they’ll only have had a good year.
Choosing a focus changes everything
When you focus on something big, you move toward the objective step-by-step. You make progress day-by-day. You move closer to the target little-by-little.
The work toward your objective happens in increments.
It happens when you realize some client work helps with your larger plan.
It happens when you’re surfing around on your iPad and you stumble onto a nugget of information you need to achieve your goal.
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It happens when your assistant asks for more work and you put him on a project that supports your focus (instead of busywork).
The work toward your objective happens as your mind wanders in those moments before you fall asleep. It happens when you dream. It happens when you wake up with an idea and frantically scribble it on your notepad.
The work happens in small, casual conversations with your peers, employees, clients and vendors.
It happens all day, every day, because it’s at the forefront of your mind. It’s your goal.
The work toward your goal only happens once you make a decision.
Here’s how to make this a great year.
1. Decide
Choosing the thing to accomplish is key. Pick something. Pick anything.
The alternative is to choose nothing (which is what most of us do). If you fail to choose, you’ll just recycle last year’s results. That’s not the way to make this a great year.
Don’t wait for the perfect time to decide. There is no perfect time.
Don’t wait for inspiration. It’s not coming.
Don’t wait for others to weigh in. They don’t know either.
Choose something. This is where it all starts.
2. Talk about it
Tell people what you’re focused on for the year. The key players need to know so they can help. Explain everything to your team, your family, and your friends.
(It’s especially important to tell the people who are part of your focus.)
Be willing to discuss your objectives with your community, too. The lawyer across from you at the Bar luncheon may offer some input you wouldn’t expect. The guy on the next treadmill at the gym might surprise you with an idea.
Talk about your objective everywhere. Don’t keep it a secret.
3. Sketch out a plan
Turn your focus into a plan. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate – just some notes to yourself so your thoughts don’t get lost in the chaos of life. You’ll probably modify it as you go forward. But a simple list of steps will help.
Keep your plan short and simple. Keep it on one page. Use bullet points. It might start out with 10 to 15 words and become more as you work out the details later this month.
4. Keep it alive
Do whatever is necessary to keep your objective present in your life.
A sticky note on your nightstand might work. Maybe you need to scrawl it in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Or you could have Alexa announce it while you make coffee every morning.
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Your focus needs to hang over your head like one of the holiday decorations you’ve yet to take down. Keep it front and center so it’s there whenever your brain has a moment of downtime between other obligations.
What’s the decision?
Making a decision and acting on it day-by-day will change everything. It’s the only way to move rapidly toward your desired outcome.
But this decision – this annual focus – isn’t the only one you have to make today. You’ve got all the trivial details of your life to address between now and bedtime. It’s easy to let today slip into tomorrow… And then the day after… And the day after that…
If you’re not careful, the days will slip by and you’ll never make the decision. Life will make a decision for you. Your focus will waver and fragment as the little stuff piles up.
So take a few minutes now to sit alone and think. What will you focus on this year? What is the one thing you will accomplish? This decision will turn a good year into a great year.
What are you going to do?
