The End of the Year is Gold for Your Creative Business Goals

Who’s already thinking about setting some new year’s resolutions? I see you ready to raise that hand. Let me ask you a few questions first.

Did you meet all of your goals for 2017?? 

Are you farther ahead right now than you’d thought you’d be on (fill in the blank)? 

Is there anything else you wish you could accomplish for your business this year? 

STORY TIME. Growing up in my house you didn’t throw away the ketchup bottle because it was “empty”. You pounded it against the table, shook it like a Shake Weight, and squeezed every last drop of that bad boy util you knew you had gotten your money’s worth. OK, so maybe we were a little obsessive about our ketchup but the point is, you don’t just move on to a shiny new thing until you know you’ve gotten the most out of the one you have. See where I’m going with this?

Why wait for the new year to start setting goals when you and I both know you have some real doozies from the start of this one that could still use a little work! Or hell, even a few new ones that have been tugging at your attention lately. This year still has time left for you to get in your groove and rock out a few more things off your list. November and December aren’t just great for their food coma and gift giving qualities! They can be the two-month-long blank canvas you need to get ahead before next year.

The last few months of the year are like a firefly. If you blink, you might miss it. 

You have to be organized in general when it comes to the end of the year and the holidays! If not, the year will be gone in the blink of an eye! Most of us are already writing lists for who we need to get presents for, what food we need to buy for celebrations, planning travel arrangements- there really is no better time to become little Ms. Organization. So why not take advantage of this new found list maker you never knew was inside and crack away at some of those goals?

Often when we feel like we are overwhelmed by the things on our plate it’s because we aren’t managing our time the best we could to balance it all. Taking some time in the morning or on the weekend to look at your calendar and make a note of what is coming up is important. Find any special dates and times that you’ll need to prepare for and then look honestly at the rest of the openings in your calendar for the year. Do you have Tuesday nights wide open all of November? Maybe Sundays are your day of no commitments? Look at the resolutions you set last year and think of a few little things you could fit in during these times to get you closer to that goal.Make a quick To-Do List (possibly my favorite thing ever) and start tackling things!

Diamonds are just rocks that didn’t break under pressure.

That’s right- we’re all just a couple of rocks trying to make it in this life. And girl, I’m telling you, you’re a diamond in the rough! When the pressure is on it’s amazing what we find ourselves suddenly capable of. The same things you would have taken three months to accomplish, you could probably get done in three weeks or less when that time crunch is sneaking up on you in the background. I bet you can impress yourself with how much you can accomplish in such a short time frame. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of knocking yourself down brick by brick and questioning why you didn’t focus sooner or get more accomplished earlier- that doesn’t do anything to change things!

We don’t want stress to feed our fire ever, but determination and focus? Heck yeah! Let the first of January feel like a finish line and race your heart out. So many of us find that fire inside to pick up that pace as that window of opportunity begins to close. Use it to knock things off your list or get yourself closer to goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year. Of course, if it helps, just play Queen’s “Under Pressure” in your headphones to get you in the mood! (If I sound like I’m kidding, we’ve really got to get to know each other better!)

New year. New me. 

Did you ever see the movie New Years Eve? It stars an excessive amount of Hollywood A-listers as they each live out their day in NYC leading up to New Year’s Eve while showcasing the magic behind the holiday known for new beginnings and second chances. Super cheesy? I know! (Honestly, I watched it with some girlfriends and a bottle of wine. Zac Efron was in it. It was a 2011. It was a much different time!) Well, aside from tradition there is another reason we create new year’s resolutions every year. It’s that time of year where we really do believe what that movie tells us; it’s a new beginning, a clean slate, a blank canvas! That idea brings with it a dose of positivity that many of us need. Which is why taking advantage of it even sooner than December 31st is so important. Close your eyes and think of next year and all you want for your business and your life. Imagine all you can accomplish and grow through and how you are going to get there. Now think about what a head start would do for you? The end of the year can do just that. Get rid of that “catch up” mentality and turn it into “get ahead” instead.

You’re still going to crush those goals.  You just didn’t know it.

If you’ve been hard on yourself when gauging your success meter for this year and telling yourself the year is almost over, It’s ok to remind yourself that you are in charge here. It really is 1000% how you choose to see it! (Now, I’m not going to say the whole “glass half empty” thing, because I’m pretty sure you’re thinking it yourself.) Sometimes we just need a small shift in focus to realize what’s in front of us.

The last two months of the year are kind of the perfect time span to really build that momentum to start your new year off right and in full swing! They are here to help you stay even more organized than normal, give you a healthy dose of pressure to keep you going, and give you that focus and positivity that only new beginnings like the kind found during New Years can bring! Stay focused, let things inspire you and use your time wisely – you never know what you can accomplish.