Checkpoint: Are you setting yourself up for Success?

2 Big questions and 1 Simple Exercise with powerful implications.

Self-agency is a wonderful tool.

Before you enter a new year/project planning mode, 'gearing up' to execute plans, take an hour or two to create space and ponder these questions.

Question 1: How are you setting yourself up for success?

• Does this feel like a loaded question to you? Perhaps ask yourself why?

• Did you focus only on work or income generation when you first read the question?

• Are you planning success for your whole self; holistically, for each aspect of your identity, or only for the highest priority?

• What will you be doing to help yourself meet the goals or plans you're making? E.g. skills, checkpoints, feedback, collaborations, your motivation-buddies, mentors and sponsors. Not the plan itself but think about your support system

• There will always be interruptions and the pull to multi-task things. How will you prepare yourself to navigate these moments and create space to think?

• Are you able to adjust, fine-tune and alter course with agility or do you think you'll be holding on tight to measures and goals?

• Ponder on hypotheses, and experiments to learn more. Think about how you can help yourself reframe situations and prepare to learn, unlearn and relearn.

• Don't forget to plan ways to celebrate, failures as well as achievements!

• Do you need to think completely outside of other people’s frame of reference? What makes sense for you in your situation? What can help you be successful in 2024? For a Caregiver this could be reaching out to connect with other people more, to feel less lonely.

I like to be a little rebellious and do things differently so that I’m not falling into a trap of conforming ;-) At work, it used to be a good support for critical thinking. In my Caregiving role, it’s helped me to ‘never assume’ and reframe our challenges. What helps you in your problem-solving or flexing around a challenge? It’s a useful red thread to carry with you in 2024 to quickly shift gears, and adapt when the unexpected arises.

Question 2: What does success look like for you/your team or your family?

This is, in part, a manifestation exercise and a handy validation tool to see if your plans resonate in the way that matters: head-heart-gut.

Helpful process tips:

• Get a big piece of paper and go wild. Free up your brain by dissociating it from justifications, numbers and facts.

  • list or draw

  • drop words

  • paste images

• Write a letter to yourself as if it were December 31st 2024 and you were thanking yourself for everything you've done. Remember the highlights and struggles and give yourself the grace to forgive anything that may have gone wrong. Remember to be compassionate and kind.

Exercise: The Bell Jar of Gratitude. (One of my favourites!)

• Take a BIG transparent jar and put it in a prominent position in your home.

• Put a stack of different coloured pieces of paper nearby

• Put your letter inside.

• Each week, put 1 note in the jar.

• Write about something you are grateful for or capture a moment of joy. Make sure you date the note & sign it!

• Add photos or a random gift voucher; go wildly creative!

• Involve the whole family or any guests

At the end of the year, you can count how many blessings you have. Make a collage as a family. OR, if you have any struggles during the year, delve into the jar, and then write a note to say how it helped you, and put that back in the jar.

Sometimes, we forget that most of life's successes are in the small moments of joy and gratitude. The collective impact of all these moments of gratitude can be just as big, or sometimes even more significant, than the big project or goal!

Making this a new tradition for you or your whole family can be grounding. Can you do this with your team at work? It also makes your end-of-year review a LOT more fun!

I wanted to share this short post with my clients, Carer friends, and anyone struggling with the yearly wave of planning and productivity tips. This article is less about actions and plans and more about preparing for the journey ahead.

As I approach the end of my third month in Substack, the new home for my website I have lingered longer In the space of not knowing to do a little experimentation on what feels right to me. I’m intentionally testing and learning to understand what I can and cannot do with the site and writing articles. I’d like this to be a long-term venture, alongside mentoring in real-time and my highest priority - caring for Mum.

The light is coalescing into some interesting topics and thoughtful ways to engage with my subscribers and clients. Those who know me well will not be surprised to learn that I'm forging my own path and definition of success!

Watch this space!