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How do you approach a new year or new season?
I am not a fan of resolutions, but I'm a huge fan of goals and intentions.
Each year, I take a five-part approach to the upcoming twelve months of opportunities.
1. I look back at what I've accomplished and all the amazing things that have occurred and rejoice. I also take stock of what didn't get done, ask why and determine if they're still important to me or not.
2. I set goals. This list will be revisited often through the year, with goals getting assignments by month as we go or broken down into smaller pieces and divvied out. I include small goals, doable goals and ones that may be more on the lofty side.
3. With my goals in mind, I take advantage of Dan Blank's Clarity Card system. On the back of each card, I bullet point how I'm going to achieve or focus on that card's intention. The beauty of using his process to set up my top-ten pyramid is, when I'm faced with a decision on how to spend my time, I go back to the Clarity Cards. Of two choices, if one appears in the cards and the other doesn't, my decision just got way easier! Also, last year, I had two huge cards get accomplished, so I put a completion date on each and celebrated. Dan Blank has all the details on how to use Clarity Cards on his website.
4. Since 2017, I have chosen a Word of the Year. This year's word is CLARITY. It's a funny thing with these words. As a year comes to a close, I start to fret that I won't come up with a new one. Then, magically, one starts to bubble just beneath the surface of my conscience. When it surfaces, I meet it warily, unconvinced it's not an imposter. And then, it starts to pop up all around me. "Clarity" has been on my mind a great deal over the past few years. During a Qwerty Writing Life podcast recording session with Mea Smith last week, "clarity" popped up a few times. The next morning, Dan Blank wrote about it in his weekly newsletter. Then, I received another email from an author I follow and she, too, was talking about "clarity." On top of all that, I have been experiencing the fringes of true clarity in my author career like I haven't before, and I do believe the upcoming year will unveil many things for me. Doubts dispelled, CLARITY it is for 2024! My word of the year becomes a touchstone, a focus and a North Star as I navigate the challenges and opportunities before me.
5. I revisit each of these intentions often as the years goes. I pull items from my goal list each month and reorder cards as needed. My word focuses me and my cards keep me from distractions. While not every goal will be accomplished, I know new ones may appear to replace them or their timing hasn't come yet.
What working with goals has taught me over the years is they are malleable, and I've come to embrace that. Beauty often comes in flexibility.
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