What Do You Want for the 2nd Half of 2022?

It's the first full week of the 2nd half of 2022.    I want to encourage you to let go of whatever you think is in your way and make it happen. Are you ready to put it in high gear and make this a record year?!?  

Take a few minutes to think about these three questions:

• What do you want to accomplish in the 2nd half of the year . . . what do you really want?  
• What's the real challenge for you?
• What resources can you use for support and help?

Let's look at the three questions in some detail.

What do you want to accomplish in the 2nd half of the year . . . what do you really want?  

There's no right or wrong answer here and it might be something other than the first answer. Maybe your gut response is MORE REVENUE. Ok, that's good. What else? Is it just more revenue or is there something else? MORE PROFIT. Sure, that's never a bad thing. What else? LESS CHAOS AND MORE ORGANIZATION. Interesting . . . What else? Sometimes there is that one thing you can work on that will make everything else easier. Keep digging for something significant. It's even more powerful if you can involve your team in the exercise.

What's the real challenge for you?

If you can get some perspective on the real challenge, you'll have a better chance of making progress. Maybe the challenge is that you feed your mind with negative thoughts like, "I can't figure this out", "I've tried this before and it won't work", "The team isn't capable or isn't interested", or "I'm just not disciplined enough to make this happen." Our minds can be really tough on us! Keep asking yourself, "What's the real challenge for me?"

If you happened to name someone else as the challenge, don't be so quick to accept that as your final answer. Dig a little deeper. Think about what is in your control. In my businesses, when something wasn't going as it should, sometimes, I'd hear myself blaming someone else, and then as soon as I caught myself, I'd reframe it and remind myself that as the leader, it was my responsibility to right the ship. If things weren't going well, it was my duty to turn things around, and everything that was going well was due to my team. 

So, what's the real challenge for you? What are you allowing to get in the way of what it is that you really want?

What resources can you call on for support and help?

You don't need to do this alone. Think about where you might find assistance with whatever it is that you want to accomplish. 

Start with your team. When I speak with leaders who are trying to do things on their own, I think of a quote from John Maxwell, ". . . One is too small a number to achieve greatness. You cannot do anything of real value alone."

I wish I had read that before my first three years in business. Working on the new annual plan for my business at a Starbucks sometime in mid-November, I felt really frustrated. The primary thought that kept spinning around in my head was, Why am I doing this? Why am I wasting time on a set of goals for next year? No one cares . . . other than me. Then – a blinding flash of the obvious came over me. Hey knucklehead . . . no one cares about the plan for next year because it's YOUR plan not the TEAM's plan. I left the coffee shop and from that point on, we did our planning as a team.

Read a book, listen to a podcast, or watch a video. If there's some area of your business you want to improve, plenty of resources are at your disposal. There is so much information in the world for the cost of a book or even for free on YouTube. Whatever you want in your business or your life, it's unlikely that it is a unique challenge. 

One book can have a tremendous impact on your business. Back in 2013, I was interested in creating a better method of accountability and a strong meeting rhythm in my business, so my leadership team and I read a book called Traction by Gino Wickman and implemented what we learned.

Find a guide who's been there. The person you need may be different at different points in your career. Over the years, I've been helped by peers, coaches, and consultants. You might look to a peer to help you solve a problem they've conquered in the past, a coach to help you see what's in the way of you and your goals, or a consultant to help you with a specific implementation plan. 

I work with business owners and their teams to help them make progress with their most significant challenges and greatest opportunities. How can I help you and your team?