Good Morning Brand Builders and welcome to the start of a brand new decade. I don’t know about you, but I find each New Year to be equally exhilarating and just as equally frightening. It’s the reflection of the previous year, what you accomplished, what you didn’t accomplish, what you are moving over to your 2020 list and then it’s the expectations for the New Year – what do I really want and how will I achieve these things. Will you be going into the year saying “ONE DAY” or will this be your “DAY ONE?”
So this email isn’t so much about personal branding, but I wanted to share with you some of the things that help me to prepare for the journey of another New Year and hopefully it can help you too.
1. Pick A Theme– so each year I pick a theme that I want to guide my year, my thoughts and my actions. My theme for this year is ALL IN – I’m going to be 40 this year (woohoo) and I thought about all the things I’ve stopped and started over the years or kind of half-assed but didn’t really go out. This year I really want to go ALL IN on everything I do, my passion, relationships, work, projects, friends and just life. What will your theme be for this year?
2. Reflect on the previous year– I make a list of all the things that happened over the previous year, small accomplishments and big accomplishments, the things that really resonated or impacted me. Places I went, people I met, how I felt in particular moments. I really believe that you can’t go into another year with all these new expectations without giving thanks and showing gratitude for what we have already received. #GiveThanks
3. Goal Setting– Now its what do I want to achieve over the course of the year – not just a wish list of things, but each goal should have an actionable first step. The reason why so many people don’t achieve their goals and then get frustrated, is because they look so damn big and scary. Try to break down each goal into bite-sized chunks – you can also break them into quarterly goals like a business. And guess what if you don’t achieve them in the timeline that you have set – that’s okay, if you need to start over that’s okay and if you need to scratch that goal completely and add something new – that’s okay too. But set your intention and take real steps towards them, no matter how small – they add up.
4. Vision Board– So I personally love vision boards, because I’m naturally a creative and visual person, I like to see things – it just gives me an additional boost. I have multiple vision boards for different areas of my life. I haven’t done a 2020 vision board yet, and I actually may not do one, because I still have items on my 2019 vision board to achieve – I think I may just add to that existing board instead. Vision boards help to shape in my mind, exactly what I want to achieve – it makes it real for me, and reminds me of what I need to focus on.
Here are some resources for you that have helped me, and I hope they can help you too as you get ready for a year of clarity and focus.
Books
· The Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes
· The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlo
· The 4 Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom
· The ONE Thing – Gary Keller
· Girl Wash Your Face – Rachel Hollis
Workbooks & Tools
· A PR Chick’s Guide: 8 Steps To Building Your Personal Brand – Naomi N. Garrick
· www.yearcompass.com Free Download
· Epic Intentions Cards by Stacey Hinds www.epicintentionscards.com
I wish you all an amazing New Year – I have been really trying to get clarity on the person I’m becoming and how best to serve my community. I know I wasn’t as present in the last quarter as I too have been trying to figure out my next move as it relates to my PR agency Garrick Communications – a company I built from scratch that just celebrated 10 years and now my love of Personal Branding and in essence personal development, helping individuals to really see the greatness that lies within them and how they can now share this with the world. Every day I get closer to understanding my calling – but it still takes work.
Thanks for being on this journey with me and supporting me – every message, every email, comment, workbook purchased, attendance at my events, so much in store for 2020, including a new workbook and of course you will be the first to know.
Wishing you Love & Light,
Naomi