Can you feel it?
The end of the year is fast approaching. Old Father Time is starting to breathe down our necks again.
It seems that most of us end up feeling pretty tired and worn out at the end of the year. We’re looking forward to a break.
Some time to relax and chill out. Some time with friends and family.
A little summer holiday – or a long one if you’re lucky!
Of course, some of us take the other approach. They’re frantically running around trying to cram in a few extra tasks before the year runs out.
They’re also tired, but they’re fuelled by adrenalin. Desperate to get things done.
Sometimes they’re driven by the guilt of not having taken action earlier.
Whatever your end of year looks like, just stop for a moment.
Breath.
Re-focus.
Relax, because I’ve got you covered. There are only six things you must do before the end of the year.
You have four weeks, and I know you can do this.
Ready?
1. Finish Hard
Go on, admit it. You have a few loose ends lying around.
It’s OK, we all do. We all have things that we mean to do but leave. For all sorts of reasons.
But let’s not leave them any longer. Let’s finish 2016 strong and clean by finishing all those little outstanding things. Those tasks we’ve been meaning to get to.
And don’t add to the pile. Don’t peter out over the next couple of weeks, and let things go until next year.
Instead, keep doing what you always do, right through to the end of the year.
That way 2017 will have a moving start, rather than a standing start. You won’t have to build up all that momentum. You’ll have retained it.
2. Set Up 2017
Take the time now, before the end of the year, to set yourself up for success in 2017.
Keep presenting treatment plans, keep sending out recalls and keep ensuring your appointment book is full.
You want to make sure you return with a full appointment book. But it’s more than that.
It’s also about annual planning. Making sure you have a strategy session to map out your business goals.
It’s about organising a team event to communicate those goals and inspire those around you to strive towards your vision.
It’s about arranging monthly meetings to check how you’re tracking against your annual targets and booking regular team reviews with each person who reports to you.
Do the necessary planning to ensure that next year is a successful one. Because success is nothing to do with luck and everything to do with planning and action.
3. Celebrate 2016
You work hard and it’s important to celebrate.
Celebrate your wins throughout the year. Celebrate where you are now compared to where you were twelve months ago.
I recommend celebrating in three key areas. They are: with yourself, with your family and with your team.
Celebrate all the financial, emotional and intellectual growth you’ve achieved as an individual.
Rejoice with your family and reflect on the year that’s nearly complete.
Applaud the efforts of your team. They need to know what they’ve done well during the year, and hearing it will increase their loyalty.
4. Take A Guilt-Free holiday
Plan a holiday. You need it and so does your business. (Click to Tweet)
It doesn’t have to be over the summer months, but you need to schedule it. If you’re taking time out over the next few weeks, then make sure you plan when your next holiday will be.
You need something to look forward to and keep you motivated.
Holidays are a crucial investment in your mental and physical wellbeing. You need time to unwind, recharge and refocus.
Returning to work after a good break brings about calm and clarity. You can see the world differently, and often solve problems that seemed insurmountable before.
5. Focus On Your Health
Just like holidays are essential for wellbeing, so is your health.
You’re an important person. You care for others. You support your patients and your staff.
And you can’t do that effectively unless you’re in peak condition.
So take the time to reflect on your health. Is it where you want it to be? If not, what can you do to improve it?
If you find yourself focussing on all the obstacles that make it hard to exercise or eat healthy food, stop and reframe.
Ask yourself how you can make this work. How you can increase your health.
By focussing on how you’ll start seeing new ways of dealing with those obstacles, and you’ll work out a plan that’s effective for you.
6. Think And Reflect
Every successful business owner needs to take the time to think and reflect. (Click to Tweet)
Consider what worked well this year, and what didn’t. What will you do more of? What will you do less of?
Don’t get caught up in things you perceive as failures. They’re learning events. Remember Henry Ford said,
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
Keep a little book of lessons where you record your learnings. This will become a treasure trove of information.
A golden book of memories that will keep you moving in the right direction.
Set Yourself Up For Success
You can finish this year strong, no matter where you’re starting from.
Take these next four weeks and use them to your best advantage.
Learn what lessons you can from the setbacks you’ve experienced, and put those lessons to use.
Celebrate your wins with family, friends and colleagues.
Make plans to ensure your success for 2017. Your business success, your physical success and your psychological success.
That includes planning a guilt-free holiday, and retaining – or improving – your health and fitness.
When you finish strong, you’ll be able to really relax and feel proud of your efforts during the break.
John Green once said,
“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”
There might be only four weeks left, but you have no other time but now.
So go. Be remarkable.
