“The future is in your hands, but only if you act today.”

Today starts a new year with new opportunities ahead. This time of year brings us to analyze what we accomplished in the past year and look ahead to what we want to undertake in the new year. It’s common to look ahead and set goals, or “new year’s resolutions,” for what we want to achieve.

The problem with this approach usually comes about two to three weeks into the first month. We get distracted and lose touch with what we planned for the year. By the time March comes around, the goals we set in January are long forgotten.

The good news: it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right planning and preparation, you can achieve your goals. You can do things you had never dreamed possible. You can create more success in 2018 than you’ve ever experienced previously.

For me, 2017 was my best year in many ways. I attribute much of my success to the plan I established and followed all year. The plan I used was based on Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever program. My plan helped me to focus on the right activities to help me achieve the goals I set. It wasn’t a perfect year, but it was my best year thus far.

In late November I was excited to learn that Michael was releasing a new book, YOUR BEST YEAR EVER: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals. It got better when he added me to his pre-launch team. I’m happy to say that the excellent content from Michael’s program has been encapsulated nicely into book form that is easy to consume and has all the steps and action plans necessary to help you take your planning and success to new heights.

Here’s a rundown of the five steps to making this next year your best year ever:

1. Believe the Possibility: You first need to believe you can accomplish your goals and recognize the power of your beliefs. Next, confront your limiting beliefs. And finally, ‘upgrade’ your beliefs to align with your dreams.
2. Complete the Past: Take a realistic look at things that haven’t gone well in the past and look for opportunities hidden in your regrets. Practice gratitude and look to the future.
3. Design Your Future: Set 7-10 goals you want to achieve during the year; make them SMARTER: specific, measurable, actionable, risky, time-keyed, exciting, relevant. Decide on the right mix of achievements and habits and set goals in your discomfort
4. Find Your Why: Identify your key motivations, why you want to reach your goals. Stay motivated as you reach for your goals. Build your team; it’s always easier to reach your goals if you have friends along for the journey.
5. Make it happen: Break down big goals into actionable next steps. Brainstorm the best activation triggers to help spur you through the tough times. Schedule and carry out regular goal reviews on a daily, weekly and quarterly basis.

“Your best year ever isn’t a movie you can sit back and watch. It’s a vision that needs to be built, starting now, or it won’t come true.”

Happy New Year! Make 2018 your best year ever.

Questions: What is your number one goal for 2018? How will you make this year different? Please leave a comment in the space below.

—
The Product Management Perspective: Launches make or break a product. Taking time to prepare for the year is important for product managers. Michael’s book will give you the things you need to have a successful ‘launch’ in 2018.