Kick Off Strong in 2019

Sarah Gibson shares about kicking off 2019 strong

We’re four days into the New Year. Do you make New Years’ Resolutions? If so, how are your 2019 New Years’ Resolutions going? As 2019 gets underway, let’s think about how to kick off strong in 2019.

Out of curiosity, I googled top New Years’ Resolutions. As you can guess, the top resolutions include: start and stick with a diet, lose weight, get in shape, save money, or here’s a good one that ranked in the top 10 of most lists – have more sex.

I can see how these resolutions would improve life for most of us. However, we know that the majority of folks don’t keep their resolutions. According to one Forbes article, just 8% of people achieve their resolutions. That’s a little depressing.

The point of today’s message isn’t resolutions, but it does set the framework for the conversation of how can we kick off strong and stay strong in what we hope to achieve  2019?

Set A Theme

One of my dear friends, Libby, sets themes for her year. She may look for having more joy in the coming year, and she frames her thoughts around whether or not she is seeing the joy in her circumstances or how she may need to think about something differently to find joy in difficult times. I love the framework of thinking in themes.

In the business world, we may label these themes as our vision statements or department goals. As a department, we want to think smarter this year. As a company we want to give the best customer service in the region. These themes give us a measuring point for our success in the coming year.

My 2019 Themes:

  • Giving myself permission to celebrate what I’ve accomplished and to rest more as a part of that celebration
  • Creating spaces for organizations to have conversations that matter

As the year kicks off and moves forward, these two items will provide the criteria for me to act throughout the year. For example:

  • If we have a big month with a lot of work and travel, did I take an unscheduled Friday off to regroup and revamp personally?
  • Did I say no to work that didn’t create the space for that organization to have a conversation that mattered and moved their business forward?

While having specific goals for the coming year can be motivating, you may find that reframing those goals to an annual theme is even more powerful for both kicking off and remaining strong in 2019.

To a New Year and to sharing new journeys together this coming year!

 

Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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