I love New Years. Not because I love leaving the house and going to parties (hahaha the idea of me going to a New Year’s Eve party is hilarious).
And I don’t love New Years because of the whole resolutions thing – I’m the kind of person who is constantly solving problems, so if there’s a problem I don’t wait until a new year to try and solve it.
But when that clock strikes midnight something small but significant that you’ve been doing all year – writing a certain number at the end of a date – all of a sudden changes, and that change makes me feel like anything is possible in this new world and new time.
Or at least for most years…
You may have noticed that I haven’t published this blog post on January 1st. The literal start to my new year didn’t feel full of being possibility, but full of a cold… and then a sinus infection.
I really haven’t accomplished much over the past three weeks (took it easy during the holidays too), so I am super excited about getting back to work on Monday. I’ll just pretend like it’s January 1st.
After barely working for weeks, it really does feel like I’m starting fresh this time.
Instead of the typical New Year’s resolution, I like to take a page out of Chris Brogan’s book and come up with three words that will guide my actions through the next year.
My three words of 2017 were Magic, Foundation, and Wield.
This year, the three words that will guide me through 2018 are Systematic, Ruckus, and Help.
And I’ve set my Google calendar to remind me of my words on the first of each month.
Why these three words
Systematic
This year, I’ll be starting/expanding a social media management business. Being my own case study, I’ll be documenting that process on Introvertology – sharing what worked and what didn’t, and how I’m trying to honor my introversion through this process.
Since I’ll be running multiple businesses (I’ll still be doing business coaching), I need to be a well oiled machine in 2018. And that means creating robust systems. And sticking to them.
Ruckus
I’m taking Seth Godin’s The Marketing Seminar course, and ruckus is a word he used in one of the course’s intro videos. I love that word, ruckus. The ruckus I hope to make isn’t one of senseless noise, but one of change.
Magical things don’t happen without a ruckus. Magical things don’t happen when we’re stuck in a status quo that isn’t fulfilling, even if that status quo feels comfortable and quiet.
And I feel like we’re all here on this planet to create magic, and that means causing a ruckus. The size of the ruckus is irrelevant.
Help
A few months ago, after Chris Guillebeau asked me if I was building Introvertology for the money or for the legacy, I realized just how much I was holding back and being held back.
In 2018 I don’t want to hold back or be held back, and I think Help is my way forward.
I want to help people without expecting anything in return, and I want to ask for help when I get stuck.
So, my friends, what will your 2018 look like?
