5 Strategies to Turbocharge Your Success in 2023

As I write this, I’m sitting in my living room, looking at our Christmas tree and the fire burning in the fireplace. This isn’t where I normally write, but it seems so appropriate today. We finished our Christmas celebration, and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying time with our family – including our four children, and our brand-new granddaughter, who was born the week before Christmas. This setting, though not ideal for writing, is very peaceful. It’s a great place to reflect as we approach the end of one year, and the beginning of another.

Every year around this time, I reflect on the year that is ending, and think about the year that will soon begin. I love the process of quietly celebrating all I accomplished in the year, and pondering what I learned from the year. As John Maxwell says, “Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn.” For me, 2022 has been a year filled with both “wins” and “lessons.” I hope you’ve experienced both, too.

Through the years, I’ve refined my year-end process. I invest a considerable amount of time at the end of each year, and I’ve found that this reflection and planning helps me to “hit the ground running” in the new year. I’ve developed this into a formal process, and I’d like to share several components with you here.

One Word Theme

I’ve written before about creating a One Word Theme for the year, so I won’t go into great detail about the mechanics of creating your One Word Theme. I love distilling the focus of my year down to a single word. With a One Word Theme, you can evaluate every day how you’re living your life, and whether it’s consistent with your One Word Theme for the year.

I believe creating a One Word Theme will provide purpose and meaning to your year, and will motivate you to orient your life around that theme. You can use it to guide your actions, your decisions, and your life.

Written Goals

I’ve written about the power of written goals long enough that I hope you’re already writing down your goals. Your written goals are your clear plan to the achievement of everything you want in life. 

It’s amazing to me that, with everything we know about the power of goal setting, less than 3% of the population has a written set of goals, and less than 1% reviews their goals on a regular basis. If you’re not where you want to be – in any or every area of your life – and you don’t have a list of goals, then now is a good time to create one.

This exercise is as simple as sitting down, and making a list of everything you want to be, do, and have over the next 10 years and beyond. Include goals for every area of life: business/career, personal development, wealth/finance, relationships/family, health/fitness, spiritual and fun/pleasure. Write down everything you can think of, without filtering your thoughts.

90-Day Action Plan

Years ago, I discovered what I now call the magic timeframe for achieving your goals. The reason for this is that 90 days is long enough to make significant progress toward your desired outcome, but short enough that, if for some reason you fall short, you’re able to quickly regroup and get back on track.

Take your list of written goals, and determine what you can do in the next 90 days to move you toward your goals. By reducing your goals into 90-day “mini-goals”, you’re far more likely to do what you need to do to accomplish them. Big goals can be overwhelming, but a 90-day action plan takes those big goals, and reduces them into smaller, achievable tasks. 

At the end of 90 days, evaluate how you did on your goals, and create an action plan for the next 90 days. Repeat this process each quarter, and notice the powerful impact this process has on your life!

Continuous Learning

I’m a big fan of the StrengthsFinder assessment (now called CliftonStrengths). Since one of my strengths is “Learner,” it comes as no surprise that I love to read. I’m thankful that so many amazingly smart people invest hundreds of hours putting down in words their knowledge in a variety of fields, so you and I can read their books and learn from them.

One of the best things you can do to create success in your life – however you define it – is by modeling the behavior and actions of others who have already done what you’re looking to do. And continuous learning is a great way to discover how others have created success in their lives, so you can do the same in yours.

Make it a priority in 2023 to read books, listen to podcasts (like LifeExcellence with Brian Bartes), learn online (through sites like TED Talks and YouTube), and attend workshops, seminars, and conferences. 

Coaching

The most effective way I’ve found to create the results I want to achieve is to hire a coach. When I think about any area of my life I was 100% committed to improving, coaching was always part of that improvement.

When I was in middle school, I played both the French horn and saxophone. My skills improved considerably from the instruction of both my music teacher and the conductor of a wind ensemble I played in. I was also a nationally ranked table tennis player between the ages of 12 and 15. My coach played a huge role in my success, and put other people in my path who also helped me to improve.

When I learned to play squash as an adult, I took lessons three times per week for five years. During that time, I rose from a novice player to one of the better players in my club. When I switched from squash lessons to working out with a personal trainer, my strength and conditioning improved dramatically.

Professionally, I’ve had coaches and mentors for more than 30 years. I simply would not have achieved the level of success I’ve achieved – in any area of life – without the help of others. 

A success coach supports, motivates, challenges, and encourages you to be your best – in every area of your life. To put it simply, having a coach will help you get results faster, easier, and with greater predictability than you would on your own. Through honest, objective, customized assessment and feedback, you’ll get very clear on what you’re committed to, and then develop a plan to produce results that are consistent with that commitment.

If you’re serious about turbocharging your success in 2023, and are committed to improving yourself both personally and professionally, then consider hiring me to help you go from where you are now to where you want to be. Send me an email, and let’s chat about what that could look like for you.

I hope you’re able to enjoy quality time with those closest to you during this holiday season. And best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2023! I’m grateful for you, and I look forward to connecting in the new year!