135 - 2018 Reflection (Focus On The Positives)

In December it's quite common to start looking ahead to next year and not reflect on the year that was. There is a lot to learn and to take away if you stop and reflect.  I'd love to say this was my idea, but it wasn't. Last week I tuned into a webinar with Deb Johnstone, and it was about reflecting on the year that was, and there were three key points.  Deb Johnstone was my guest It’s No Secret with Dr T., and the episode was called Mastering Your Mindset.  Focus On The Positive Firstly – People have a habit of focusing on the negative, what they didn’t achieve throughout the year, instead of the positive things they have done. Deb asked us to consciously go through the year, month by month, and look at the highlights, and when I did this I was amazed, and I had forgotten many of my accomplishments, not all huge, but still significant. Columnist of Tropic Magazine 14 consistent monthly coaching clients New website I ran a successful event in August with Dave Frees in Cairns I got to speak in Powell River, Canada and Arizona, in the USA Started a new Podcast called Podiatry Legends, to be released in January 2019.  What I Missed Is Not Important  I had set a goal to be a guest on 50 podcasts but only managed to speak on 34, which is still pretty good.  Also, I didn’t get Richard Branson on It's No Secret with Dr T. but in hindsight I know I could have pushed harder. However, I now have a choice. Focus on the negative or focus on the positive.  2018 Week One Episode  This webinar reminded me of my first episode in 2018, which was title Was Week One A Hit Or A Miss? On this podcast, I was talking about how much did you achieve and get done in your first week back at work? Was it a productive week, or was it a complete disaster, or was it somewhere in between? Create A Personal Scorecard I was also talking about not focusing on what you didn’t do, and instead, give yourself a rating out of ten, then keep track of your score each week and why you gave yourself this score.  What reoccurring obstacles keep getting in your way and can you do something to prevent them from happening again? To change the output of your life, you need to change the input. So if you’re not getting out of life what you want, you need to make a conscious effort to change the input. Free Lessons & Gifts - Some Hurt Every challenge leaves us with a lesson or a gift. Sometimes it’s hard to see what the lesson or gift is in the moment, but it’s there somewhere. For example, you may have had a challenge at work with a team member, a family challenge, or it could have been a health or weight challenge. Regardless of what it was, look for the lessons and gifts. Sometimes there may only be lessons, but every lesson is still a gift.  Key Changes For 2019 Think about what fundamental changes you need to make in your life right now to get the most out of 2019.  I discovered the following:  I had to be more aware of my daily habits, and especially how I start and finish each day. How I begin and end a day has a massive impact on my mindset, enthusiasm and how much you get done each day. My wife Christine recently pointed out that I was looking at my phone a lot before going to bed and also again when I work up, and I have to be honest, she was right. Conscious Effort To Change  So I’ve made a conscious effort to stop these bad habits, and after a few short weeks, it has already made a massive difference in how I am performing.  I also need to be more aware of the obstacles I know are present in my life, and don’t let them, or use them as an excuse for not doing what I said I was going to do. If you’re going to go to the gym at 7 am, then get up and go. Don’t put it off and say you’ll do it in the afternoon when you know by the end of the day you’re going to be tired and won’t feel like it. Be patient, and Happy To Be a Novice – Get comfortable with it. - MOG We All Must Have Gratitude The third thing Deb discussed was to be grateful for the year as a whole. There would be a lot of people that would love to have the year you had, so be grateful you got to have it. Gratitude is the closest state to love. When you look at all three points:  Achievement and highlights Lessons and gifts Be grateful for the year as a whole It does put 2018, and every other year prior, into PERSPECTIVE.  I hope you’ve had a great 2018 if you have any questions, please send me an email [email protected], or if you want more information on mindset coaching and personal development training I suggest you get in touch with Deb Johnstone at [email protected] FREE DOWNLOAD & Book Orders: First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business. If you're a Podiatrist you may prefer to order my first book; It's No Secret There's Money In Podiatry.