I have a confession to make: I am exhausted! Don’t get me wrong, this is the good kind of exhaustion that comes from putting a lot of energy into something you really love. This last week has been full of being with the people I love most, eating some of my favorite meals, and fully enjoying all the blessing that come with this particular holiday season. In short, it has all been pure joy! But now, as things begin to settle back down, my thoughts turn to all the “Things to Finish” that are in front of me now. The end of the year always triggers a flurry of activities that must be closed out before starting the new year. Among them, of course, is taking down the Christmas tree and all of the decorations, boxing them up, and putting them away until next November, taking down all of the lights and decorations on the outside of the house and putting them away, putting the furniture back in it’s proper place after being moved to accommodate the tree, getting rid of all the boxes that the gifts came in, and, well…you get the idea!
Year-end also brings about a full set of “Things to Finish” in our business life as well. That list might include closing out payroll for the year, closing out the budget, cleaning up Personnel files, etc. In general, we just need to “close the books” for 2016.
Year-end always brings about thoughts of closure. In our pursuit of a life of being Up or Getting Up (But Never Down), there are a few other things we need to put on our closure list. As we close the books for this year, I suggest you also close the books on any of these items that are still lingering in your life and leave them in 2016:
Negative Thinking: This would include all forms of internal negative self-talk. Negative thinking and self-talk is a waste of good energy. Along related lines, close the books on any beliefs that you cannot achieve your vision and dreams. Redirect your negative energy towards possibility thinking. What could be true for you this year if you stayed focused on successful outcomes?
Procrastination on your Vision and Dreams: Speaking of what could be true for you, stop finding excuses for not pursuing your vision and dreams. It is easy to push the procrastination button when the tasks in front of you seem overwhelming. Remember, though, you don’t have to have it all figured out before you begin your journey. Get clear about what you want to accomplish and then focus on the very next step that will get you closer to that vision. Dream BIG and then take it ONE step at a time. You will be amazed at what you can achieve by the end of 2017.
Poison Relationships: It is hard to let go of some things, especially people that have been in your life for a long time. Still, if that relationship is doing nothing but burning up your energy and providing no positive results, then it is time to let that relationship go and move on. It is hard to get Up (let alone stay Up) when there is someone in your life that keeps knocking you down.
Any Anger: While you are letting go of the poison people in your life, close out any anger that might be associated with those people (or anyone else, for that matter!) I saw a quote the other day that said “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Anger is an internal poison for ourselves. In most cases, anger (and all of it’s variations…frustration, contempt, resentment, animosity, indignation, etc) is purely self-destructive and without impact to the person for which we are holding this emotion. Leave this in 2016 and then use that energy to seek things that bring you joy in 2017.
Engaging in Destructive Conversation About Others: Instead of wasting energy finding ways to put someone down, let’s redirect that energy to finding the good and the positive in someone. If that seems like a waste to you, then I would suggest letting go of that relationship and moving on. Every minute we spend in negative-driven conversation about others is 60 seconds we could have spent pursuing our own vision and dreams. Where do you really want to invest your mental and physical energy? On other people you don’t really like? Or on achieving what could be possible for you?
Fear of Failure: This may come as disappointing news, but you are going to fail at things. Failure is not the opposite of success, but a part of success. If you are not failing from time to time, then you are probably not playing a big enough game for yourself. Remember what Thomas Edison said when he was questioned about all of his “failures”, he stated “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” The key point here is that Edison accepted that failure was part of the path towards success. If he had accepted failure on his attempts to invent the lightbulb, you would be reading this article by candlelight. {big smile}
The start of a new year is a great time to start fresh and focus on all the positive elements for your life. Close the books on the things mentioned above or any other negative elements in your life and leave them behind. Pursue your life of Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) with all your available energy throughout 2017!
Wishing you all the best in your NEW year!
Be sure to visit and “like” our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/uporgettingup). You can visit our website and see all of James’ articles at www.uporgettingup.com If you are interested in bringing James in to speak to your organization or group (or just want additional information), please contact us by clicking here (go ahead…you know you want to!)