Following last year’s wrap up, the word that I’ve chosen for 2022 is “Ready”.
Firstly, “Ready” is a state of mind. It is not conditional upon a clean room, how you feel, whether or not you paid your taxes, a good nights’ sleep, or whatever else needs to be done.
"Ready" is like a fully wound-up wind-up toy: stored energy at its max, needing nothing but a clear runway to unleash the beast.
I could go broke buying up everything I think could prepare me. But at this point, I don't need another course, book, coaching group, or tool. It’s about about pure action - writing and publishing.
Here are snippets from how I’m using the GROW model to create tangible action around the word “Ready”. May it help you to seize the year!
GOALS: If I could only achieve ONE thing in 2022, what would it be?
By December 31st, 2022, I would have launched and completed the first iteration of an online course or workshop with 3 students.
REALITY: Where am I now?
The reality is if I were to launch a course tomorrow, it would fail. If I am to achieve my one 2022 goal, there are some harsh truths that I need to face:
I don’t have a clear message. What do I want to teach that I am both qualified to and interested in teaching? All I know is there is an intersection between what to teach and what people want. For me, that’s not “How to Do an Elimination Diet” or “How to Get Out of Chronic Back Pain”.
I don’t know my niche audience. My stats show that most of my subscribers are my direct contacts, but who are my 1000 True Fans?
I don’t have a regular publishing habit. Last July, I said I’d publish 25 newsletters by 12/31/2021. I published 17. A 68% completion rate, a solid D. So although I’m writing everyday, I’m not publishing when it matters.
OBSTACLES (+ OPTIONS): What are the obstacles and how do I deal with them?
I have the obvious one of being in a full-time job, but there are also obscure obstacles like these mental blocks that keep me from publishing:
“But, this piece is too boring to finish/ no one will want to read this.”
“But, what if I don’t want to write about this ever again (and god forbid it goes viral)?”
“But, this sentence/paragraph doesn’t sound exactly right yet.”
“But, who decided that we need to do this every day/week?”
“But, my room’s not clean and I need to do my taxes.”
“But I need a snack, a nap, and it’s finally sunny outside.”
These obstacles sound a lot like being victim to circumstance. The antidotes that have worked for me are compassion, community, and regimentation.
WAY FORWARD: Which one option am I choosing and what are the action steps?
I have a tendency to overestimate my time and energy, so I’m practicing simplicity. If I could point to ONE thing that has a cascade effect on everything else in my life including my 2022 goal, it would be regimented rest.
This is what regimented rest looks like:
Getting ready for bed before 10PM.
De-stimulating my nervous system through meditation, tremoring, or yoga immediately after work.
Taking Tuesday and Thursday evenings off from writing to have relationship time
Taking everything else (martial arts, freediving, starting a Youtube channel, etc) off the table until I’ve cultivated a 60 day streak of the above habits.
When I have rest, I also tend to have the will power to create other good habits, like writing.
What will happen if I don't attain my goal?
Another year where I don’t write and teach would be another year filled with regret, agitation, and destructive energy. There’s simply too much potential energy with nowhere else to go.
Our dreams are important, but they aren’t urgent. It’s easy to let them fall to the way-side to tend to things that need your immediate attention, like work deadlines or making dinner.
That’s why now that I’m ready, I’m starting today.
What’s your one goal for 2022?
You got a lot in the way forward which is awesome.
Would it make sense to focus on a single thing w/in regimented rest? Ie taking your strategy/ principle of simplicity, make it even simpler and focus on "Getting ready for bed before 10PM."
Or does that take the simplicity strategy too much.
> All I know is there is an intersection between what to teach and what people want
What's this intersection?
>"I have a tendency to overestimate my time and energy, so I’m practicing simplicity."
Wow this sounds like me. Simplicity seems like a good strategy.