As we come to the end of 2021, and are looking forward into 2022, I would encourage you to take a moment by yourself to consider the following 4 questions (I think you’ll find they’re not what you’re expecting!)
1. What would I do if I could not fail?
This is your chance to dream big. So often, we play small because of fear – fear of judgement from others, fear of failure, fear of exposure, fear of humiliation, and even fear of success.
Very often, it’s the things that we truly want, deep down, that we may not even talk to others about, that get scuppered by fear. How much of a disservice are we doing ourselves if we’re actively denying ourselves even the chance to try for our dreams? We’re too scared to even take action!
Well, 2022 is the time my friend. You pinpoint that dream, that you’re almost too scared to express, and ask yourself, what is the first small step towards this goal? Just the first one. Make it easy, make it quick, make it painless. That, right there, is action.
2. List 3 amazing successes you had in 2021. What was it about you that allowed these to happen?
It’s so interesting how the brain works. So often when we achieve something we reward luck, or fate, or positive discrimination, or other outward influencers with the accolades for our achievements, instead of ourselves.
Now it’s time to think about your own role in your successes, because yes, it was you who did it! Your courage, experience, fortitude, gumption, understanding, integrity…
Now, take these amazing innate abilities you have and project them into 2022. How can you draw on these strengths again and again in 2022, to make it your best year ever?
This is where true confidence comes from – knowing that you have all the tools within you to succeed, you don’t need specific experience to be successful at something new.
3. What are your top 3 values in life? How are you experiencing these in your career?
Values are such an important aspect of you to consider – if your values are not in line with how you are experiencing your life and career, you will feel a dissonance. Being someone who you inherently are not is just plain exhausting.
Working with a micromanager, when a key value of yours is Trust, is just frustrating and condescending. Having no friendly banter with colleagues when a key value of yours is Relationships can be soul-destroying. Not having access to exciting new big-ticket projects can be demotivating if a key value is Achievement.
Consider how your current job is, or indeed isn’t, fulfilling these needs you have, and start to devise a plan of how you can weave these into your role. Your motivation, purpose and spark will return sooner than you think!
4. Who do you want to be in 2022?
While an interesting question for a new year is always “what do you want to achieve this year?” a far more interesting question is “who do you want to be this year?”
Think about it – you have far greater control over this, than you do over someone else’s arbitrary financial goal. A little more motivating, right?
A Mastery Mindset is one where you have a goal in mind, but your focus is on you, and doing everything in your power as well as you can.
If things don’t go as planned in the end, you can still claim this a resounding success! You’ve learnt, and grown, and taken action, and did scary things, and you can look back on how far you’ve come as a human being.
So who do you want to be in 2022? Courageous? Fearless? An action-taker? A communicator? A relationship-builder? A visionary? A mentor? A leader?
Take steps to becoming the person you truly want to be, for the long-haul. This will last longer than any bonus, trust me!
