Great Scott! Back... To The Future Of Your Business
You'd think my current focus would be setting Q1 goals, prepping for an upcoming retreat with my Mighty Mastermind members, mapping out a 2023 marketing strategy, or any of the other tasks a “normal” business coach would be doing this time of year.
Nope:
I'm currently all-consumed with turning my living room into a replica of the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance from Back to the Future.
Why is that, you ask?
(And no, it's not just my love of 80s/90s cultural references).
The reason is that I am psychologically incapable of throwing a party without a theme. It's a must.
Whether seeing friends plunge through a fake-brick Platform 9¾ to enter my “Harry Potter” party, or don tiaras & sashes at the “High School Dance” party (where everyone is Homecoming Queen), I find great joy in creating another world for people to escape into.
This weekend's Back to the Future holiday soirée will be no exception.
Though my plan to rent a DeLorean would've cost more than my mortgage payment (dangit!), I'm still putting the finishing touches on all kinds of other BTTF references that I hope will transport my guests back to 1955/1985.
This fun project is getting me thinking about the past:
If I could go back in time, what would I do?
Would I go back and tell my Mom how cool she was living out Mad Men in her 20s at an ad agency in New York?
Would I go to 1985 and tell my lil' pre-teen self that it's ok not to have Guess jeans and Esprit tops like the cool girls, and to just embrace my awkward self? (And to enjoy MTV's prime while they still played Music Videos)?
Believe me, as both a therapist and a history-nerd, I have a lot to say about the power of the past.
But I'll reign myself in here, and say that ultimately, the past is in the past. There's nothing we can do to change it.
What we can do is to reflect on it, and let it enrich the present.
This is the time of year when a lot of solopreneurs start creating their big, audacious, hairy goals for 2023.
But I cannot stress enough how important it is to first spend time taking stock and celebrating what you accomplished in 2022 (even if last year's hairy goal turned out to be a little peach-fuzz).
You'll bring more clarity and energy to your new goals if you do.
To this end, I've created a list of questions to help you reflect on 2022.
Take yourself out for coffee and write out the answers, or just look over this list and spend a minute reflecting on a few of them. It's a gift you give your business and yourself.
The Questions:
What were some courageous risks that you took this year (small or large)?
What are some gains you made in your business (whether or not you reached your 2022 goals)?
What are a few of the lessons, ideas, or “ahas" you learned this year?
What books, podcasts, trainings, or programs did you invest time or money in this year? What were some of the best takeaways?
What negative habits, mindsets, “stuff”, people… anything did you let go of this year?
What were a few challenges you tackled? What did you learn in the process? How might these challenges end up being a gift to your business in the long run?
Who are the people who had a positive impact on your business this year?
What did you enjoy the most in your business? What was FUN?
What did you learn about yourself in 2022?
What is a way that you can celebrate yourself for what you did in your business this past year?
I'll be sending out some 2023-planning questions to you soon, but in the meantime:
I hope you'll take the time to “go back in time” to give your past December-2021 self some encouraging words, and your current 2022 self a high-five.
No plutonium (or lightning) required.