Business PlanningI promised my community that I would give a behind the scenes look as I usher you through my Annual Planning Process, so here goes…

Yesterday I hit a wall. An emotional wall, that is.

It was prompted by our weekly team gathering, during which I would share the vision exercise from the Best Year Yet Guide, revealing my vision for the first quarter of our million-dollar year.

I was planning to present the offers we would extend, team members we would add, goals we would go for and so on. But about an hour before the meeting, overwhelm set in.

My heart rate rose, the bigness of what we were taking on set in and… I began to doubt myself.

Knowing my team looks to me for direction and guidance, I knew I had to pull it together… fast.

So here is what I did…

I took a breath. I paused to see what I needed in order to shift my emotional state and show up powerfully.

Business Planning

I gave myself space. I sent an email announcing that we were pushing the team call back by three hours.

I got out in nature. One of my favorite places on earth is The Restless Sea – a stop on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, just 3 minutes from my house. It’s where the waves roll in from two different directions and collide in a beautiful mish-mosh of white and blue. (That’s the pic.)

I got out of my head and into my heart. I connected with “WHY” I wanted to do the things I envision for Q1. In truth… I thought about you. What I see that you and the others in my community truly need. I thought about what the industry is not providing and how I can use my 30 years of experience to fill the void. I got clear about WHY I do what I do.

Here’s what I want to acknowledge…

Business planning is not all fun and games. It can become a left-brain, linear sh*t show of goals, dates, targets and tactics. It can send us into overwhelm, make us doubt ourselves and, in those early morning hours, have us question all we are taking on.

But that’s OK. It’s the price of admission for having the privilege of turning our passions and expertise into our livelihood. It’s the work we need to do, in order to show up for others and impact meaningful change in the lives of our clients.

So today, as we continue on our annual planning journey together, I am asking you take these four steps.

  1. Take a breath
  2. Give yourself some space
  3. Get out into nature
  4. Reconnect with WHY you do what you do

Because when you do, you will feel more aligned with this vision you are crafting for 2019. You will feel more inspired to do the work that needs to be done. And above all, you will feel more equipped to show up as your beautiful, imperfect, yet powerful self.

I hope today’s message touches you.

I hope it helps you see that you are not alone in your fear, resistance, doubts or concerns.

I also hope that by seeing how I move through what inevitably shows up on the way to our vision, you are inspired to press on. ;0)

YOU are the reason I do what I do. So, please hang with me for these last 2 days of the Best Year Yet blog series.

I promise I will help you come round the home stretch to creating a plan to may 2019 all that you imagine.


*In this blog, I refer to the vision crafting exercise, which can be found in my Quick Start Guide to Planning Your Best Year Yet. If you have not grabbed the guide, you can do that here.

You’ll notice that we give you the option of picking up the blog series wherever we are, or starting at the beginning. My recommendation is the latter. By looking to the past to inform your future you will be better equipped to create a vision and a plan to make these next 12 months, your best year yet.