The Work Before the Work: Five Questions for the New Year

Here we are at the beginning of a new year. Creating and setting new goals is the theme of the day for most of us. But before we get to that exercise, it’s essential to know what kind of life we want to live.

When I sit down and consider what’s ahead, five questions have served me well in helping me get my vision for the future in place.

One of my values is growth and learning. So, the first question I ask is this:

·         What do I want to learn about?

The key word there is “want” vs. “need.”  What is it I want to know more about? What do I want to learn? When I look at the goals I create, there must be room for that to factor in.

Another question that is close to that but moves it forward even more, is this one:

·         What do I want to try?

An experimental mindset has proven to be one of the most effective ways of achieving accelerated success. What do I want to try? Where is that showing up in my goals?

A third question is this: 

·         Where do I want to go? 

You can ask this question literally or figuratively. One year, I wanted to go somewhere I had never been before. I wanted a vacation that wasn’t about visiting family but would take me to a new place. Opportunities started showing up once I knew that was what I wanted. For example, an invitation to participate in a writers’ retreat at Cape Cod for a week showed up in my inbox not long after. It turned out to be life-changing for me in many ways.

Moving through my list of questions, we come to this fourth option:

·         Who do I want to meet?

This one is important because of the doors it can open for us. For example, one year, I was challenged to craft a guest list for an ideal dinner party. Who would I want at the table? It was a way to create an inner circle vision board. I made my list, and before the year was out, I had personally connected with three of the nine people, and within two years, I had connected with all of them.

I enrolled in their courses, worked on their book launch teams, attended their events, or reached out on social media. In the end, they all became trusted connections. Some even became friends.

The last question, though, is perhaps the most meaningful and one that we all need to consider in everything that we do:

·         What impact do I want to have?

This decision for me is pivotal for my life and work. Serving a higher purpose is my highest value. That doesn’t have to mean doing big things. It’s doing what I can with what I have, wherever possible. These words from poet Danielle Doby express it well:

Ripples: When you create a difference in someone’s life, you impact their life, and everyone influenced by them throughout their entire lifetime. No act is ever too small. One by one, this is how to make an ocean rise.

If you want your goals to help you create a life you love, do the work before the work. Ask the right questions.

Know what you want. Then plan and live accordingly.