2022 in Review + 2023 Vision

Every year since 2017, I have followed the same process to review my year and select the actions I want to focus on the following year.  This process has helped me grow, prioritize my mental, physical, and emotional health, and, most importantly, help me to exceed my income goals each year.  I also share this practice and my worksheets with my clients.

Each yearly vision (and accompanying habits/ routines) adds up and builds on each other.

You can read about my past Vision Day exercises here.

Most goal-setting approaches focus on numbers and drive leaders to select goals without an emotional basis.  However, goals only work if a goal setter is clear on their motivations and can connect the goal with their beliefs, thoughts, and emotions.  Some questions I tend to focus on when selecting goals after deciding on my vision:

• How will this make you feel?
• What is the feeling you are seeking?
• What attitude will I need to x?
• What story will I need to tell myself to x?
• How would I like to feel like doing x?
• What might you need to let go of to do x?

These are even more important than the ‘quantitative’ element of any goal you set.

I wanted to quickly share my 2023 vision (which will be driving all my goal-setting for next year)

Year of being shameless, which includes:

1. Shamelessly self-promoting and pitching myself
2. Putting myself first
3. Investing and saving with intention

To me, it is clear the types of tasks and habits, routines, and ultimately goals that will be generated for each of those specific elements of my vision.

The word ‘shameless’ will help to remind me of my focus if I forget, get distracted, need to motivate myself, or prioritize.

A quick qualitative review for my 2022 year -

The year of what lights me (and my wallet) up:

• Money First: I’m on top of where my money is coming from and going. I made over 2x (I didn’t make much during the first three years of my business) of what I made last year, but I’m still spending most of it.
• Prioritizing personal life & space: I started putting myself out there and traveling again. So, I am in a new living space I get to shape and design.
• Intentional about fun: So. So. So much travel, especially within the last quarter of the year, and had a good time with it.  I also enjoyed my work, especially when I could partner with and join other leadership consulting companies implementing leadership programs worldwide.

Some quick 2023 numbers:

• Podcast episodes: 34
• Number of Participants at closed workshop and speaking engagements: Over 600
• New One-on-one Clients: 6, more than 50% renewed (not many, but I did not prioritize my clients as I had many more through my partnerships)
• Countries Worked In Physically: South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, the Netherlands
• Current Number of LinkedIn Followers: 6,118 followers
• Number of #IamRemarkable workshops: 20
• Number of #IamRemarkable participants trained: 327
• Number of Boards Joined: 2

I smashed my income goals (while doing a TON of travel in the last quarter of the year).  Of course, it didn’t happen exactly as I initially outlined, but that is not the point.  The point is that I did it in a way that felt good and did not burn out or burn bridges.

I am shifting my focus next year, but everything I have already established and created will continue because I have habits and systems in place at this point.