Let's do some new year planning, shall we?
I'm going to walk you through how to close out this year, so that you can make next year even better.
Do this exercise BEFORE planning anything for next year.
It can be exciting — and stressful — to plan goals for a new year.
It's exciting because part of your brain is excited about what's possible.
It's stressful because part of your brain tells you that what you want isn't possible because you haven't done it before.
This isn't a problem.
You get to decide that just because you haven't done something before doesn't mean you can't do it.
Before you plan for next year though, I want to offer that you must close out 2021 with a bang.
Answer a few questions for yourself before you do any new year planning.
No matter where you are in your law journey, the answers to these questions will help you plan where you focus your time and attention in the new year.
1. What went really well this year?
Don't hold back. List every single thing.
Our brain wants to resist because it thinks only looking for problems will give you solutions.
Answer this question first. I'll show you how it'll help you with the new year planning in a second.
2. Look at your biggest wins. How did you create them?
For example, I had a call with a lawyer recently who closed a big deal in 2020 but not in 2021.
Here's why:
She didn't look at her 2020 success as a success.
She looked as it as pure luck. A fluke.
She denied herself all the lessons that came from that 2020 success.
When we see our accomplishments as flukes or good fortune, we abdicate all power and control.
If you want to develop a more powerful you within your law practice, acknowledge the recipe for your success.
Take control of your success by creating your own Success Secret Sauce.
For closing a big deal your brain wants to tell you was a fluke, it might look like this:
- showed up daily for my practice and ready to accept new clients
- took time to develop client leads
- checked in with sources for leads
- was visible on LinkedIn weekly
- cultivated a relationship with my client, so I could get the information I needed for the case
- cultivated good relationships with the court staff and judge, so they knew I was trustworthy
- turned in briefs on time
- managed my calendar
- asked for what I needed from the parties
Show your brain that you created this success, and you can make more of it.
When you create your Success Secret Sauce, success isn't out of your power.
You have a literal recipe you can turn to, so you can recreate it.
You also put your brain in a more resourceful space, so you can see what's working.
Don't ask yourself the next question until you've answered the first 2 questions.
3. What was the most important goal you wanted to achieve in 2021 but didn't?
It's okay if you didn't achieve something.
I don't always hit my goals, but what I do is train my brain to look at my failures just like I talk about in my podcast.
I ask myself what I thought, felt and behaved differently in the months I did hit my goals versus the months I didn't.
There's always a difference.
When I see the difference, I can change things.
When we change things deliberately, we get better results.
4. What is your brain telling you is the reason for that?
If your brain tells you that it's because you should have “worked harder” or any flavor of blaming you for not “doing enough,” it's not being truthful.
You're a Type-A hyper-achiever. That's who I attract, so I know.
You're doing a lot of work, but it's likely not the most impactful work.
When I see “not enough”-ness show up with my clients, I suss out the truth, but it's harder to do that in a one-way email.
What I'll leave you with are a few questions to try to suss it out for yourself.
Did you have the support you needed?
Did you ask for help?
Did you spend more time blaming yourself for what went wrong than looking at what you did right?
Did you have a plan going into 2021?
Be kind to yourself during this process. Just because you didn't hit a goal doesn't mean you won't.
It means that there are lessons in there that you're still learning and can apply moving forward.
If you want help developing your Success Secret Sauce and strategizing for 2022, I can help you.
Click here to book a call with me.
You can achieve anything with your special recipe for success.
I'll help you find it.