Wow, 2019 has been a wild and crazy ride. Just like any good roller coaster, there were a lot of ups and of course a lot of downs. While I am somewhat sad to see it come to a close, I am excited for what 2020 will bring.
Last year at this time, I was really slow. Like to the point where I was convinced my phone wasn’t working, even though logic told me otherwise. The business was becoming stagnant and I knew I needed to start taking bigger risks and put myself out there more in the future to continue on my mission of helping others get organized.
So instead of sitting around wondering when my phone would ever work again, I took action.
I am also a Realtor and there was a 4 day training course called Ninja being offered by my broker. The Ninja Selling system is based on the philosophy of building relationships, listening to the customer, and helping them achieve their goals. It is less about selling and more about how to create value for people.
I thought this could be interesting and help me grow in my business of home organization, real estate, and in my personal life. I am a natural introvert so anytime someone says the word “selling” I have a tendency to cringe. However, I am always selling...like it or not. Even if that means I am selling an outfit for the day to my daughter...I am selling. So the thought of finding a way to do that without it being cringeworthy or as I always called it in the past…”when I became awkward sauce” was appealing but scary all at the same time.
As time got closer for the class, I started to doubt my decision to spend $800 on a class and right before the holidays. I attempted on more than one occasion to cancel, fake an illness, anything. However, my inner voice always said you need to do this.
Thank goodness that I did...that week was life changing for me and truly set the tone for a successful 2019.
Here are the 4 things I learned:
Affirmations
So this felt weird to me at first to write down over and over what my goal/vision was and to have a primary focus. I literally set a goal and kept repeating it over, over, and over again until it manifested into reality. No one is going to believe in me if I don’t believe in myself.
Gratitude
When things got tough in the past I have always had a tendency to look at the negative. However, I now wake up each morning and either write or think about the 3 things I am grateful for that day. If I happen to skip a morning, I feel off and have to reset. A perfect example is when I got a flat tire in the rain last week. The last thing I needed was to be stranded on the side of the road in the rain and have an added expense before Christmas. I could have let this ruin my day, but I didn’t. I was so extremely grateful to my Dad and a friend who were there in seconds to help, the fact that I had just dropped my kids off without incident, and I was safe. Ironically, I had pulled over in front of my favorite house I drive by every single day, which made me smile. I even incorporate being grateful into my routine when picking up and dropping off my kids...they love it.
Connect
It is very easy in this technology driven world to hide behind a computer...I am guilty of that. However, there is a whole world out there to get to know people. So I truly began to put myself out there, for the first time in my entire life. I started small, like with the barista at Starbucks and asked “how is your day?” No big deal right? However, it was to me and I made a connection with that person. They are probably used to people ordering on their phones or in such a hurry, they never stop to ask how are you doing. Every connection I make becomes easier and easier.
Personal Touch
This too seems very simple, but not something I had ever thought of. I now send a personal note out to Clients, Family, and Friends. It can be anything from “thinking of you” to “good luck at your meeting”. I have always loved getting notes in the mail, but now I love it even more to send them.
With this new perspective, we each wrote a letter to our future, better selves to be opened the following year. I just opened that letter and not gonna lie, I got a bit emotional.
My letter had listed everything I had accomplished over the last year...to be a Speaker, to write a book and become a published Author, be featured in major publication (hello todayshow.com) and on a personal note, to enjoy every day with my kids and never take it for granted.
I did all of those things in 2019! It has been a wild and crazy ride, but the one I am so, so grateful to be on.
As 2019 and this decade comes to a close, I will be taking time over the next several weeks to create a vision board for 2020 and write another letter to myself on what I want to accomplish.
Who is ready to dominate this next decade and year? Let’s do this!