Happy new year and welcome to 2024! Last year I published a short message on my blog site to the En Factor® community about fresh starts and the opportunities that a new year can bring. As I reflected on how to start this year, I knew I wanted to share a bit more, in my own voice, about what I am thinking and doing as I approach the new year.
Last year my focus was on the power of a fresh start. The En Factor® podcast and my books had been around for a few years but in 2023 we added some new team members and we spent much of the year focused on leveling up the quality of our web presence and the podcast and on developing and testing new tools for you and our entire community. Spending time in Italy to share the message of the power of entrepreneurial mindset was also an exciting and significant accomplishment. It was a fun year, and I am proud of the work we did and the impact we had.
But now we are in 2024 and I am thinking about what is next! I love goal setting and for that reason I always enjoy getting a new planner book and making lists of what I want to do to make the coming year the best possible. Research has shown us that goal setting consistently improves performance. If we want to accomplish anything, setting a goal can help us stay on track, get us back on the right path when we wander, and provide us with a sense of accomplishment. There is a great deal of power and comfort in goal setting. Goals bring a sense of control in the uncertainty of life.
Like most people, my human brain prefers certainty. There is a comfort that comes from knowing what to expect. Uncertainty is scary. In fact, it can cause a great deal of anxiety. Why? It is all purely evolutionary. Our brains learned to scan the environment and try to make sense of what to expect to keep us safe. We are constantly updating and making judgements based on what we experience and what we imagine and often our imagination leads us down frightening paths when we don’t know what is going to happen. Uncertainty can equal danger. And folks there is a lot of uncertainty in our world right now. Take for example the fact that in 2024, at least 64 countries representing a combined 49% of the people in the world will hold national elections. This much leadership change can have immediate and long-term consequences. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it is an uncertain thing.
I am also personally facing a lot of uncertainty right now. I have been an educator and entrepreneur for nearly 4 decades and have enjoyed my work and my life. Approaching this stage of my career and life, I realize even more clearly that my scarcest resource is time. So what’s the highest and best use of my time in the coming year? Where do I invest my time and energy? What matters the most? Of course, this question leads me back to my priorities and values. And at this stage of my work life, it leads me to the question of what kind of legacy am I leaving. And as I age the answers to these questions feel even more important. How many years do I have left to have an impact? Goal setting this year felt more stressful than ever before.
So, I decided to step back and take a breath. I know that anytime I am making decisions based on fear, I am more likely to make a decision that may not be right for me. This pause gave me a minute to remember that when I am faced with uncertainty, I have a choice to either focus on that fear or focus on hope. In 2024, despite the uncertainty in the world at large and in my personal life, I want to focus on hope. Of course, hope isn’t a plan and good outcomes do demand some prior thought and action. But too much planning can also mean missing out on the serendipity and unexpected opportunities life can present. For example, how many of us anticipated the opportunities created with the widespread release of generative AI in 2023?
So, what is my plan for 2024? Like most years, I have some very personal goals to spend more time with friends and to continue to prioritize my family and my health. But on both the professional and personal side, I am going to try to keep my goals a bit more fluid.
Within the context of my values and my mission to share the message of the power of an entrepreneurial mindset I want to stay open to learn my path rather than to always be directing it. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” I think there are still many lessons life will teach me and at this stage of life, I am hopeful that I am ready to learn them.
Of course, the best part is that I have a great team in place to help me share what I am learning. We are already working on some exciting improvements for the podcast and with their help we will continue to build the community of people who believe in the power of an entrepreneurial mindset. Our mission to provide a platform to share the stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things by recognizing opportunity, taking action, and persevering beyond failure will also continue.
I look forward to learning from and with you throughout the year. As we take this journey together, I will do my best to share what I am learning along the way.
My ask of you this coming year is to connect with me!
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Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year filled with love, joy and lots of learning and wonderful opportunity!