The Year in Review & 2015 Fresh & New

The Year in Review & 2015 Fresh & New

Every year I love to write this letter to you, my current clients, and my friends who have excelled and moved on who were clients, to those of you whom I have met and exchanged cards, and emails with over the past year. This letter is my way of staying connected, accountable and to you let you know what I have done, seen, heard, learned and the challenges I have faced, along with the tremendous growth in myself, my business. I freely pass this information on to you in the hopes you will find it of benefit to you personally and professionally. Every year I get emails, and letters and wonderful cards from so many of you who tell me how much you love reading this letter. Many of you actually hold on to this letter and refer to it during the year. Thank you I am honored. 

What’s On Janice’s Mind in 2015…….
Setting Goals vs Solving Your Most Pressing Problems. This dilemma is where we fail to understand the reason we are not succeeding. We set a goal, we make resolutions, but we fail to understand the real issue ~ we need to be making a plan to solve our problems. Who among you and your peer group can testify to being taught this basic principle:

“Life and Business is not about how fast you are advancing to reach some destination it is about how you are showing up and where you are showing up at your highest, best, and most joyest self in every situation which brings fulfillment.”

Advancement and all the rest take care of themselves if we are able to be in this state of being in our lives. Do you know what it means to be living and showing up as described in the statement you just read? The statement you just read, is not new, many well know authors, speakers, leaders, and others have tried for centuries to frame and reframe this same statement in many ways. However, it is difficult for every generation to grasp the meaning of what it truly means to live this way and to believe that “all the rest of what they desire” will happen if they just live this way. Why do you think it is so hard to believe? One reason is, those who are actually living this way are not out in the public arena shouting how great their lives are. What we typically here in the media are the “TIPS” ~ 10 Ways to…., or How To….., claims abound on how to remedy and take away our pain.

This all ties into what this entire letter to you is about; a course correction, a new way of mapping out 2015 and it is not hard, it just takes a new perspective on each of our parts as we approach this New Year.

I would like to explain the process and the mindset that goes along with the way of being to each of you and equip you so that you will have a new perspective and a solution to one of your most vexing yearly problems.

First, we start with your WHAT.

WHAT is the thing you are striving for, the solution you want, the fulfillment you seek, the way of being, the life you want to enjoy, an improvement you wish to make in a specific area of your life and so on. Your WHAT must be specific. You see your WHAT is not a thing, it is a way of being, who you want to become, and how you can begin living this truth daily.

Now…it is your turn to answers the question: “WHAT are you “WHATs” in each area of your own Life Wheel?” [I have provided my “Core Foundation with the JBC Life Wheel” with this letter for you to reference.] Your answer will begin like this:

In my HOME what I want is______________

In my GIVING BACK what I want is______________

In my HOME what I want is______________

In my FAMILY/PARENTING what I want is______________

In my FINANCES what I want is______________

In my SAFETY what I want is______________

….and simply continue on around the life wheel in this fashion, if you do not know what you want when you come to that life area write down the beginning of the sentence and leave the rest blank and come back to it later. The greater your detail and vision of what you want your life to look like and feel like the better this process will be for you.

Second, we answer your WHY. Now in order to keep moving forward every day, we all need a reason, a motivator, and that motivator is your WHY! You and I need to know WHY we want our WHAT in order to step into the process daily with our mindset and live our truth in order to be joyous and satisfied.

Now…it is your turn to answers the question: “WHY do you want to do the WHAT, in each area of your own Life Wheel?” [I have provided my “Core Foundation with the JBC Life Wheel” with this letter for you to reference.] Your answer will begin like this:

Why do I want ____________In my HOME?

Why do I want ____________In my GIVING BACK?

Why do I want ____________In my FAMILY/PARENTING?

Why do I want ____________In my FINANCES?

….and simply continue on around the life wheel in this fashion, if you do not know why, this will keep you stuck. It means you do not have “buy-in” and it is not something that you truly want. You will need to go back up to the previous question of WHAT and take some time to think about your answer there, because if you do not have a “motivator” in this area, you will not succeed.

[Perhaps now is a good time to pause and reflect on past areas when this has been true for you. If you have failed to reach something, which was important ~ think about; “What was my “motivator” during that time?”]

Third, we answer the HOW. You now know your WHAT, and your WHY, so in order to do those you need to know HOW. This will take some thought, many of us get up each day and fly by the seat of our pants and this strategy will not get you the WHAT you want. Thoughtful consideration must be given to the process of HOW.

In our society today, we expect things to be done immediately and neither our physical bodies nor our natural world works in this manner and for very good reasons ~ neither were designed this way.

Man designed machines to serve him that respond in this manner, and has blurred the line transferring this service & productivity to humans & nature and neither is capable of the same speed.

Now…it is your turn to answers the question:

“HOW are you going to get to you WHAT in each area of your own Life Wheel?”

[I have provided my “Core Foundation with the JBC Life Wheel” with this letter for you to reference.] Your answer will begin like this:

What I am going to do in order to achieve WHAT I have said I want in my HOME is:________________________________.

What I am going to do in order to achieve WHAT I have said I want in order to GIVE BACK is:________________________________.

What I am going to do in order to achieve WHAT I have said I want in my FAMILY/PARENTING is:________________________________.

What I am going to do in order to achieve WHAT I have said I want in my FINANCES is:________________________________.

….and simply continue on around the life wheel in this fashion, if you do not know HOW, to accomplish WHAT you want, you may need to break down your steps into smaller steps. You have 365 days in which to get where you want to be in your WHAT, and WHY. Remember it is about the journey, not the destination. We need to remove this notion that LIFE CAN BE PERFECT all the time.

Fourth, we need to understand how our MINDSET is everything in our process. I want to say a little here about MINDSET because I find it to be the one of the things that can throw off the best of good intentions, and most heartfelt desires of those who want to complete this process.

Life and Business is not about how fast you are advancing it is about how you are showing up each day.

How are you showing up each day in your life and in your business? Are you showing up at your highest, most joyous self in every situation? If you do, then the advancement takes care of itself.

Where in your life do you need to give more joy?

Where in your life do you need to show more patience?

Where in your life do you need to show more honor?

Look at those segments on the Life Wheel and ask these three questions. Someone or some situation will come to mind, of that you can be sure. Then immediately rectify that by a change in your mindset. Complete the process by picking up the phone and doing what you need to do to show joy, patience, and or honor. In person is the best way. You can do this with technology with SKYPE or FaceTime. You may need to ask for forgiveness, or right a wrong. Believe me, you will be feel so much better.

If you hold on to:

• bitterness,

• you are keeping score in life,

• if you feel you are entitled,

• you’ve been wronged,

• you are discontent because of something in your past,

• you are holding on to anger,

• are whipped up in a constant state of anxiety and

• continue to fall short day after day, year after year

…….you will never reach your goals, feel satisfied, nor be in that place of fulfillment.

When the clock strikes twelve on December 31^st, you look back and begin to craft a story which could be a best-selling novel as to WHY the year didn’t happen the way you planned. It is the story we tell ourselves to make it okay to move into another year of continuing to do the same thing, hoping that making a “To-Do List” full of New Year’s Resolutions will have a different outcome come December 31^st.

Holding on to this negativity, drains you of your most precious resource your time and energy. One of my mentors describes it this way:

“You are a power plant. A power plant does not have energy,

the power plant generates energy!”

What are you generating in your life?

Are you generating negative draining energy, or are you generating positive energy?

Please do not generate a dark cloud around you this year!

In order to generate a positive cloud, choose to have a mindset change!

A: ACT from a position of inner strength, joy and at your highest self.

B: Come from an inner place of JOY. See the glass full and count your blessings. Smile! It takes fewer muscles to SMILE than not to smile!

C: Be PATIENT & HONOR YOUR JOURNEY this year. I explained this above.

D: It is so important to know your motivation before your HOW. Many of wait until we have an urgent result, like a diagnosis of something in order to move. Instead, choose now to be healthy at 30, 40, 50 or 60 and be motivated vs receiving a diagnosis of diabetes, or cancer before you say: “Now, I am going to get healthy!”

E: Know what really generates the energy in your power plant. It isn’t MORE. In one of the exercises to follow, I ask you to take inventory of how you feel your satisfaction is with each of the twelve life areas is. As you are doing this you might like to think about this: “What is there in this area of my life which may be burdening me?” I mean my stuff! It is hard to let go of things and I know that, I am the same way. Truth be known, if you and I have not used it in a couple of years and are still saving it, ask yourself, is this item(s) giving me energy by being in my life, or is it contributing in some small way to my overall feeling of weariness? If you think it is not contributing, think about this: If you have 1,000 items let’s say and each item represents 1 hour of your time say sitting in a traffic jam and that is very stressful…is that enough motivation for you to let go of it?

Finally, here….realize that none of us is in a state of “Mastery” 100% of the time and that is not the goal here. The goal is to recognize you, and I and your spouse, significant other, family, friends, peers, neighbors, strangers and everyone else are not perfect and will never be perfect 100% of the time. Someone will disappoint you and you will disappoint someone whom you love, but you can show up each day at your highest level in an honoring way on your journey through 2015 and feel fulfilled when the clock strikes twelve on December 31^st.

One of my mantras is to have a “Growth Plan” in my life. What is a “Growth Plan” and how does it work, how do I incorporate it into my daily life, what are the benefits, what does having one cost, where do I start and a dozen other questions are surely on your mind; right? These are all valid questions and simple to answer.

To answer them simply:

• My Philosophy around having a “Growth Plan” ~ I believe as a person, none of us is ever finished growing our knowledge base. As our knowledge expands, so does our thirst for the experience doors that knowledge opens. We also find ourselves wanting to share what we have learned to lift up others so that they may also share in this new found freedom that education affords a person.

• What is a “Growth Plan”? A growth plan is purposely setting out to learn new things in your personal life and professional life. We each know how to do certain things in both of these sides of our lives. Most of us are average or adequate at what we do. Many of us excel at some things. Few of us achieve “mastery” level in our lifetime. To increase your income level say in your business, you might need to elevate your level from average to expert. In order to do this there is a requirement and it is substantial. You need to find out what that is and make a plan to work toward that, which is usually a 3 to 5 year commitment. In your personal life this may look a little bit different but the outcome is the same. If you look at the areas of your “Life Wheel” and rate yourself on a yearly basis from “1” ~ I am not where I want to be, up to a “10” ~ I am living the life I want and feeling fulfilled in this area; you will see immediately where you need to work on your own plan of growth.

• How does it work? This all begins with a decision you make to begin. You see by now, 92% of all those folks who made those New Year’s Resolutions have given up on them. The statistics tell us that only 48% of 100% of make them in the first place and out of those 48% only 8% actually still are working on them by January 31^st. What this tells us is that they do not have “buy-in” in their own resolutions. You have to decide that having a plan of growth is not a one-time thing, just like deciding to make a lifestyle change is not about dieting; it is about eating healthy every time you think and eat food.

You have to ask yourself: “Will having a plan of growth benefit my life?” If the answer is yes, then you have the foundation to begin. You also need support. It helps to have those who are important in your life to support you and even better come along with you on this journey by having one of their own.

• How do I incorporate it into my daily life? Every day you make an appointment with yourself, just like you would with a business customer. The amount of time is completely up to you.

If you are beginning your plan of growth in your personal life, let’s say in the area of spiritual growth, you might set aside 15 minutes before anyone wakes up first thing in the morning, when your home is quiet and you are fresh.

If you are beginning a plan of growth in your professional life, you might begin by doing a little research first. You will want to find out who are the thought leaders in your industry, what are they reading, what are the trends for 2015, what new skills do you need, where can you learn these skills, what are the books in your industry etc. Once you know these things, set aside some quiet time each day and work on each one of them. Perhaps read a blog one day, a magazine article another, take a class [in person or online] another day to sharpen your skill set, book a conference where one of those thought leaders is presenting or attend virtually [which is the way to go and not have the expense], and set aside time to read the books on your list. Many find an hour first thing in the morning their most productive “thinking and planning” time of the day, because it is away from office interruption.

• What are the benefits? The benefits are tremendous! Although I cannot guarantee results, I do know that those who have a plan of growth are more successful, are more satisfied in their professional lives, and in their personal lives. These folks have better focus, are determined, seem to just get more done in less time and have less stress in their lives. Surprises and challenges are still a part of their everyday lives like everyone else, the difference is they have resilience and a positive attitude that they are equipped with the knowledge and wisdom to figure out the next step in the process.

• What does having a growth plan cost? There is no cost, unless you purchase something. Most of what you need is readily available to you online for free. Your greatest investment [which is the correct term here] is your commitment to yourself in blocking off your most valuable resource ~ your time!

• Where do I start? I always start with the following: On the personal side of life, evaluate each area in your life. If you want to use my standard 12 areas of life here they are again: Living Environment/Home, Giving Back, Parenting/Family, Finances, Growth [Spiritual, Personal, Professional], Fun, Self, Health/Wellness/Aging, Relationships [Intimate, Social, Professional], Spiritual, Career/Profession, & Personal Safety. These are the 12 I use with my clients. You may have less, yours may be slightly different the important thing to remember is to rate yourself on where you are today and gauge what it is you want to do in 2015 to move that number up by 1, 2 or 3 points and then set about a plan on how you are going to do it. You need to give this some thought. Moving up needs to be realistic and attainable. It also involves your values. Your calendar reflects your priorities and those blank spaces are filled in based on your values.

Do this same thing in your professional side of life too. Evaluate where your values are and prioritize. If you have been a client of mine in the past you may have worked with one of my Professional Wheels using the same point scale. What will it take to move that number up 1, 2, or 3 points to get you closer to mastery/expert level?

Here is the main point to all of this; you need to give all of this some thought, and figure out what your values really are. If you look back at your calendar for 2014, you will see exactly what you valued, and what your priorities where based on what took those coveted white spaces in your day and consumed your most valuable resource ~ your time. It is all well and good to say: “I will remember this or that, and this is important, and I will get that done in the second quarter and that is something I can do this summer, and that is a fall project.” Truth be told, our memories fail us from time to time, business overtakes even the best intentions, crisis will come up and those things we thing we will get to will simply fall off of our radar come summer and fall. This is why we need to block off the time on our calendar, now or they will not find their way into our lives, much less have a chance at completion.

I encourage you to read my New Year blog on this same topic with some additional information on this very topic at: www.janicebastanicoaching.com/blog

For those of you who are past clients, peers, friends, colleagues, those who have asked me to keep in touch, do not hesitate to reach out anytime, if I can be of service to you.

I know many of you have already emailed me and asked about my availability, my response in each area is below.

• Private Client Availably – I do have a couple of openings in 2015 contact me if you are interested in becoming a client. [janice@janicebastanicoaching.com or call me directly 866-534-6755]

• Probono Client Availability – No openings in 2015

• MasterMind Groups – Open registration NOW in every group for 2015

• Group Coaching Programs – Formed in conjunction with the program created for them

• Speaking Engagements – Currently booking for 2015

• Online Programs – Available 24 – 7 – 365 please go to www.janicebastanicoaching.com for programs currently available.

• Custom Tailored Programs for you and/or your Company – contact me directly by email janice@janicebastanicoaching.com or phone 866-534-6755.

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients of 2014! Your growth was and will continue to be fantastic! I am very proud of you and all that you accomplished. You are my WHY! I love hearing your success stories every week. I especially love those of you whom I see via FaceTime who live on the other side of the globe!

May you be blessed with a joyous fulfilling 2015 and GROW!

Janice

Core Foundation

With

Life Wheel

©Janice Bastani Coaching 2015