January 1, 2019, a day like any other day. Or is it?

Culturally, it represents so much… new beginnings, new dreams, new goals, new resolutions, new adventures… it’s like a reset for your life.

I’ve never been a fan of resolutions. But, when I started following Chris Brogan many years ago, I really liked his yearly reset with “My 3 Words.”  It makes more sense to me for setting intentions for the next 365 days. Choosing three words to shape the year ahead provides a roadmap and can be applied consistently to projects, relationships, business, and adventures.

Last year I chose 3 words. I wasn’t entirely successful in achieving what I intended, but they did provide a Northstar for me.

I’m back at it for 2019 and have been mulling words for the past few days. Slowly, words come into my consciousness and they roll around as I consider their meaning and how they relate to my life as it is in the moment and how I’d like it to evolve in the next twelve months.

As 2019 dawned, I realized I had my words and they make sense for me. One of them, I felt might be too negative. But on reflection, I don’t think it is and it supports the other two words. 

My 3 Words

Without further ado, I present My 3 Words for 2019 and what they mean to me…

EXPAND

As 2018 wound down, Affiliation was making its mark on me. As 2019 winds up, expansion is calling. I have a long-time affiliation with my good friend and colleague Ellen Britt. In August I joined her in a new venture that started me on the road to better health by starting an intermittent fasting practice. Ellen invited me to partner with her in building and hosting an Intermittent Fasting group for Entrepreneurs on Facebook that has grown quickly to nearly 700 active members. We have big plans for expanding the group and we have a secret project we’ll be unveiling in the first quarter of the year. 

I have big plans for expanding my business as well, focusing more on the Marketing Trailblazers Community I launched last year and starting a new side gig… as an independent travel consultant. 

The MT Community is growing and we’ve added new features that are rolling out in 2019. The side gig is just about ready to launch and expands my knowledge (big time!), my desire to travel, and helping others discover the joy of adventure. Stay tuned for details!

I also plan on expanding the number of adventures I have and my first big one of the year is accompanying a group to my favorite country for a trek to Machu Picchu in Peru. 

ELIMINATE

This is the word I was concerned would be too negative. However, I realize it supports EXPAND. Whether it’s my business or my life, there’s plenty I need to eliminate in order to give full attention to the areas I want to expand.

It will only help me to eliminate projects, software, social platforms, and piles of out of date content that no longer serve me and get in the way of creating clarity about new ideas.

I also still have some weight to eliminate and Intermittent Fasting is helping me get there. I lost 27 pounds in 2018 and have about 10 more to go.

FOCUS

Focus supports EXPAND and ELIMINATE. Without it, getting where I want to go will be messy. Focus is also critical in my personal life: with family and helping my aging mother; with my friends who I love dearly and make my life so rich; with my colleagues who I adore; and my clients who I cherish. Focus means keeping my commitments (not getting distracted) and making the people in my life high priority and the rest will fall into place.

Your Turn and What’s Next?

After you’ve claimed your three words, or set your intentions for the year, or identified the goals you want to achieve, what’s next?

What I’m doing, is creating a list of habits I want to develop that supports my direction for the year. I’m mapping out my calendar and identifying when and with whom I want to work. I’m itemizing the action steps required to realize the consolidated program schedule (and the promotion) I want to offer and then getting those steps on the calendar. I anticipate this will help keep me on track a bit better than usual. My first quarter is already shaping up to be incredibly productive and exciting. 😉 

How do you set yourself up for success? What are your rituals or the steps you take? Share in the comments below if you wish. If you need some help developing your plan, I’d be happy to speak with you.

The post My Three Words – A Roadmap for 2019 appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

You’ve probably heard the quote or seen it on motivational posters…

“Success is a journey not a destination.” ~ Arthur Ashe, Jr.

I had never paid much attention to the quote. Seemed a bit trite and obvious. Then, I experienced it in an intensely personal way that surprised me and forced me to consider the meaning more deeply.

The complete quote, which speaks best to my experience is:

“Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome.”

While on a seven day trek in the Peruvian Andes, hiking from Cusco to Machu Picchu, I had a lot of time to contemplate journey vs. destination, especially the day we finally reached the destination I had dreamed about visiting for nearly 25 years.

Since the mid 1980’s I have wanted to go to Machu Picchu.  The pictures and history fascinated me. I wanted to experience the site and explore and learn about the Inca culture. At the time, in the 1980’s a terrorist group was very active in Peru and it didn’t seem like a good idea to travel there, so I went to Italy instead. But my dream and desire didn’t go away.

Fast forward to early 2012, on long runs with my Dash ‘n Dine crew, we would talk about travel – where we’ve been and where we’d like to to go – and Machu Picchu came up time and again. In April, four of us decided to go for it. Rather than travel to Machu Picchu by rail, the most popular way, we decided on an “adventure trip” and booked a 7 day lodge to lodge trek through the Andes with Mountain Lodges of Peru through REI Adventure Travel.

This was one of the best travel decisions I’ve ever made and it was one of the most AWESOME vacations I’ve ever had.

The trek from Cusco to Aquas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu, was physically challenging, gorgeous, wet, muddy, hot, difficult, rewarding, fulfilling and luxurious. Everyday we hiked 5-10 miles up and down mountains at very high altitudes (breathing was difficult on the ascents). At the end of the day we arrived at beautiful lodges where every need we had was met with grace and warmth and gourmet cuisine. It was amazing. Way beyond anything I imagined the trek would or could be.

Our guides, Silver and Ruben, educated, inspired and motivated us every day. I was grateful for their encouragement and reminders to take it one small step at a time when I was struggling up a narrow mountain trail. I appreciated their depth of knowledge and the conversations about Andean, Peruvian, Inca and world history, flora, fauna and local customs.

On the seventh day, we arrived at Machu Picchu. My destination…my dream…my goal, finally realized after nearly 25 years.

I was in awe. [An overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like.]

And Machu Picchu was everything I thought it would be, and more. There is no choice but to be impressed with the majesty and ingenuity of the Incas who conceived and built the city on a mountain surrounded by mountains.

Yet, when I think about my vacation, what always comes up first in my memories and when I tell my stories, is the journey to get to Machu Picchu. I was shocked to admit to myself that the journey made more of an impact on me than the reality of being at Machu Picchu.

The 41 mile trek through the Andes tested me and I passed! The challenges of the terrain, weather and altitude (as high as 15,400 feet) did not defeat me – I never had to ride the 911 horse – and everyday I experienced joy and excitement at being surrounded by beauty and the privilege of sharing it with dear friends and new friends who became mi familia.

What does this have to do with anything?

As simplistic and obvious as it sounds, throughout  my hike, I couldn’t help but contemplate how much my experience was similar to that of being a solo entrepreneur: the challenges, the ups and downs, the relationships with colleagues and clients, learning new skills, strategies and tactics from mentors and guides who have walked the path before you, and the awesome feeling of  joy when you achieve success and meet your business goals.

In fact, as Arthur Ashe says, “the doing is usually more important than the outcome.”  I often remind my clients that every big project is made up of small steps and when feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, it’s important to remember to “look back down the mountain” to see how far they’ve traveled and accomplished on the journey to their goal. That usually puts things back in perspective.

Where do you want to go?

If you’re ready for a new adventure and a journey to take your web presence and business to new heights, let’s talk. I’m scheduling strategy sessions the first week of January and taking on a maximum of three new VIP mentoring clients. If you’re ready to join me, click here to schedule your complimentary strategy session and discover how we can work together on the journey to reaching your goals!

I’m thrilled I finally had the opportunity to experience Machu Picchu and I’m grateful for every step of the journey it took to get there.

Want to see more of my pictures from Peru? They’re posted on my Facebook profile. Click here.

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