Winding Down or Gearing Up?
End of year reveals insights into your mindset.
As a business, are you winding down – taking your foot off the pedal, backing off your marketing because no one buys at this time of year now…. or
Are you gearing up – already planned next years goals, implementing systems now, ramping up new creations and marketing now?
Christmas and holidays brings such a shift of focus for many people. But there are two types of thinking I typically notice in Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs and Freelancers at this time of year.
- Winding down.
- Gearing up.
It’s your opportunity to reflect on the year. But it’s also the time to immediately put in place new practices before the new year bell rings.
One of the biggest reasons why is mindset. By getting to work now, you begin re-programming your mind for a really “new” year – not a duplicate of the same ole years you’ve had before.
Your subconscious mind needs time to absorb new ways of thinking.
“Once your mind has been expanded by an idea, it will never return to its original dimension.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
You need 4 – 6 weeks to impregnate your brain with the new actions and habits. Don’t wait until January to kick this off. Do it now.
Start re-wiring your business systems and brain in December so the momentum is built by January.
Those who wait for a drunken New Years Eve resolution will be left behind. By waiting, you’ve resigned to starting in February. You can’t catch up on someone who has a running start.
But here’s the worst part…
A “Winding Down” mindset loses 2 months every year. They lose December in winding down and trying to recuperate from the year they’ve had. And the lose January trying to restart, plan, set goals and get going again.
The “Gearing Up” person is finishing strong. They are racing to the finish line to produce the best performance they can. They know, like an athlete that success is in the last kilometre of the marathon. You’re tired. It hurts. It sucks. You wish it was finished already but you grit your teeth, dig in and push to the finish line.
The Gearing Up sits down and immediately thinks about “what we can do better?” and begins putting steps in place. For top athletes, recovery and preparation begins before they’ve left finish area.
Gearing Up gets you a strong December but an even better start to the new year.
The time off feels well deserved. You can truly switch off and enjoy your holiday break because there’s nothing to think about. You’ve not only already done the planning for the new year, you already changed the actions in December. The habits are built. Your mind can rest.
For those who wind down, they use excuses like, “I’ll clear my head during the holidays and work on this when I have the time”. The time off becomes more work. The stress of the impending January and not being clear on how you plan on starting the new year creates stress during your time off. It’s a never-ending, vicious cycle – and it is costing you 2 months a year in lost productivity, lost revenue and lost family time.
Take the time to get clear on your goals and plans for next year – and do it now.
