But Will You? (Plus, last day to sign up for Explore!)
Quick note: Registration for Explore ends at 5pm Central today! But read this post even if you’ve already signed up or you’re not interested—this message is for you even if Explore isn’t!
This is the time of year where we often start thinking we can do it all on our own.
Maybe you plan on finally learning how to use MailChimp so you can send regular emails to the people you want to help.
Maybe you plan on exercising three times a week so you’ll feel better and have more energy.
Maybe you plan on making sure the dog gets walked twice every day so he can let out some of his energy.
Maybe you plan on starting a daily writing practice so you have a way to sort through your ideas and get your message out there.
And I know what you're thinking (because I think it so often myself): I can just commit to doing _____ on my own! I don’t need help!
And sure, you could do those things on your own.
But…will you?
I know from my own experience that the answer is often (sadly) no. January brings this weird blend of excitement / anticipation / big dreams and normal / boring / reality. And way too often, we create intentions without a structure in place to help us follow through.
So take a good look at the things you’ve said you will do in 2016. And then consider how you can take an extra step to make sure they happen.
Maybe you buy an ebook about using MailChimp or make a list of all the tutorials they have that you want to watch (they have some great ones!) and then schedule time on your calendar to do it (at your favorite coffee shop or somewhere else you find fun).
Maybe you ask a friend to go to the gym with you once a week and then sign up for small-group classes twice a week (you know, the kind where you have to commit to a specific class by signing up online—and they notice if you’re not there).
Maybe you hire a dog walker for weekday mornings so you can enjoy the evening walk even more (and not feel too bad if the evening walk has to be a little rushed, since he got a nice long walk just that morning).
Maybe you sign up for Explore so you have a little nudge to do your writing each day. (Registration closes at 5pm Central today!)
Be honest about what might stand in your way, and then take steps to reduce those obstacles. (And don't be afraid to ask for help.)
You'll get a little burst of excitement about your plan, which will help you get started, but you'll also have tools in place to help you keep going. The things you want to do are important, so do what you can to make sure they'll happen!
What are you planning on doing in 2016? I would love to hear!
This is the last post I’ll send out in 2015. I’m working the rest of the week, but then I’m taking two weeks off to do all the holiday things (drink eggnog, watch Love Actually, bake cookies, you know the drill) annnnnd keep getting ready for our little boy, who arrives in April! (We’ve been calling him Sprout, and at this point, we might just have to name him that. I can't seem to think of him any other way!)
But before I go, I want to say that it’s been a true joy and an absolute pleasure to write to you this year. I won’t get mushy—I could, I’m just choosing not to—but I do want to say that writing to you makes my life happier and more fulfilling, and I’m grateful to you for being on the other end, for reading these posts, for leaving comments, and for sending love. I can feel it, and I’m sending it right back.
Happiest of holidays to you and your family (and friends and pets and neighbors and...!),
Erica
P.S. Just a reminder: Today is the last day to sign up for Explore! Registration closes at 5pm Central. If you want to commit to writing every day in January of 2016, to see what writing could do for your business, head this way!