5 Items That Aren't New Year's Resolutions

Typically the first post of the new year would be about something like goal setting or making a vision board*. As a matter of fact, I would imagine that most of the sales managers, team leaders and other mentor types are going down that path this time of year. But after the year we just had I figured you could use a respite from motivational talks. 

Let's face it. Whatever New Year's resolutions or goals you set at the beginning of 2020 probably got thrown out in mid-March, along with college basketball and pro sports. I considered kicking myself for not hitting the sales numbers that I had set for myself, but what would be the point of that? I think that most of us did pretty good considering the circumstances.

My suggestion for you is this: Take 2020 and put it in the past. Forget about and never speak of it again. Much like that shameful one-night stand you had in college, let it be. No one will think less of you as long as you don't mention it again.

 

As for those resolutions, recycle them. If you goal was to make $100k last year and you didn't even come close to that number, aim for it again. What is the point of recalculating new goals when you didn't hit the last ones?  As for 2021, I have set the same goals (not resolutions) but with a few other items mixed in. My list looks something like this.

1. I'm not going to be so hard on myself. Not hitting goals during a global pandemic is fine, as long as you can...
   
2. Be more flexible to change. Yes, the vaccine is finally here but the virus will still be around for a while, in some form or fashion. Stay adaptable in case things go sideways again. Hopefully you may already have a game plan in your head. Think of it as a quarterback who gets to the line of scrimmage only to see the defense is showing a blitz. You may have to call an audible, which is fine, but make sure you have a couple of options on which audible to call.
3. In your downtime (assuming you have any) look for a passive income stream. Even though I didn't make tons of money this past year I did take advantage of a few investment opportunities. And when those lean times come around I'll have a little more in my pocket. 
4. Stay motivated. I have decided to add a few minutes into my schedule each day listening to or watching something positive. YouTube is full of content and a five or ten minute video can help tremendously. If the video is horrible, I can find another one.
5. Create a mastermind group. Most people would not consider three people on a Zoom call a mastermind group, but that is how we set it up. Each Wednesday at noon we talk over our lunch (BYOL) and compare notes. My group consists of myself and two other insurance agents who, because of geographical distances, are not really in competition with each other. We share ideas and discuss what works and doesn't work when it comes to our marketing. 

If you have any other ideas or suggestions, leave them in the comments section. In the meantime, have a great 2021 and stay healthy.

*At the beginning of 2020 a friend of mine invited me to her vision board workshop. I thought I did a pretty good job, but nowhere had I included pictures of me in the hospital, attending funerals and losing vast amounts of income to a pandemic. 

Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.