2018 Goal: More Sleepless Nights

I love the start of a new year...mostly because it is a moment in time to reflect on what was & prepare for what could be.  2017 was so good to me in so many ways, I wrote about here, here and here.  Did you read all that?  If not, I basically said, 2017 was awesome and full and amazing and incredible.  All that being said, there were perhaps more sleepless nights in 2017 than ever before...and that's before Luke was born.

There was Scot's company being acquired and the option to move to San Antonio sat on the table for most of the year...which carries all the thoughts & questions about really fun things like insurance and c-sections.  There were deals that, if I'm being totally honest, at the start I had no idea how I was going to find the solution.  There were clients that down right kicked me in the face.  Yes.  It happens.  And yes, I said it.  Add in a tough pregnancy & 3 kids involved in lots of good things, and you get the idea, it was busy. 

While I can list all those 'hard' things from 2017, things that stretched me and kept me up at night. I don't feel them.  Instead I feel more accomplished, incredibly satisfied, totally content, definitely capable, and wiser, much wiser.  

Looking forward, I might tell you I want another year, just like this past year, except bigger and better, stepping more outside my comfort zone.  Then I start to remember all those things outside my comfort zone that gave me sleepless nights and I cringe a little.  Turns out those are the same things that gave me that end-of-year-contentment.

And there, that is where the magic lies, in realizing that it doesn't ever get easier.  The challenges become bigger, with bigger things.  So while I haven't chosen a word, or phrase or motto, I can tell you this: 2018 is sure to have a lot of sleepless nights.  The trick now, is to embrace the heck out of them, because now I know that those sleepless nights mean I'm outside my comfort zone.  They mean I'm being stretched in new ways.  They mean good things are on the horizon.

Instead of boring you with the actual nuts and bolts of my 'Goal List' for 2018, because that paper does exist...and is still being tweaked...I'll tell you about the little acronym I use to guide my day-to-day & perhaps it can help you too.  Remember, the goal is not to be more busy, it is to be more effective and the word WIN helps guide this.  It stands for 'What's Important Now.' 

Some days it's important that I lay outside on a blanket with my kids, some days it's important that I meet with a client, sometimes it means date night, and other times it means getting to bed early.  It requires a bit of focus and thought to keep reminding yourself about what you're actually chasing & what you're willing to sacrifice.  I'm pretty sure none of us are chasing busy for the sake of busy, so if it's not important now, put it aside for what is, no apologies needed.  Good news is, most things you can circle back to without a problem.

So farewell to 2017 and hello 2018, looking forward to the wisdom that is sure to come through lots of sleepless nights.