It’s hard to talk about this time of year without resorting to platitudes or clichés, but this time of year lends itself SO well to reflection, setting intentions, and declaring new goals that I couldn’t not share a few thoughts with you at this time.
Not unlike every other year I’ve been on this planet, 2017 delivered some hard-won lessons on life, love, parenting, and generally being a decent human being looking to add, rather than take value from this world. There were amazing highlights as well as some tough times that “encouraged” me and my family to dig deep and come together, rather than retreat to our private worlds of fear and self-doubt. And as I look back, I believe everything we experienced was exactly what we needed to be stronger, more cohesive, and more determined than ever to move through life with intention and love.
And my top take-away? The best antidote to fear, doubt, and the resulting paralysis is to embrace learning, seek community, choose love, and commit to growth in every area of our lives.
Here are my top resources that helped me. I hope they help you too!
A new years’ video from Tony Robbins
Love him or hate him, Tony Robbins has the courage of his conviction and he’s not afraid to call stuff out. I’ve mentioned this new years’ video in past newsletters, but if you haven’t already watched it, I encourage you to do so. The actions I committed to (and continued to take throughout the year) changed my life and business.
BOOKS
I’ve always been a big reader (though if you’re not, audible is fantastic), and love the transformative powers of a book. Here are a few that made a great impact on me this year, along with a couple of older favorites:
Business + inspiration
Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris
E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work, and What to do About it
Designing your Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
Mindset, philosophy, and personal growth
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
Awakening the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
PODCASTS
I came to podcasts relatively late (a year or so ago), but LOVE them for easy ways to digest information, entertainment, thought-leadership; pretty much anything I could need while on the go, cooking, or running errands. Here are just a few of my faves.
Power Profit Pursuit: This podcast, hosted by Tara Gentile and Creative Live, uncovers both the strategic and the tactical components of how creative people make money, take control of their businesses, and pursue what’s most important to them so that you can too.
How I built this: This is a podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Each episode is a narrative journey marked by triumphs, failures, serendipity and, insight — told by the founders of some of the world’s best-known companies and brands.
Super-Soul Conversations with Oprah Winfrey. Always delivers a good dose of inspiration and wisdom, Oprah-style!
COMMUNITY
Contrary to popular belief, creatives are not lone wolves. Yes, we want and need to be left alone to develop new ideas, but we also need the spark of other people’s energy, ideas, and accountability to make them happen. I speak often of my accountability group, and they remain a core pillar in MY community. I also seek larger communities of “my people”, knowing that the broader the base, the greater my exposure to a range of ideas including those that challenge and confront my limiting beliefs. There’s a community out there for everyone so do your research, but here’s the one that worked for me.
CoCommercial: When I put the call out for a community of high-level entrepreneurs to help me grow more strategically and quickly, as if by magic, CoCommercial answered that call. What I love about this “fluff-free social network” is the high-quality of the members, the relevance of the teaching, resources and comments, and the general good-will of everyone involved. If you’re looking to challenge yourself to achieve greater things in 2018, I’d highly recommend checking CoCommercial out.
So that’s it, a few of my favorite things for 2017. What helped you break through barriers this year? Please share your comments below. I’d love to check out YOUR favorites!
Here’s to incredible 2018 and a new set of resources to meet the needs of the ever-evolving version of us!
