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December is an interesting month for me.

I find myself wrapping things up in many different ways.

Some obvious, like wrapping gifts for family and friends.

Others more metaphorical, like wrapping up projects (and finances!) for the year.

And with all that wrapping up, I find myself thinking about unwrapping next year.

What will it bring? What do I want it to bring? What am I hoping it will bring?

So, I bring you these same questions I’m asking myself.

When you take the time to complete each step, you’ll have a list (or at least one person) of what you need to be supported and grow in 2015.

Preparation:

And first, a bit of preparation.

Take a couple minutes to be silent and breathe. Just notice your breath. Sometimes I like to mentally say “in” and “out” to give the voices in my head something to do (come on, you know you have them too!).

Step 1:

Once you’ve taken some time to quiet yourself ask these questions:

• What will 2015 bring?
• What do I want 2015 to bring?
• What am I hoping it will bring?

Yes, they’re similar questions, but the wording speaks to different parts of our heads and hearts.

Want to really get a lot out of this?

Go grab a piece of paper, notebook or your journal and write out the questions AND, more importantly, take time to write out your answers.

Step 2:

Next, review your answers and pull out your most important goals – whether that’s growing your business to the next level, improving a specific aspect of your business or something else.

Another way to think about it is: if I only accomplish ONE thing this year, what one thing would I find the most joy in or feel the most satisfaction about?

Step 3:

What support, guidance or training do I want or need to successfully accomplish that ONE thing?

A quick note here, there probably isn’t just one thing you need here – if there is, it’s probably a larger thing you can break down a bit.

For example, if “growing my business to the next level” is yours, you might have said something like “work with someone who can help me grow my business to the next level.” If you can, break it down a bit, what specifically in your business do you need help with to grow your business?

And if you can’t break it down, maybe the first thing is to get support or guidance to help determine what you need to do to grow your business to the next level.

Step 4:

Who do I know that can offer that support, guidance or training?
OR who do I know that will know someone else that can offer that support, guidance or training?

Step 5:

Call or email the person you identified in step 4!

Can’t do that right now? Put it on your calender!

Of course, if one of your answers to Step 3 was around networking or staying in touch with people, then I’d love to have a Strategy Session with you!

BAM! Some things hit you so hard you have to go back and listen again.

That was my experience when listening to Jonathan Fields’ interview with Kate Northrup and she said the above.

She realized where she had been looking away (my words, not hers) and when she put her attention at the place she had been avoiding, things changed for her, her business and her life improved.

The reason it hit me so hard was this part “it’s a way that I’m keeping myself small.”

Yep.

When we avoid, when we look away – we allow ourselves to stay small. We allow our businesses to stay small.

For Kate Northrup staying small looked like avoiding her money problems/issues.

What actions are you avoiding? Share below.

Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life? – Eric Allenbaugh

Where do you want to be? Where are your choices taking you? Share in the comments below.

In the last couple of weeks I gave a couple of examples of what looking away might look like for you when networking and looking away by looking toward something else.

What is another way to notice where you’re looking away?

It requires attention, patience and love.

Attention
Notice where you stop. Where do you distract yourself? Where do you say “that’s just me” or “it wasn’t meant to be” or anything like that?

It doesn’t mean that it’s not true, but sometimes we move on too quickly without taking a moment to see if there’s something more there. Without asking am I looking away?

Patience
Be patient and kind with yourself.

Noticing where you’re looking away will not immediately cause you to stop.

It’s a process and not a switch you can just turn off or on.

Allow yourself time to notice it again and again. You’ll start noticing it sooner and be in the position to chose a different way to act. Said another way, you’ll be able to look at it longer and move through it.

Love
Chances are that looking away has served you well in the past – perhaps as a child you learned it was best not to ask questions or challenge adults.

Love and thank that part of you that looked after you so well for so long.

And lovingly, but firmly, tell it that you’ve got this now and can handle it (again, it’s a process, you’ll do this over and over again).

Support (bonus step and important)
Finally, allow yourself to be supported.

This process can leave you feeling raw and/or wanting to talk with someone. Hire a coach, join a mastermind of people doing similar internal work – find what works for you AND engage in the process with them.

I have no question to leave you with today. This is highly personal work. So, I invite you to share whatever you’d like in the comments below.

Last week I gave you space to contemplate where you might be looking away. If you haven’t read it or taken some time to reflect, you can find last week’s article here.

This week let’s look at one of places you might be looking away: your networking.

I bet you’ve done it.

I know I have and most people do.

It most often happens in that uncomfortable moment when you part from the person you were talking with, or when the meeting is over and people are getting up and connecting with each other.

You’re alone with no one to talk to and you look away – and at your phone.

Looking away isn’t always as obvious as looking at your phone, but it is one way we quickly and easily look away when networking.

We don’t want to feel uncomfortable and the phone is an easy distraction from that feeling. And it can also make us unapproachable, others don’t want to interrupt.

Why does this situation feel uncomfortable to you and how can you be present to it and move past it? When you do this what does it open you up for?

My challenge to you is to not do this at your next networking event.

I’d love to know your thoughts and opinions around this! Share in the comments below.