We explored last week the importance of reviewing the past year as a tool for creating a better year going forward.

We looked at several areas, including what we hoped to accomplish, what we actually accomplished, what challenged us, and what we learned. Through the process, we discovered reviewing the past year will help us create better focus and clarity for the new year.

Now it’s time to take what we learned and do something with it.

This is where the Power of Three can help us create a plan of action focused on objectives, connections, and actions designed to create results versus making empty resolutions that most often create no significant result.

THE POWER OF THREE

The Power of Three is a principle I learned years ago and have now adopted as a personal focus. The concept is really quite simple — focus on the three things which are most important.

As we learned last week from Sean D’Souza on Psychotactics.com, “The brain finds it relatively easy to grasp threes… Push that marginally up to four and the brain gets confused about where to look and what to do…”

And it’s a good idea to not confuse our brain any more than we have to!

PROJECTING AHEAD

We will project ahead for our coming year following a very similar line of thought as our review of the previous year.

While these questions will feel familiar to those we looked at last week, treat them with the fresh approach needed for looking ahead to this new year.

NOTE: Like in our review, the language of our questions is deliberately written in the first person, as you will be asking them of yourself.

First, look at the key things you want to accomplish this year. This is the time to think big. Focus on the BIG goals you want more than anything else this year. If you do nothing else, you will get these things done!

• What are the three main objectives I want to accomplish this year?

Second, think about who you need to connect with, whose help you will need, to accomplish your three main objectives. Think without restraint here. Consider all sorts of people here. Maybe it is a friend you can brainstorm with, a family member who can be a cheerleader, a business associate who can give you some experienced insight.

Key connections can also be groups and organization such as mentor associations, book clubs, networking groups, and masterminds. Groups such as Connect Utah, BNI, and my private Red Edge Mastermind group, have had a huge impact on my personal and professional growth.

• Who are the three key connections I need to make to help accomplish my objectives this year?

Third, start working through the key action steps you need to take for each of your three key objectives. This list could feel overwhelming at first. There are a million things you see that need to be done. That’s alright. Work your list. Write down everything you can think of. Then start working your list, prioritizing items, combining steps, and eliminating non-essentials. Now focus in on and identify the action steps you will start with. Remember, these are starting action steps which will most likely have sub-actions steps, and will, in turn, lead to other actions steps.

We then break down our big action items into smaller action items. Then we bring it all together when we actually schedule them. Put them on your calendar. Assign them a month, week, or even a day. Be aggressive and actually give them dedicated time slot within a specific day.

• What are the three key action steps I will start with and the three key sub-actions for each step and when will I do them?

A LESSON FROM LAST YEAR

We are not yet finished with our lessons from last year. Review again your answers from your review of the previous year. Recall the key lessons, how you handled your biggest challenges, and what you learned about using your time most effectively. While there are tasks you are the best-suited person to do, there are many tasks that can and should be delegated, outsourced, and/or removed from your list.

READY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

The Power of Three is a good tool for reviewing the past year to create focus and clarity for this coming year. If you would like some help, I offer you three options.

• Free Workbook – Drop me a note to receive a free copy of the Red Edge Strategy 2019 Workbook containing every question we covered today plus the #Power of Three strategy.
• #RedEdgeLive – Every Thursday at 10 a.m. I am live on Facebook interviewing leaders, authors, and entrepreneurs, as well as sharing a few of my own ideas. Click this link to enjoy last week’s Red Edge Live where I elaborate on these ideas and review some of my ideas going forward.
• Red Edge Strategy Workshop – This is a three-hour workshop designed to help you set aside dedicated time to review your past year and create better focus and clarity for the coming year with the “Power of Three” strategy.

  Thursday, January 24th, 3-6 p.m.
  Stevens-Henager College – Logan Campus
  755 Main Street, Logan, Utah 84321

  Investment: $79

Drop me a note for more details and to reserve your seat.

There you go my friends. Three options to take this to the next level.

Have a great Monday! Thanks for letting me share.

Les

p.s. Take 13 minutes today to review these ideas for activating the Power of Three for this new year.

Discover how you can “Gain The Red Edge” by focusing your efforts, clarifying your message, sharing your story, and creating impact with a complimentary Gain the Red Edge coaching call.

Click this link to schedule your complimentary call