Happy New Year! 🎆

Do you have a word or theme for your year ahead?

I remember reading a post by Arianna Huffington some years back about how she always picked a word that represented a theme for her for the year ahead.

This year I’m picking two words - energy & time!

My goal this year is to master both my energy & my time, with more of the former giving me more of the latter! (allegedly)

Before we get into that though, here’s some New Year trivia…

What country is first to celebrate New Year’s Eve each year?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter!

How to Set Goals You’ll Actually Stick To

I was born with my glass half full.

I’ve always been the same, and because of this wonderful affliction, I’m continuously convinced I can do more than I think I can in less time!

The blog post that accompanies this newsletter is a great example. I gave myself an hour and 3 hours later…

I’m a born optimist.

Now while this is generally a positive trait, it can have some negative consequences such as being pretty awful at planning and goal setting. (I’m guessing there’s probably a little ADHD thrown into the mix there, but I can’t say for sure).

My weaknesses in goal setting include;

• Too many goals

• Too big goals

• Front loading goals (every year, every month, every week - why do I think I’m going to get so much done on a Monday or in January?)

• Distraction (constant)

• Planning as procrastination

Anyone with me?

To this end I have had to devise a goal setting plan that keeps me on track and forces me to be a little less optimistic and a touch more realistic (not too much though, I don’t want to take the magic out of my life!)

It’s extremely simple and includes the usual suspects such as;

1. Envisioning my perfect day

2. Listing out yearly goals

3. Breaking down into monthly goals

4. Creating weekly action plans

etc.

But it includes what I’m calling the Dopamine Inducing Review Process, which is what truly holds me accountable, dissuades me from going off track, and helps me to spot flaws/adjust my strategy.

I’ve written a step by step post on how I implement this system at this time of year and have also included the simple google sheet I use to make it happen.

My 4-Step Plan for Dopamine-Powered Goals You’ll Actually Achieve

I hope it helps! 😊 

Zero to $10k Etsy Challenge

So talking about goals, as I’ve said in previous newsletters I’m setting myself a challenge this year to setup a new Etsy store and grow it to $10k a month by the end of the year, ideally with a 30% - 50% profit margin.

I’ve long been fascinated with print on demand and by building in public I’m holding myself accountable to actually get started!

The week ahead will likely involve a lot of training videos and podcasts as I create the launch and growth strategy for the shop.

I look forward to updating you on my progress and my key findings along the way. I may even do the odd video walking you through the process as I go.

It would be great to gauge interest in this as a shareable project. So can you just hit one of the buttons below and let me know if this is of interest to you or not. This will help me decide whether to create a separate email segment for this project or not. Thank you!

Best New Years Eve Destinations Across the World

Lastly for this week, where’s your favourite New Years destination to date?

Head over the the FB page and click here to let me know!

It’s my goal to visit as many NYE fireworks displays around the world as possible!

Highlights so far have been;

• Bangkok from the Mahanakhon Building

• Burj Al Arab Dubai from a boat in the Dubai Marina

• Sydney Harbour Fireworks from a boat in the Harbour

So many more to go!

Here are 18 of the best NYE Firework Displays in the world. Let me know which is your favourite and any I’ve missed!

Trivia Answer

If you guessed Kiribati, you’re spot on!

This Pacific nation has the unique distinction of being the first country to welcome the New Year.

Within Kiribati, the Line Islands, and particularly Kiritimati (Christmas Island), lead the world into the New Year. They are located in the time zone of UTC+14:00, making them the earliest to celebrate. 

That’s All Folks

That’s it from me on this last day of 2023!

I hope you have a fabulous New Years Eve and that 2024 brings you everything you dream about. 😍 

Happy New Year!

Jo 😊