Hugh Culver

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My 3 biggest, baddest challenges for your New Year (are you up for it?)

21 Comments

Never miss another update.

I can’t resist. It’s the start of a new year and I’m writing about goals, hopes, and aspirations. No worry, my trusted reader, I promise this will be different.

Every year we all get truck load of advice about writing SMART goals, following your passion, exercising, and eating more fiber. All good.

Today, I am sharing three radical ways to create your best year ever. This isn’t about wowsie sales (although it could be), or abs-of-steel body makeovers. It’s about how you show up for the party.

Let’s face it, all the SMART goals in the world won’t help if you never pick up the phone and ask for the sale. A gym membership won’t burn off calories if you’re too busy to walk through the doors. And eating more quinoa won’t make up for a relationship that’s eating you up inside. 

All the SMART goals in the world won’t help if you never pick up the phone and ask for the sale.

Today I’m throwing down the metaphorical gauntlet and challenging you to take on my biggest, baddest challenges for you New Year. If you played small this past year and you know better is possible, now is the time to draw a line in the sand.

Any one of these could scare the beejesus out of you (and maybe some others you hang out with), but I guarantee your life will be different and doors will open you never knew existed. 

I’m taking them on – how about you? 

Challenge #1: Clear the crap 

You can’t drive your car if your dashboard is piled up with papers, maps, fast food wrappers, and half-read books. Life is no differentIMAGES_key

Unfinished work distracts your already-busy brain away from what’s important. You can’t help it. You look at it, think about it, maybe beat yourself up a bit, and then go back to what you really should have been doing in the first place. 

And you do it over and over and over, hundreds of times a day. It sounds like this:

  • “I should do something about that pile of business cards.”
  • “I need to phone her back.” 
  • “I want to finish that book.”
  • “I haven’t written in my journal in weeks.”
  • “I hate it when my computer does that!”
  • “I’m never going to wear that again.”

On and on it goes, little synapse sucking distractions pulling you away.

It’s time to clear the crap

It’s time to clear the crap (in case your puritan soul is offended with the word “crap”, it’s innocent origins have to do with “anything cut off or IMAGES_key 4separated”, as in unwanted distractions.

Start with these easy crap-clearing targets:

  • your desk – this is where you make your money, do you best work (hopefully), and build confidence and pride in your craft and contribution. Invest 30 minutes and do two things: 1) remove from sight all the obvious guilty parties (stickie notes, files, computer cables, etc), 2) create a system for stuff that reappears without an obvious home (magazines, files, business cards, etc.)
  • your clothes closet – every decision you make burns willpower (see my post “How drinking tea can make you rich”), that includes picking from a bunch of clothes you will never wear again. Do yourself a favour, fill a garbage bag with unwanted clothes and donate them to a charity. When in doubt, Essentialism, author Greg McKeown, recommends this question “If I saw that on a shelf in a store, what would I be willing to pay for it?” You’ll never look back.
  • your computer and phone – start by removing any phone apps you haven’t used in that past three months and cancel subscriptions you never use. More radical yet, delete all emails older than three months. Even more radical is use tools like Cold Turkey (PC) and Freedom (MAC and PC) to block the Internet while you are working.

Challenge #2: Feel the fear

I’ve written extensively this past year about habits (see my post “Make your bed and 12 great habits for the super busy”.) I’m enamoured with the fourIMAGES_key 2 gifts of: willpower, habits, systems, and discipline. Each one can detour us off the path of least resistance (hat tip to Robert Fritz) and onto the journey of growth. Sometimes you have to feel the fear that comes with change and do it anyway, like this:

  • Ask for what you want. In a sale, the client is already saying “Yes”. If you know you can deliver more value, this is the time to ask for it. By asking if they would like the audience to go home with a copy of my book I sold 3,000 more books this year. At a discounted price of $18 a book, that was a pretty profitable question.
  • Say “Damn Yes!” to the invitation to join a meditation group, reading club, running club, or charity fund-raiser. A casual invitation by a friend two years ago led me to join a Saturday AM running group that has become one of my favourite rituals of the week.
  • Sign up for the painting class or guitar lessons you’ve talked about for the last decade. Of course, you’ll feel like a novice – it’s a class for novices. Do it anyways.

Challenge #3: Speak the unspoken

This past year was full of changes and challenges. Our daughters’ lives were full of sports, university, high school, travel, and jobs, my wife IMAGES_key 3oversaw our five-month home renovation, and my business growth constantly pulled at me.

Through it all, one practice saved my bacon: speak the unspoken.

When I say what is on my heart, without second guessing, or carefully scripting some clever sentence that tends to make things worse for some twisted reason, something better opens up. Whether feeling frustrated, confused, or hurt by what someone said, or didn’t say, if it goes unspoken it festers and looms bigger. 

When I speak the unspoken the ‘Pinch’ magically loses it’s punch (you can learn more about Pinches and Facing Tigers in this post), sort of like the scary Dementors in Harry Potter that suddenly turn to black mist and fly away. Scary and threatening one minute, a black, wispy memory the next.

What are simmering issues you need to speak up about?

  • With your children: “When you leave your unwashed dishes on the counter, it feels like you don’t care.”
  • With staff: “When you don’t take notes I have a feeling it won’t get done.”
  • With your partner: “I want this to work, but I don’t know what you need.” 
  • About yourself: “I’m really struggling – I have so much on my plate, and I’m worried you’ll think work is getting in the way of our relationship.”

 “There are no guarantees, but it always gets better.” John Scherer

My friend, Dr. John Scherer, summarizes it nicely, “There are no guarantees, but it always gets better.”

Kick-ass awesome

I want nothing more than for your year to be kick-ass awesome. It could be you need to physically change something – like get your ass out for a fast walk before breakfast, or meditate 20 minutes on waking. I could also be you need a slap on the side of the synapses to stop being such a wuss. AND it could be you need to take on these challenges:

  • Clear the crap,
  • Feel the fear, and
  • Speak the unspoken.

My money-back guarantee is this. If you take on these three challenges – EVERY DAY – I guarantee you will get more, attract more, and enjoy more of what you deserve this year.

And nobody deserves it more than you.

I want to know: tell me in the comments, below, which one you are taking on.

Never miss another update.

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About Hugh Culver

Speaker, author, athlete and founder of BlogWorks. I speak and write about getting stuff done and the art of growing younger.

Categories: Blog, General, Habits Tagged: entrepreneur, Greg McKeown, habits, new year, productivity, SMART, toy story

Comments

  1. Denise Wozniak says

    January 4, 2015 at 10:15 am

    All great ideas and I will be sharing with friends on FB and Twitter. You help me with my life and I am thankful.

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 4, 2015 at 10:32 am

      Thanks for sharing Denise! I really appreciate that. Have a great one!

      Reply
      • Denise Wozniak says

        January 4, 2015 at 10:36 am

        my pleasure.. good advice is worth sharing.

        Reply
  2. Nancy says

    January 4, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    I appreciate the awesome post Hugh to start 2015. You inspire me to keep taking the steps forward for my best health, relationships and career. 2014 helped me to be in the right job with the right company – 2015 will be working on the other 2 items on my list for my best life. Thanks for all that you do to help others and best wishes for 2015.

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 5, 2015 at 10:26 am

      Thanks Nancy – wow! I’m so glad this is helpful. I love the “list for my best life” – everyone should have one like that!

      Reply
  3. Jeff Griffiths, FCMC says

    January 4, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    Clutter was already the #1 on my list. Your mentioning it makes it even clearer that it’s the most important thing for me to deal with in my life and work

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 5, 2015 at 10:25 am

      Thanks Jeff – it’s so important it’s worth making an appointment to do it. (I did!)

      Reply
  4. Laura says

    January 5, 2015 at 6:50 am

    I felt the fear in 2014 by accepting a volunteer position and came out way better for it. Now I have to feel the fear and speak the unspoken. I’ve known this for a while, but just couldn’t put the need into words. Thank you for doing just that for me! I shall screw my courage to its sticking point and do it!

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 5, 2015 at 10:24 am

      Laura – I’m with you. It’s often the toughest 30 seconds as we start the conversation. Once past it, it always gets better. Go for it!

      Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      February 16, 2015 at 7:11 am

      Laura here’s a simple exercise. Practice in coffee shops telling them what you want (instead of starting with “Can I have…”) Go for little exercises like that to get into the swing of saying what’s on your mind. It works!

      Reply
  5. katie says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:07 am

    i’m going to take on the challenge….I have cleared the crap, I’m starting to say what’s on my mind (carefully), and I’m going to register for a photography class….”kick-ass awesome!”…..I need the positive as the negative talk is too easy to succumb to. Thank-you for these emails!

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 5, 2015 at 10:28 am

      Thanks Katie – I love the idea of a photo class – it’s creative and edgy. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      February 16, 2015 at 7:10 am

      Nice!!! Katie remember to send some sample photography my way.

      Reply
  6. Pamela Thompson says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:03 am

    Great post Hugh. Some practical tips and challenges to make 2015 our best year yet! Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 5, 2015 at 10:23 am

      Thanks Pamela – I’m so glad these hit home for you!

      Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      February 16, 2015 at 7:09 am

      Thanks Pamela! Here’s to a great year for you.

      Reply
  7. Maggie de Vries says

    January 6, 2015 at 9:15 am

    Thanks for a great post, Hugh. Inspiring!

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      February 16, 2015 at 7:09 am

      Thanks Maggie – so glad you liked it (more to come!)

      Reply
  8. Amy Ma says

    January 8, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    Thanks for this blog post! Just what I needed to start my year off. I like that you keep things simple and honest. Just the other day I felt the fear as I stood my ground in charging what I felt was a reasonable fee for a workshop.

    Finally the pain of being trapped charging an hourly fee and grovelling when people wanted to bargain down my fee in $10 or $5 was outweighed by a new confidence that I felt ready to leave the table if people did not want to pay. And I view my experience and services as a package deal now, not on an hourly basis that can be whittled away….

    Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      January 8, 2015 at 4:38 pm

      Amy – way to go! I’m always surprised how quickly I can wilt in the face of negotiation that involves my worth. Selling a set of car tires? No worries. Selling myself? Yikes.

      I’m so thrilled to hear that you are over with wilting.

      Reply
    • Hugh Culver says

      February 16, 2015 at 7:09 am

      Good one. Amy we are so quick to undermine our value – it’s crazy making! Stick to your guns. It is the one universal truth in selling: when we have more confidence we get more of what we want.

      Reply

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