So much new + good!
how do you eat an elephant?
As we plunge into the second half of 2019 (whattt? how is that possible?), I find myself reflecting on the first two quarters of the year and looking forward to the next two.
For a few years now, I’ve been using an adapted version of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), which comes from a book titled Traction written by Gino Wickman. It’s a system that asks you to clarify your business goals (10-year, 3-year, 1-year) then break them down into quarterly objectives and weekly to-dos.
Which pretty much reflects a lot of my work with clients: when you break big goals down into tiny action steps—so small that they feel insignificant and therefore doable on a daily basis—you look back and realize how very far you’ve come since you started.
(In case you’re wondering, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time….)
what’s new + good?
If you’ve ever been my client, you may have originally dreaded that question.
It’s the first one I ask at every session. And you’d better have an answer! Apparently, some clients suddenly remember that this is coming and scramble to have a ready answer when our call begins.
After a few sessions, though, I often get a long list of “new + goods” rather than a stammering, “Um, I don’t know, nothing really….” It’s really marvelous how this one tiny practice can help us see all the good in our lives.
On a side note, I recently had a client ask whether she could report on a “new + odd” instead. Of course I said yes—wouldn’t you?
EOS requires that we have an accountability partner who meets with us weekly, and perhaps not surprisingly, the first question we answer each week is, “What’s new, personally and professionally?” I’m assuming Wickman will forgive us for changing that to “What’s new + good, personally and professionally?”
(By the way, my partner is Janelle Reichman, the multi-talented founder of Ellanyze and a gifted jazz musician!)
So in case you’re wondering, here’s a list of my new + goods as I look ahead to the second half of the year:
on the personal front…
My son is about to take his driver’s test—I think that’s good? I’m torn between rejoicing that I will not need to play chauffeur so much and, well, panicking just a bit about letting him drive away alone.
on the admin side…
- After cobbling together a bunch of platforms to manage my coaching business, I’ve invested in one that seems to do it all—from scheduling to billing to videoconferencing to sending out forms to complete (and poking people to complete them!) to offering online courses to providing a space for clients to journal to … I don’t know, I haven’t yet discovered all the good stuff! I’ve tested it out on a few clients (thanks for your patience and good humor and input—you know who you are), and Practice Better is definitely a keeper.
- I have redesigned my website to be simpler and cleaner—check it out, and let me know what you think! (There are still a few places that need tidying, especially the “shop” page, but they’re going to have to wait. I’ve given myself until the end of September to finish the work. That’s the other thing about working with EOS: when you know you have time to finish a task, you suddenly … have time!)
on the program side…
- I’m relaunching the online version of my Meal Planning Made Simple™ course for the month of August only, so if getting your kitchen sorted in time for the new school year is on your list of things to do, let me help! Registration is open through July 31. (It’s also a great gift for anyone heading into their first apartment living situation—if you want to gift the course, send me an email.)
- I’m excited to be launching a brand new in-person series this fall! The Brunch Club will meet in September, October, and November, and each session will combine the creation and sharing of a mindful, healthful meal with an Integrative Nutrition® topic and activity. You can attend all 3 sessions or just one. Space is limited to 6 people only, so register now for the September session and keep an eye on my events page for future dates.
make the connection
Leave me a comment and let me know what elephants you’re tackling in the second half of 2019—and remember: one bite at a time. And hot sauce might help—a lot of hot sauce.
