I used to stress out A LOT

when it came to “next year’s planning.”

People love to spout the aphorisms:

“Go for your goals!”

“Make it your best year ever!”

It sounds like support,

however it can feel like pressure.

Not only that but it’s easy to place

your energy in a direction

that ultimately isn’t going

to serve you best.

As everyone starts to hunker down

and plan their 2024,

it’s essential to remember that

each person is at a different place

in their life and career.

This fact is so ridiculously obvious

and yet so easily forgotten.

Some individuals have significant financial resources;

others are building up their coffers.

Some are expanding projects and

product lines; others are streamlining.

Some are starting families;

others are much farther along that path.

No matter what field, industry or “society” you’re in,

it’s easy (and common) to look

left and right and make decisions

—consciously or not—that are

influenced by what people

around you are doing.

(I address this “goal contagion” in Risk Forward.)

The truth is,

everyone’s metric is different:

money, status, career advancement, personal or business growth, health, spirituality, significance, exploration, creative expression, contribution, etc.

. . . or some combination thereof.

Last week,

my husband and I were lucky enough

to spend a few days in Malibu

(one of my all-time favorite places)

renting the home of a friend of a friend.

The final few days of November thus

became a time of rest and recharge

before the end-of-year flurry.

For me, it offered an opportunity

to take “a long ocean view”

of my place in this world

and what I want to create next . . .

and to remind myself of my

own metrics and what matters most.

What are these for YOU,

at this point in time,

given your specific situation

and set of variables?

When it comes to planning next year,

remember to look to your own horizon.

Only you know the landscape of your soul.

Risk Forward & Rock On,