There's Still Time For Game-Changing In 2015

As I’m posting this, there are still 60 days left in the year. That’s somewhere between 500-700 business hours that you can yet co-opt to create something excitingly memorable.c

Are you in?

Then here’s a little brand-building, platform-growing, pipeline-filling wish list to get you started.

Take a creative deep-dive. Forget what you know and learn something you don’t. Maybe you start researching an idea and let it linger in your mind in the odd hours (the shower and dog walks always seem to do it for moi). See where it takes you. And know this is especially critical if you’ve been driving yourself like a mad man/woman all year. Invest in yourself—it may well be where your next big idea is born.

Write something that matters to you. How many times have you found yourself muttering “I need to write about that one day”? But one day never comes and before you know it, someone else has written it. Get your idea out of your head and into the world. And don’t just assume it must be a book—maybe it’s a completely different blog post, a provocative article, a new “about” page, an open letter to your future clients. Give yourself permission to work on what matters most.

Wade deeper into social media. You know you need to build a digital distribution channel for your business. So just pick one major platform where your clients and referral sources are legion and jump in. Set up your profile, learn the rules of the game and start participating. Be your best, most generous self and give where you can. Start building up your tribe, one new member at a time.

Pitch a daring idea. One that kinda makes you want to throw up—yep, THAT kind of daring. It should make you excited and nervous all rolled into one. Think: new idea, new market, new business, new client, new media. Or think equally scary on a smaller scale—like engaging your hero (who doesn’t yet know you exist) in social media to spark a connection.

Ditch what needs to die. Sometimes, there is an item on your plate that needs to fall off for you to grow. A bad fit client, a service line that isn’t pulling its weight, a creaky website that was you five iterations ago. Pulling the cord on what no longer serves you is powerful—not to mention excellent karma for 2016.

There’s no need to make yourself insane over this. Just pick one thing and get busy.

And just so you know I’m practicing what I preach, I’m working on a book proposal that feels like a scary thrill ride. What will YOU do with your 60 days?