January 5, 2026 • 21 mins
If you looked back at 2025 and realized you drifted, got distracted, or missed the mark on your biggest dreams, you are not alone. Even after years of personal development, it is possible to slide into a spiral of doubt when the results don't match the effort.
In this episode, we strip away the complex workshops and "louder" goal-setting tactics that often overwhelm ambitious women. Instead, we focus on a simple, proven 3-step framework to move from confusion to clear, directed action.
We explore why "insight" alone isn't enough to change your life and how to create a strategy that actually fits your season of life.
In this episode, you will learn:
- The Trap of "More": Why we often fail not because we lack goals, but because we lack anchors and say "yes" to too many good things.
- The 3-Step Framework: A breakdown of Clarity, Strategy, and Sustainable Focus.
- Strengths Alignment: Why your strategy must use your natural talents if you want the results to stick past February.
- Overcoming the Spiral: How to kick off the covers, stop wallowing, and create a plan even when you feel heavy emotions.
Next Step: If you are standing at a career crossroads and want to ensure 2026 is your year of clarity, don't wait. Take the 2026 Career Change Quiz or book a clarity call today to start the conversation.
Checked all the boxes of success but still feel like something’s missing? My new book, Discovering Your Calling, is a guide for ambitious women ready to stop drifting and build a life of true fulfillment and joy. Your calling is waiting.
✨ Get your copy of the Discovering Your Calling book today! Your calling is waiting!
Connect or work with Sheri:
Book a 30 Minute Clarity Call
Website - www.sherimiterco.com
Let's be friends on Social Media - @SheriMiter
Apply to work with Sheri- Apply Here
Searching for Mary Kay products? Shop Here
To learn more about CliftonStrengths and Gallup - Click Here
Matthew 5:14-16 is the inspiration for this podcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sheri Miter (01:07):
What you will discover in this episode is why
ambitious women don't needlouder goal setting.
They need clearer priorities.
I'm going to walk you throughthree simple steps that I do at
the beginning of the year toturn reflection into clarity and
alignment and focus directionfor a year that actually moves
the needle where it mattersmost.
(01:32):
Welcome to the Discovering YourCalling podcast.
I'm your host, Jerry Miter.
I'm here to help you unleashyour strengths and get clarity
on your calling.
I believe when you find yourpurpose in life, fulfillment,
joy, and success will follow.
If you're ready, pop in thoseearbuds, hit that follow button,
and join me on this journeytoward discovering your calling.
(01:55):
Happy New Year, my friends! Wemade it.
2025 is officially over and wehave stepped into the new year.
You know, the presents aremostly all unwrapped.
We still need to get togetherwith one of our oldest son and
his family due to flu andeverything else.
But hopefully in your household,everything's unwrapped and
(02:18):
everybody's enjoying theirgifts, and the new year is
officially underway.
I know for many of you, you arecelebrating because the kids are
finally back to school.
Oh boy, that was a long vacationfor them.
And I have to admit that thisyear the holiday season just
felt a little off for us.
(02:39):
Family dynamics have changed.
Our families are all over thecountry.
And if I'm being honest, I'mfocused on an upcoming surgery.
Don't worry, nothing major.
It's just going to have me downand out for the first few weeks
of January.
So I've had a lot on my mindwith that.
And to be honest, because of allof this, that that kind of
(03:01):
strange period we have betweenChristmas and New Year's, you
know, that that time that we'relike, what day is it even?
You know, or there's the funnymemes about, you know, what day
is it?
Something along the lines of,it's 10 a.m.
or is it too early to startdrinking at 10 a.m.?
You know, it's like that weirdtime where we are between that
Christmas and New Year's.
(03:22):
And like I said, we don't evenknow what day it is.
We don't know what we'resupposed to be doing.
You know, we're in between thecelebrations.
I usually spend that timereflecting.
I do a lot of year-inreflection.
And if you follow me at all, youknow I'm big on journaling,
reflecting, quiet time, all ofthat.
And this is a huge time for me.
(03:44):
And sometimes those reflectiontimes are really positive.
And I feel very grateful for allthat's happened in the previous
year and what's upcoming andwhat I'm looking forward to.
But I think because of all theother stuff I just shared, that
reflection time wasn't my normalfeelings.
And in fact, I ended up withsome really heavy emotions this
(04:09):
year.
Emotions of sadness anddisappointment.
And man, they sent me into adark, ugly spiral.
And I'm not kidding when I say Ihit hard on this spiral.
And I think I probably stillhave some bruises from it.
And, you know, I spent a day indespair.
And yes, even some tears, whichis totally uncharacteristic of
(04:31):
me.
But luckily, I realized what washappening.
I knew I had slid down to thatsix o'clock space on the
attitude wheel.
And there's some podcasts I'vedone before on this.
If not, reach out to me.
And I, if you can't find them,reach out to me and I'll share
them with you.
But the attitude wheel just, youknow, is when we're down on six
o'clock, it is not the place wewant to be.
(04:54):
And I got stuck there.
But luckily, after a day ofwallowing and self-pity and just
being mad and angry and sad andall the different emotions, I
realized what was happening.
And once I did that, I, youknow, literally and figuratively
kicked off the covers, threwaway those sobbing tissues,
(05:18):
poured myself another cup ofgood, hot, strong coffee, and I
did what years of personal andprofessional development and
growth have taught me, and myfaith has taught me over the
years.
And I stopped spiraling andstarted creating a strategy.
Because I know one thing forsure, that I don't want to be
(05:39):
sitting here next year feelingthe same way.
I know for myself, I need bold,audacious goals to strive for.
And I didn't have that thisyear.
And I first had to figure outwhat was I actually grateful for
to get out of the self-pitymode.
I did, after all, publish mybook this year.
I published the Discovering YourCalling book, and I'm super
(06:01):
proud of that.
And I had to remind myself ofthat.
No, did I hit the goal that Iwanted as far as how many copies
I wanted to sell?
Absolutely not.
Didn't even come close.
But I know why, and I'm gonnaget to that in a minute.
I also had to remind myself thatI had the privilege of working
with some super great clientsthis year, some one-on-one and
(06:24):
some in workshops.
And that is something I neverever want to take for granted.
So I really had to shift mythinking and get into a
positive, grateful mindset.
And then I had to get reallyhonest with why I didn't hit
some of the other goals.
And when I did that, I realizedthat I got distracted a lot this
year.
(06:44):
I frequently changed focus, Ireset my goals a zillion times,
and therefore I never gotgrounded on what was my one big,
hairy, audacious goal that Ireally wanted to achieve.
And again, for me, I know that'swhat I need to thrive.
(07:06):
Now, my friend, whether you'relistening to this and you're
feeling proud because you didcheck off some big audacious
goals this year and you lovewhere you ended up at the end of
the year, or you're like me, andthat little reflecting time
didn't feel so great this year.
And you know that you alsodrifted or got distracted or
(07:28):
just never anchored yourself tothat one thing that actually
mattered.
This episode is for you, eitherway, because here's the truth:
reflection alone doesn't changeanything.
Insight doesn't change anything.
Even intentions, having a goodintention doesn't change
anything.
What changes things is themoment you decide I'm not doing
(07:53):
another year like this.
And again, if you've left feltthat this was a great year, keep
listening because you'll make iteven better for yourself next
year.
Today I want to walk you throughthe exact three-step framework I
use personally andprofessionally to move from
reflection and doubt and unsureinto clarity and direction and
(08:16):
focused action so that when I'msitting in this same quiet week
in between Christmas and NewYear's next time, reflecting on
my year of what happened, thingswill have turned out
differently.
And I know you want that aswell.
Now, before I share the threesteps to take, I want you to
imagine for a moment.
Imagine it is that weirdin-between week of Christmas and
(08:39):
New Year, and you've carved outa few minutes to quietly reflect
on your 2026.
I want you to think back tothose moments that left you
proud.
Maybe they weren't perfect, butyou're proud of what you
accomplished.
You're proud because you focusedon what or who mattered most.
You gave your energy to theright things, the ones that
(09:01):
actually moved your work andyour life forward.
You took care of yourselfwithout feeling guilty.
You stopped postponing what youknew needed attention.
How does that feel, my friend?
Stay in that feeling for amoment.
That feeling is what I want foryou to really experience next
year.
But here's the thing (09:21):
if we want next year's reflection time to
feel more peaceful and joyfuland celebratory, we have to
focus on what fits our season oflife, our strengths, and our
priorities right now.
And success doesn't look thesame for everyone.
For some women, a good yearmeans they focused on the right
(09:43):
goals, not just more goals.
I think that's true for all ofus, really.
For others, it may mean that youare just truly present with the
people that you love.
For some of you, it's realizingthat your health can't be
optional anymore and doing it,taking care of you guilt-free.
And for others, it's finallylistening to that quiet tug that
(10:08):
you've been ignoring.
Now, once you have the vision inyour head of what you really
want, then it's time to takeintentional action.
This is where the magic happens.
And this is where I want toshare with you the three simple
steps that I took and I take toget intentional about my year.
(10:31):
There are the three steps that Ididn't do last year that I'm
never going to miss again.
But before I share those threesteps, I want to tell you one
more important piece to this.
At least for me, I had to giveto God what I couldn't control.
You know, a few family dynamics,a few challenges that are just
(10:52):
totally out of my realm ofcontrol.
I had to package them up andgive them to God.
And when I do that, I literallypicture putting it all in a box
and, you know, focusing on, youknow, putting it in a box,
putting the lid on it, andputting it on the shelf and
giving it to God.
(11:13):
Because I can't control thosethings.
So if you have some things inyour life that you can't control
that shouldn't be part of thegoal setting, then if it helps
you and serves you well, that'sjust an imagery that I love to
do.
And it's really, reallyvaluable.
That simple picture of just likeputting it in that box, giving
(11:35):
it over to God, and letting itgo so that we can focus clearly
on what we can control.
And that's where the three stepscome in.
All right, are you ready?
And these are so simple thatthey may be, you might be
tempted to skip them becausethey're not an all-day workshop
on how to goal set and how toprioritize things.
(11:57):
They seem very simple, but theydo take a lot of reflection in a
good way, and they take a lot ofthinking, and they take take a
lot of getting serious aboutwhat you really want.
So don't pass them up becausethey seem too simple.
They're really powerful when youwork them right.
And these steps work for anymeaningful goal.
(12:18):
So what are they?
Number one, it's clarity.
Get crystal clear on the biggestgoal for 2026.
What actually matters to youmost in this season of your
life?
This season of work?
What is it that matters themost?
(12:39):
What do you really want tochange, accomplish, or
experience in 2026?
What bold, audacious goal haveyou been avoiding out of fear?
And is that goal audaciousenough to excite you to take
action?
Once you have an idea of that,have that crystal clear goal in
mind and you know what it is.
(13:01):
Part of this step is alsofiguring out why this goal
matter to you?
Why is it important to you toaccomplish in this year?
Some of you may even want tolook, think about like what will
it look like if you don'taccomplish this goal.
Once you're crystal clear on thegoal and the why, make that the
number one priority all yearlong.
(13:26):
So step number one again isclarity.
Ask yourself these questions,reflect on them.
Get crystal clear on the onebiggest goal.
Step number two, strategy.
How will you make this goalhappen?
How can it realistically happenfor you?
Think about what's in yourcontrol.
(13:48):
Name the who, what, when, andhow.
Get as detailed as you can onhow it's going to happen.
Write it down, journal it, mindmap.
I love to mind map my goals andplans.
Then put it in your planner.
Put a date on it, whatever worksfor you best, but you have to do
(14:09):
something solid, a solid plan.
You have to have that solidplan.
Now, here's a little tip.
Make sure your strategy usesyour natural talents and
strengths, because that's what'sgoing to make the achievement
feel more energizing and easierfor you.
But it's also what's going tomake the next step possible.
(14:31):
So again, we have clarity asstep number one.
Step number two is strategy.
How are you going to make ithappen?
What's your strategy to get itdone?
And the third step is creatingsustainable year-long focus.
So think today, what will you doto stick with the strategy?
(14:55):
How will you stay connected tothis decision and this plan past
February 5th when most goals anddreams die?
Commit to it now.
Think about do you needaccountability?
Does that accountability comefrom a friend, a coach?
Do you need quarterly check-inswith somebody?
(15:17):
What will support what supportwill help you keep going when
life gets busy and you getdistracted and you forget why
you wanted this?
Do you need to put a goal posterup so that you can visually see
this all year long?
Do you need sticky notes allover your house to remind you of
the goal?
(15:37):
Do you need to review yourstrengths again to make sure
that everything is aligned?
Because if it's not aligned withyour natural strengths, it's
going to be really super hard tofollow through on all this.
But if it aligns with yourstrengths, it's going to feel
natural.
It's going to be easier and moreenergetic for you to accomplish
all of this.
(15:58):
So what is it you need to thinkabout and get in place so that
when it's not exciting anymore,when it feels like it's not
happening and you start to getdistracted, what's going to pull
you back?
What do you need to get in placenow so that you don't lose focus
six months from now, nine monthsfrom now?
(16:19):
When it gets hard, who or whatdo you need in place?
So let's review again.
So it's clarity, strategy, andthen a sustainable year-long
focus plan.
Now these steps will work forany goal, whether it's health,
relationships, financialboundaries, growth.
(16:39):
They work because they cutthrough the chaos and the
distractions.
They work because they aresimple and they bring clarity
and focus.
And here's the thing that I seeover and over again with
ambitious women, and I see it inmyself too.
We don't lack goals.
We lack anchoring our goals.
(17:00):
We say yes to too many goodthings.
We chase progress in tendifferent directions.
And then we wonder why we'reexhausted or why we didn't move
the needle the way we had hoped.
And audacious goals don't workwhen they're scattered.
They work when they're alignedand focused.
And that doesn't come fromtrying harder or setting more
(17:23):
goals.
It comes from clarity.
Clarity about who you are,clarity about what actually
matters most in this season, andclarity about what deserves to
be your one fold priority.
Now, a little side note here forsome of you.
(17:43):
As you've been listening to thisepisode, if your career or
what's next professionally keepsrising to the surface as that
one major goal, that's my sweetspot.
And that's exactly why I do whatI do.
That's why I have Discover YourCalling Academy.
That's why I wrote the book, andthat's why I created something
(18:07):
extra special to help you thisyear.
We are revising our new quiz.
So we have a 2026 career changequiz coming out.
Might be out when this goeslive.
If not, it's coming really,really soon.
And it's not about quitting yourjob or making a major decision.
It's about getting clarity tohelp you understand where you
(18:31):
are right now so you can createa strategy that actually fits
your life and career goals.
And again, if it turns out thatyou are standing at a career
crossroads and ready to takeaction today, that's where I
love to say, hey, let's talk.
You don't have to wait for thequiz.
Book a clarity call with me orDM me and let's get the
(18:52):
conversation going.
Because again, career change ismy sweet spot.
So keep an eye out for thatquiz.
And like I said, it might be inthe show notes for this episode
when it goes live.
If not, it's going to be comingsuper, super fast.
So stay connected with me.
And my friend, I want you toremember you don't need to have
(19:16):
2026 all figured out, but you doneed to decide that you're not
going to drift through anotheryear hoping things will feel
different.
Clarity creates direction,direction creates momentum, and
momentum sustained is whatchanges a life.
So take the quiz, have aconversation.
(19:39):
Just make the decision.
And again, if you want helpturning this new clarity into
reality, the next two episodesbuild directly on what we just
talked about.
I have one with a powerful guestconversation where we talked
about all different types ofthings on professional
profession professional andpersonal development, including
(20:03):
visioneering your life.
And then I'll be sharing mystrengths-based visioning and
goal-setting strategy for yourwork in life in 2026 in another
episode.
So I'll see you back here reallysoon.
But in the meanwhile, I hope youwill take the time to go through
these three simple steps so thatyou can be celebrating a great
(20:25):
year at the end of 2026.
We'll talk soon.
Thank you for spending this timewith me.
My hope is something you heardtoday inspires you to take
action toward discovering yourcalling.
I just have two favors to ask ofyou before you go.
One, if you found value andenjoyed this episode, please
leave us a review on ApplePodcasts or Spotify, and you
(20:46):
might hear your review read on afuture episode.
And two, can you share thisepisode with three friends who
will also enjoy it as much asyou did?
By doing these things, you willhelp us grow the podcast to make
a bigger impact on the world.
And until next week, remember,you've been created to live a
life of fulfillment, freedom,purpose, success.
(21:07):
And joy.
What you will discover in this episode is why
ambitious women don't needlouder goal setting.
They need clearer priorities.
I'm going to walk you throughthree simple steps that I do at
the beginning of the year toturn reflection into clarity and
alignment and focus directionfor a year that actually moves
the needle where it mattersmost.
(01:32):
Welcome to the Discovering YourCalling podcast.
I'm your host, Jerry Miter.
I'm here to help you unleashyour strengths and get clarity
on your calling.
I believe when you find yourpurpose in life, fulfillment,
joy, and success will follow.
If you're ready, pop in thoseearbuds, hit that follow button,
and join me on this journeytoward discovering your calling.
(01:55):
Happy New Year, my friends! Wemade it.
2025 is officially over and wehave stepped into the new year.
You know, the presents aremostly all unwrapped.
We still need to get togetherwith one of our oldest son and
his family due to flu andeverything else.
But hopefully in your household,everything's unwrapped and
(02:18):
everybody's enjoying theirgifts, and the new year is
officially underway.
I know for many of you, you arecelebrating because the kids are
finally back to school.
Oh boy, that was a long vacationfor them.
And I have to admit that thisyear the holiday season just
felt a little off for us.
(02:39):
Family dynamics have changed.
Our families are all over thecountry.
And if I'm being honest, I'mfocused on an upcoming surgery.
Don't worry, nothing major.
It's just going to have me downand out for the first few weeks
of January.
So I've had a lot on my mindwith that.
And to be honest, because of allof this, that that kind of
(03:01):
strange period we have betweenChristmas and New Year's, you
know, that that time that we'relike, what day is it even?
You know, or there's the funnymemes about, you know, what day
is it?
Something along the lines of,it's 10 a.m.
or is it too early to startdrinking at 10 a.m.?
You know, it's like that weirdtime where we are between that
Christmas and New Year's.
(03:22):
And like I said, we don't evenknow what day it is.
We don't know what we'resupposed to be doing.
You know, we're in between thecelebrations.
I usually spend that timereflecting.
I do a lot of year-inreflection.
And if you follow me at all, youknow I'm big on journaling,
reflecting, quiet time, all ofthat.
And this is a huge time for me.
(03:44):
And sometimes those reflectiontimes are really positive.
And I feel very grateful for allthat's happened in the previous
year and what's upcoming andwhat I'm looking forward to.
But I think because of all theother stuff I just shared, that
reflection time wasn't my normalfeelings.
And in fact, I ended up withsome really heavy emotions this
(04:09):
year.
Emotions of sadness anddisappointment.
And man, they sent me into adark, ugly spiral.
And I'm not kidding when I say Ihit hard on this spiral.
And I think I probably stillhave some bruises from it.
And, you know, I spent a day indespair.
And yes, even some tears, whichis totally uncharacteristic of
(04:31):
me.
But luckily, I realized what washappening.
I knew I had slid down to thatsix o'clock space on the
attitude wheel.
And there's some podcasts I'vedone before on this.
If not, reach out to me.
And I, if you can't find them,reach out to me and I'll share
them with you.
But the attitude wheel just, youknow, is when we're down on six
o'clock, it is not the place wewant to be.
(04:54):
And I got stuck there.
But luckily, after a day ofwallowing and self-pity and just
being mad and angry and sad andall the different emotions, I
realized what was happening.
And once I did that, I, youknow, literally and figuratively
kicked off the covers, threwaway those sobbing tissues,
(05:18):
poured myself another cup ofgood, hot, strong coffee, and I
did what years of personal andprofessional development and
growth have taught me, and myfaith has taught me over the
years.
And I stopped spiraling andstarted creating a strategy.
Because I know one thing forsure, that I don't want to be
(05:39):
sitting here next year feelingthe same way.
I know for myself, I need bold,audacious goals to strive for.
And I didn't have that thisyear.
And I first had to figure outwhat was I actually grateful for
to get out of the self-pitymode.
I did, after all, publish mybook this year.
I published the Discovering YourCalling book, and I'm super
(06:01):
proud of that.
And I had to remind myself ofthat.
No, did I hit the goal that Iwanted as far as how many copies
I wanted to sell?
Absolutely not.
Didn't even come close.
But I know why, and I'm gonnaget to that in a minute.
I also had to remind myself thatI had the privilege of working
with some super great clientsthis year, some one-on-one and
(06:24):
some in workshops.
And that is something I neverever want to take for granted.
So I really had to shift mythinking and get into a
positive, grateful mindset.
And then I had to get reallyhonest with why I didn't hit
some of the other goals.
And when I did that, I realizedthat I got distracted a lot this
year.
(06:44):
I frequently changed focus, Ireset my goals a zillion times,
and therefore I never gotgrounded on what was my one big,
hairy, audacious goal that Ireally wanted to achieve.
And again, for me, I know that'swhat I need to thrive.
(07:06):
Now, my friend, whether you'relistening to this and you're
feeling proud because you didcheck off some big audacious
goals this year and you lovewhere you ended up at the end of
the year, or you're like me, andthat little reflecting time
didn't feel so great this year.
And you know that you alsodrifted or got distracted or
(07:28):
just never anchored yourself tothat one thing that actually
mattered.
This episode is for you, eitherway, because here's the truth:
reflection alone doesn't changeanything.
Insight doesn't change anything.
Even intentions, having a goodintention doesn't change
anything.
What changes things is themoment you decide I'm not doing
(07:53):
another year like this.
And again, if you've left feltthat this was a great year, keep
listening because you'll make iteven better for yourself next
year.
Today I want to walk you throughthe exact three-step framework I
use personally andprofessionally to move from
reflection and doubt and unsureinto clarity and direction and
(08:16):
focused action so that when I'msitting in this same quiet week
in between Christmas and NewYear's next time, reflecting on
my year of what happened, thingswill have turned out
differently.
And I know you want that aswell.
Now, before I share the threesteps to take, I want you to
imagine for a moment.
Imagine it is that weirdin-between week of Christmas and
(08:39):
New Year, and you've carved outa few minutes to quietly reflect
on your 2026.
I want you to think back tothose moments that left you
proud.
Maybe they weren't perfect, butyou're proud of what you
accomplished.
You're proud because you focusedon what or who mattered most.
You gave your energy to theright things, the ones that
(09:01):
actually moved your work andyour life forward.
You took care of yourselfwithout feeling guilty.
You stopped postponing what youknew needed attention.
How does that feel, my friend?
Stay in that feeling for amoment.
That feeling is what I want foryou to really experience next
year.
But here's the thing (09:21):
if we want next year's reflection time to
feel more peaceful and joyfuland celebratory, we have to
focus on what fits our season oflife, our strengths, and our
priorities right now.
And success doesn't look thesame for everyone.
For some women, a good yearmeans they focused on the right
(09:43):
goals, not just more goals.
I think that's true for all ofus, really.
For others, it may mean that youare just truly present with the
people that you love.
For some of you, it's realizingthat your health can't be
optional anymore and doing it,taking care of you guilt-free.
And for others, it's finallylistening to that quiet tug that
(10:08):
you've been ignoring.
Now, once you have the vision inyour head of what you really
want, then it's time to takeintentional action.
This is where the magic happens.
And this is where I want toshare with you the three simple
steps that I took and I take toget intentional about my year.
(10:31):
There are the three steps that Ididn't do last year that I'm
never going to miss again.
But before I share those threesteps, I want to tell you one
more important piece to this.
At least for me, I had to giveto God what I couldn't control.
You know, a few family dynamics,a few challenges that are just
(10:52):
totally out of my realm ofcontrol.
I had to package them up andgive them to God.
And when I do that, I literallypicture putting it all in a box
and, you know, focusing on, youknow, putting it in a box,
putting the lid on it, andputting it on the shelf and
giving it to God.
(11:13):
Because I can't control thosethings.
So if you have some things inyour life that you can't control
that shouldn't be part of thegoal setting, then if it helps
you and serves you well, that'sjust an imagery that I love to
do.
And it's really, reallyvaluable.
That simple picture of just likeputting it in that box, giving
(11:35):
it over to God, and letting itgo so that we can focus clearly
on what we can control.
And that's where the three stepscome in.
All right, are you ready?
And these are so simple thatthey may be, you might be
tempted to skip them becausethey're not an all-day workshop
on how to goal set and how toprioritize things.
(11:57):
They seem very simple, but theydo take a lot of reflection in a
good way, and they take a lot ofthinking, and they take take a
lot of getting serious aboutwhat you really want.
So don't pass them up becausethey seem too simple.
They're really powerful when youwork them right.
And these steps work for anymeaningful goal.
(12:18):
So what are they?
Number one, it's clarity.
Get crystal clear on the biggestgoal for 2026.
What actually matters to youmost in this season of your
life?
This season of work?
What is it that matters themost?
(12:39):
What do you really want tochange, accomplish, or
experience in 2026?
What bold, audacious goal haveyou been avoiding out of fear?
And is that goal audaciousenough to excite you to take
action?
Once you have an idea of that,have that crystal clear goal in
mind and you know what it is.
(13:01):
Part of this step is alsofiguring out why this goal
matter to you?
Why is it important to you toaccomplish in this year?
Some of you may even want tolook, think about like what will
it look like if you don'taccomplish this goal.
Once you're crystal clear on thegoal and the why, make that the
number one priority all yearlong.
(13:26):
So step number one again isclarity.
Ask yourself these questions,reflect on them.
Get crystal clear on the onebiggest goal.
Step number two, strategy.
How will you make this goalhappen?
How can it realistically happenfor you?
Think about what's in yourcontrol.
(13:48):
Name the who, what, when, andhow.
Get as detailed as you can onhow it's going to happen.
Write it down, journal it, mindmap.
I love to mind map my goals andplans.
Then put it in your planner.
Put a date on it, whatever worksfor you best, but you have to do
(14:09):
something solid, a solid plan.
You have to have that solidplan.
Now, here's a little tip.
Make sure your strategy usesyour natural talents and
strengths, because that's what'sgoing to make the achievement
feel more energizing and easierfor you.
But it's also what's going tomake the next step possible.
(14:31):
So again, we have clarity asstep number one.
Step number two is strategy.
How are you going to make ithappen?
What's your strategy to get itdone?
And the third step is creatingsustainable year-long focus.
So think today, what will you doto stick with the strategy?
(14:55):
How will you stay connected tothis decision and this plan past
February 5th when most goals anddreams die?
Commit to it now.
Think about do you needaccountability?
Does that accountability comefrom a friend, a coach?
Do you need quarterly check-inswith somebody?
(15:17):
What will support what supportwill help you keep going when
life gets busy and you getdistracted and you forget why
you wanted this?
Do you need to put a goal posterup so that you can visually see
this all year long?
Do you need sticky notes allover your house to remind you of
the goal?
(15:37):
Do you need to review yourstrengths again to make sure
that everything is aligned?
Because if it's not aligned withyour natural strengths, it's
going to be really super hard tofollow through on all this.
But if it aligns with yourstrengths, it's going to feel
natural.
It's going to be easier and moreenergetic for you to accomplish
all of this.
(15:58):
So what is it you need to thinkabout and get in place so that
when it's not exciting anymore,when it feels like it's not
happening and you start to getdistracted, what's going to pull
you back?
What do you need to get in placenow so that you don't lose focus
six months from now, nine monthsfrom now?
(16:19):
When it gets hard, who or whatdo you need in place?
So let's review again.
So it's clarity, strategy, andthen a sustainable year-long
focus plan.
Now these steps will work forany goal, whether it's health,
relationships, financialboundaries, growth.
(16:39):
They work because they cutthrough the chaos and the
distractions.
They work because they aresimple and they bring clarity
and focus.
And here's the thing that I seeover and over again with
ambitious women, and I see it inmyself too.
We don't lack goals.
We lack anchoring our goals.
(17:00):
We say yes to too many goodthings.
We chase progress in tendifferent directions.
And then we wonder why we'reexhausted or why we didn't move
the needle the way we had hoped.
And audacious goals don't workwhen they're scattered.
They work when they're alignedand focused.
And that doesn't come fromtrying harder or setting more
(17:23):
goals.
It comes from clarity.
Clarity about who you are,clarity about what actually
matters most in this season, andclarity about what deserves to
be your one fold priority.
Now, a little side note here forsome of you.
(17:43):
As you've been listening to thisepisode, if your career or
what's next professionally keepsrising to the surface as that
one major goal, that's my sweetspot.
And that's exactly why I do whatI do.
That's why I have Discover YourCalling Academy.
That's why I wrote the book, andthat's why I created something
(18:07):
extra special to help you thisyear.
We are revising our new quiz.
So we have a 2026 career changequiz coming out.
Might be out when this goeslive.
If not, it's coming really,really soon.
And it's not about quitting yourjob or making a major decision.
It's about getting clarity tohelp you understand where you
(18:31):
are right now so you can createa strategy that actually fits
your life and career goals.
And again, if it turns out thatyou are standing at a career
crossroads and ready to takeaction today, that's where I
love to say, hey, let's talk.
You don't have to wait for thequiz.
Book a clarity call with me orDM me and let's get the
(18:52):
conversation going.
Because again, career change ismy sweet spot.
So keep an eye out for thatquiz.
And like I said, it might be inthe show notes for this episode
when it goes live.
If not, it's going to be comingsuper, super fast.
So stay connected with me.
And my friend, I want you toremember you don't need to have
(19:16):
2026 all figured out, but you doneed to decide that you're not
going to drift through anotheryear hoping things will feel
different.
Clarity creates direction,direction creates momentum, and
momentum sustained is whatchanges a life.
So take the quiz, have aconversation.
(19:39):
Just make the decision.
And again, if you want helpturning this new clarity into
reality, the next two episodesbuild directly on what we just
talked about.
I have one with a powerful guestconversation where we talked
about all different types ofthings on professional
profession professional andpersonal development, including
(20:03):
visioneering your life.
And then I'll be sharing mystrengths-based visioning and
goal-setting strategy for yourwork in life in 2026 in another
episode.
So I'll see you back here reallysoon.
But in the meanwhile, I hope youwill take the time to go through
these three simple steps so thatyou can be celebrating a great
(20:25):
year at the end of 2026.
We'll talk soon.
Thank you for spending this timewith me.
My hope is something you heardtoday inspires you to take
action toward discovering yourcalling.
I just have two favors to ask ofyou before you go.
One, if you found value andenjoyed this episode, please
leave us a review on ApplePodcasts or Spotify, and you
(20:46):
might hear your review read on afuture episode.
And two, can you share thisepisode with three friends who
will also enjoy it as much asyou did?
By doing these things, you willhelp us grow the podcast to make
a bigger impact on the world.
And until next week, remember,you've been created to live a
life of fulfillment, freedom,purpose, success.
(21:07):
And joy.
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