Photo Credit: From the Hip, Photo of Lindsey and Jeremy Rainwater 

I have officially created my blueprint for 2017 and I feel excited to share my process with you! I have followed this process for multiple years now and I can tell you that it works for me. I set the intention and then accomplish exactly what I set out to do and that feels really good! My husband and I (photo above) give ourselves at least half of a day to spread out and create both individual and collaborative items for both of us. I will say that in my experience, especially with the purchase of our new home together, it is important to not only set your intentions, but also to revisit your goals on regular basis. We spent time every month reviewing our goals and results, which gave us insight on how we needed to adjust our plan along the way, which ultimately brought us to our North Star Goals. It has been my experience that although creating the plan is GREAT, it is only half of the battle and having a way to review that plan on a regular basis is the true magic behind the art of completing what you set out to do.

Here are my three steps to creating intentions and actions for what I want to create over a twelve month period. 

Visualize! Then Write it Down

I really enjoy starting the process by imagining and visualizing where I want to go by viewing it on a calendar and also writing it out in a word cloud format. Start with a large piece of paper and write down all the things big and small that you wish to accomplish. It will look messy, it will look crazy disorganized and that is the point! Let your creativity put everything down on paper you could possibly imagine accomplishing over the course of the time you are planning for.  Once you've brainstormed to the point of not being able to think of anything else, walk away, clear your mind for a bit and then come back to complete. I find this exercise to be both liberating and fun because you can write anything down, you've not committed to anything yet, only brainstorming.  

Make a list, Check it Twice

Now that all your creative flow is out on paper and also might look super messy to you (all good), it's time to make some sense of it!  Begin by extracting the themes and creating a list. If you see on your word cloud "write book" then that would go on the list, or "family vacation" then put it on the list. Some of the items on your word cloud might not make it on the list and that's okay. The word cloud is the brainstorm this is the practical part, what do you actually want to accomplish this year?  Of what is on your word cloud what do you actually want to do and what has a serge of excitement to you? Once you have a well formed list it's time to create a plan!

Calendar Calendar Calendar  

If it's not on the calendar it doesn't exist!    Once you've created your list, you must create action and intention.   A plan to literally accomplish the exciting objectives you've created for yourself. The way I do this is to put down first what is literally time sensitive. The conference that I plan on attending, the wedding that's a destination event that I want to also make a vacation.  Those are items that are set in stone on your calendar because they are literal dates.  Everything else on your list goes into your calendar as a project relative to when you want to accomplish it, or are being asked to complete.   If you want to actually start creating a blog or writing a book you have to plan time for yourself to actually do that, time for the deep work outside of meetings and other work.  The other thing you might do is create a to do list from these items that is per month.  In past years I've created a list for every month of major action steps affiliated with my projects so that  way no matter what's going on, I have a very accurate to do list that captures my large "Northstar" goals.

The wonderful thing about having a to do list in the calendar that reflects your yearly initiatives is that no matter what happens you have a path.  No matter what's going on in your life you have certain things that you've decided to do no matter what, and personally I find this to be a beautiful thing. 

I'd love to hear your process of planning,  share your ideas and ways you plan to succeed! 

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Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter @LindseyRainH2O

"Be the CEO of your own life. Raise hell. Let the chips fall where they may. It'll never be easier to change jobs than it is today." -Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone

I am reading a book right now, correction, I am listening to a book on Audible that I am IN LOVE with!  I sent out a tweet two weeks ago asking a few of my friends  (Tamara McCleary and Amy Schmittauer) if they had any books they love, I had just gotten through my last round of recommended reading and wanted a fresh idea.  The reply came back, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi, and Tamara chimed in that he is in fact the real deal, good guy.  I promptly downloaded and got to listening.  I have a habit of listening to books and podcasts audibly each morning while I workout, I totally recommend this method of intaking information.  So, the book, I can not believe I didn't know about it sooner! I am a long time fan of "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie and my experience of Farazzi's book is it reads like a current day catch up, expanded version of Carnegie's classic! Hats off to you Keith, love the message.

I want to share what I was listening to yesterday during my morning workout because this concept is one that radically shook up my life up a few years ago and I appreciated that Keith wrote about this idea.  I wish I could remember who told me this, or if i woke up thinking it, but here is what happened.  I connected the dots between how my life was going and the passive or active way I was approaching my circumstances.  Practically: I needed to "promote myself" or begin behaving to the level I was wanting to achieve, I needed to be the CEO of my own life.  

If my life is going anything other than how I would like it to be, the only person to blame is me! If I don't LIKE the way something is going, I need to handle that circumstance as if I was the CEO of my company, as Keith puts it "me inc."

Once this message began to click for me, I realized if I was not happy with a doctor, practitioner or even fair weather friend, in my life, I need to fire them! And find someone that did align with what I was wanting.  The idea of being the CEO of my own life is that of taking charge of what I want in my personal life and seeing all of my encounters as opportunities to make decisions that align with my greater purpose.

Yesterday, when I was listening to what Keith had to say on the topic and reflecting about my own experiences, it is most relevant to share a few of Keith's tips that were also my experiences.  

Here are two places to start when you do decide to promote yourself to CEO! 

Do not ask for permission, you do not need anyone to say it's OK to take charge of your life, it is actually entirely up to you and if  you do not take charge, do not be mad when nothing happens.  It is my observation that it can be very easy to sit back and wait for things to happen for you without taking action.  Good things don't come easy, lots of people say, I like to think that my willingness to put in the effort is what matters most, and if I want something, my energy towards that goal is what usually determines what happens.  My willingness to grab the steering will, put my foot on the gas pedal and GO without waiting for someone to say "the light is green" is what allows for my success. We all have something to share that is valuable, so, green means go! Go start telling people how you can help them. 

“To become a brand, you’ve got to become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value. I promise you can add value to whatever job you’re doing now.””

— Keith Ferazzi

The truth is, perception is reality ,what you project is how people will perceive you.  Knowing that, how do you want to represent yourself? I think what Keith says really sums it up.  

“Lets be real, image counts, so whatever your look, take time to think it through. What is your appearance telegraphing to others? There is one general, overarching caveat in this step: stand out! Style matters. Whether you like it or not, clothing, letterheads, hairstyles, business cards, office space and conversational style are noticed- big time. The design of your brand is critical.”

— Keith Ferrazzi

In order to promote yourself to the CEO of your own life, the requirement is a genuine desire to be responsible for what happens in your life. Passive measures do not yield great results in my life and when i am actively engaged and putting effort into my dreams, they in-fact do come true.  

Have you read the book? Never eat alone? Please send me a note, I would love to have a conversation (virtual book club call) with you about your findings and compare notes! click here to connect

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Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter@LindseyRainH2O

“Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.” ― James C. Collins

Mr James Collins is a wise man, and in his book Good to Great he talks about aiming for great instead of settling for good enough. This idea is very easily applied to prospecting potential customers in the world of sales and business development.  There might be lots of “good” prospects out there but only a handful that will be great parters for your organization long term. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see salespeople make is thinking everyone has potential to be their customer.  When you want to sell something and you really believe in your product it is easy to imagine how everyone could benefit from what you are providing.  Also, this mentality can be the fastest way to missing “great opportunities” and settling for good ones.

The reality is that there will be plenty of people that will not be your customer, and for good reason.  Your product offering and customer maintenance structure might not be the right fit for them. Recognizing and knowing when to walk away is what separates good sales people and great business development professionals. 

The fact is that if someone is a difficult prospect to work with pre-sale, imagine the headache they will create for your company once they are on-boarded. These types of sales end up costing your company more money long term. Short term, you might have made your commission, but long term it is not worth it for everyone involved.

The mentality shift that is required to walk away from the wrong potential for the sake of a short term sale is the same as the abundance vs. scarcity mentality.  When your thinking is scarce the belief is that you must sell to someone because if you don’t, another might not come along, you will miss your quota, the thinking is narrow.  The abundance thinking mentality is one that says there is plenty, and by doing the right thing and walking away from the wrong deal you are fighting to close, another door will open and the quota will be met and the pipeline will broaden.

In the start up community, some of the most successful business’s are the ones that choose to pivot letting go of what was for the potential of what is to come.  This abundance in thinking makes way for the opportunity, walking away from a prospect that is not the right fit for your product is the same exact concept.  

A few books you would enjoy if this context shift in thinking interests you are Good to Great, a classic and Abundance by Peter Diamond. If you send me a message and inquire I would be happy to send you either book as an amazon gift.  

I am very passionate about sales people pivoting to be business development professional, educating, researching and focusing on being strong industry resources. 

Please let me know how your business development career is going, do you find that by walking away when it’s right to do so that you create new opportunity? I would love to talk with you about your experiences. 

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Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter@LindseyRainH2O

It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have.Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level. – Gary Vaynerchuk

In the Spring of 2011, an exciting opportunity came to me in the form of a brand new job that allowed me to consult to the fitness industry via group fitness education. What I did not realize at the time was that not only would I love my "job" but the opportunity would also allow me to flourish in new ways I did not even know existed! 

In short order, our organization leadership coached me to begin developing a social presence.  I started to use twitter, LinkedIn and created a community page on Facebook.  I also created this website and began posting industry updates for daily conversations and engagement. Sharing industry magazine articles and writing about my experiences when I went to visit customers became part of my daily routine.  

I quickly begun to create a following, sharing and conversing on each platform about industry trends. In discussing what was current, I was becoming a resource for more than what I was consulting on specifically; I was becoming a resource for the industry at large! I was not only expanding my personal capacity, but was also becoming an asset for my company by representing them well. 

The result has been that I have a full breadth of knowledge to share above and beyond the vertical that is my “job.”  When you put energy into developing your voice, alongside doing good work for your company, you double the asset for business.  Your personal voice can stand alone to say what you are about and what you know, all while you hone a niche in the market to speak to your prospects. This allows you to create more business opportunities for your company while simultaneously creating your voice. 

In today’s business climate, this type of action is no longer optional. Five years ago I started and today I can speak to the benefits of doing so! Today, it’s imperative in order to be relevant to the buyer as well as be an above-and-beyond resource. Having a personal branded website and social presence that articulates who you are and complements the organization you are a part of is a must! Without this platform to establish yourself as a leader, you lose out on potential relationships and prospects.

The Customer Buying Journey involves being educated and engaged with in a way that is consistent and complementary of their long term goals.  This takes time and does not happen overnight; it is all about the relationship. The more of an asset you can be to their process the more long-term relationships you have the chance of creating. 

In my experiences, social authority and engagement is not a popularity contest surrounding twitter followers and likes. Instead, it’s a catalyst for creating leadership trends that deliver results.  I am a part of the team that has delivered on being the number-one distributor of my product in the world.  Those results are not a coincidence; the behavior I am describing is the smartest business decision I have ever been led to make and the mutually beneficial results have a ripple effect that will last for many years to come. 

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Lindsey Rainwater is a consultant and coach to the fitness and wellness industry.  She specializes in business development and leadership. Currently she is working with the Fitmarc Team helping Health Club owners all over the south central region of the united states propel their business forward via group exercise solutions.  For more information about Lindsey, follow her @lindseyrainh2o, all content posted at www.lindseyrainh2o.com