Each October I shift gears – it’s time to decelerate, take inventory and deliberately plan what’s subsequent. Each my enterprise and my life are up for grabs (so to talk), as a result of they’re so intrinsically intertwined that it’s unimaginable to drag them aside. My life fuels the creativity and drive behind my work and my work makes my life extra fulfilling, targeted and funded.
My annual planning course of follows the identical rhythm:
- I mirror on the yr up to now and the ‘phrase’ I selected as my North Star to information my yr – did my phrase work and was I true to it; what merchandise have labored greatest/ worst; what merchandise/ shoppers have I liked most; have I lived my greatest private life; are my relationships the place I need them to be; is my bodily and psychological well being the place I need them to be; am I completely happy; am I a very good particular person; how have I proven up in my life and in my enterprise?
- I map my merchandise, retire what must be retired and set targets for the remainder.
- I select my one ‘phrase’ to information the next yr.
- I dream up one new enterprise experiment to carry my one new ‘phrase’ to life.
Readability, Curiosity, and Progress
My P&L is picked over with a high quality tooth comb and, along with slicing and dicing the {dollars}, I ask myself what actually moved my ‘pleasure needle’:
- *What labored brilliantly?
- *What energised me?
- *What drained my vitality?
- *Which merchandise felt aligned and which didn’t?
- *Am I nonetheless constructing a enterprise and life that excite me?
Reflection takes honesty and so I by no means do that course of alone – as a result of let’s be trustworthy, typically I misinform myself. I’ve my cadre of trusted enterprise ladies who I depend on for his or her honesty and to maintain me on the straight and slender (just like the time they very appropriately talked me out of writing a inform all e book about discovering love in mid-life…), I current my numbers (they do the identical) and I ask for his or her full honesty. And typically that may sting. But it surely’s value it. Their solutions, my financials, and my very own brutal introspection present the place I obtained it proper, the place I obtained it mistaken and the place I utterly (however solely briefly) misplaced my thoughts.
Reflection #1 – this one stings
My phrase for 2025 was ‘Now’. I selected it as a result of I wished to be extra current and focussed on at the moment and fewer targeted on chasing what was ‘Subsequent.’ The intention of the phrase ‘Now’ was to floor me in what already was, to be a strong reminder and incentive to get pleasure from, relish and luxuriate within the second.
Did it work? No.
Whereas I did discover a little bit extra of the on a regular basis magic, in all honesty I’ve by no means been good at clearing my thoughts, mendacity on a yoga mat and discovering peace, smelling the roses and so on, and so dwelling within the second was at all times going to be difficult. As a continual aim setting, overthinking planner – it was by no means going to work.
Furthermore, ‘Now’ didn’t actually mild me up or comprise any magic juice that mysteriously moved me ahead. Positive, consciousness got here – type of, however momentum plateaued. Being current issues, however I missed the spark of progress and I usually cheated and saved falling again into my ‘Subsequent’ mindset.
So all in all, a little bit of a failure. My lesson – select a greater phrase.
Reflection #2 – this one sings
My product experiment for 2025 was an enormous pleasure and win for me. I made a decision to be courageous and to share extra of my Life Checklist/ midlife reinvention story on-line – to try to develop my social media group a little bit. I began the yr with beneath 2000 followers on Instagram and a little bit greater than that on Fb. I didn’t actually have a TikTok account and had no thought use one.
Opening up publicly about being a midlife lady, empty nesting, designing and dwelling my greatest life, shopping for a palazzo in Sicily with my associate, downsizing and shifting into an condo within the metropolis and so forth, was daunting at first. However now I’m hooked. The indignant trolls apart (there are a number of people on the market who appear to suppose I’m a wealthy, outdated American with very unfastened sexual morals – none of which is true…), the help and enthusiasm my posts have acquired have blown me away. One thing clicked. Midlife ladies (and plenty of males) resonated. My viewers has grown quick, organically, and with a deep connection.
As I write this I’ve simply over 115,000 followers. By the point you learn this I’m certain it will likely be extra. Someplace between posts about enterprise classes, shopping for $6 towels at Ok-mart and renovating a Sicilian palazzo, I grew to become – very unexpectedly and fairly most likely by chance – a midlife influencer. Who would have thought? (Comply with me @Katechristieloves on IG and @katechristieloves on FB!).
The social media experiment taught me that when enterprise and life align authentically, that’s the place the actual magic juice occurs. Sharing my story gave individuals permission to have a look at their very own Life Checklist objectives and goals in another way. And it jogged my memory that if you create from a spot of pleasure and fact and intention to encourage, the correct individuals discover you.
My Phrase for 2026: A ‘Higher’ alternative
For 2026 a brand new phrase discovered me [almost] effortlessly: Higher.
‘Higher’ feels proper. ‘Higher’ is motion led, hopeful, and dynamic. ‘Higher’ is a phrase in movement – bringing with it a strong sense of momentum. After a yr of ‘Now’ (ho hum) – a phrase rooted in presence, I wished a phrase rooted in progress. To be truthful, my associate very a lot helped me to seek out my phrase. Thanks darling – you make life higher.
Plus, being a little bit of a wordsmith, I like that the phrase ‘Higher’ is a zero-derivation phrase – it modifications its a part of speech (like a noun to a verb) with out altering its type:
Higher as a verb: to enhance, to evolve, to strengthen[Text Wrapping Break]Higher as an adjective: of a better high quality, extra significant, extra intentional[Text Wrapping Break]Higher as an adverb: how I present up, how I lead, how I reside
And higher nonetheless – ‘Higher by no means stops’. With ‘Higher’, there’s no end line – solely momentum and ahead motion, be it incremental or monumental. ‘Higher’ doesn’t require perfection, it merely invitations fixed progress. And that’s what I like about it. In each enterprise and life, ‘Higher’ will maintain me accountable to maintain refining, tweaking, pushing, progressing, championing, rising, inspiring.
‘Higher’ can be my reminder that issues in my life and in my enterprise don’t must endure a whole overhaul to be profoundly improved. Typically it’s only one small shift – achieved a little bit ‘higher’, that modifications all the pieces. And that feels good.
My experiment for 2026: One to Many
Whereas I’ll maintain being myself on social media (solely ‘Higher’…), my product experiment for 2026 is to show my 1:1 Time Administration Enterprise Teaching program right into a recorded, on‑demand, one‑to‑many program for entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners. It is going to enable me to help extra individuals, at a lower cost level, in additional locations, in a number of time zones, at their tempo, and at any stage of their enterprise time administration journey. Supporting entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners all over the place to create extra time and freedom to design their very own greatest enterprise/life.
It feels very proper – making my experience extra scalable, sustainable, and accessible. Plus, it can give me again extra of my very own valuable time to spend money on persevering with to make my very own Life Checklist occur.
Extra attain. Extra freedom. Extra circulate. That’s ‘higher’.
Your Subsequent Steps
You have got 2 months to plan for 2026. Enterprise and life don’t routinely enhance simply because the calendar resets. They get higher since you take the time to pause, look again, and make deliberate decisions about what comes subsequent.
Listed here are 4 easy steps you’ll be able to take proper now:
- Mirror on 2025 – each work and life.
- Map your services and products. Retire what’s run its course (or which takes an excessive amount of of your time, vitality or freedom), and set your 2026 targets for the services and products you’ll retain.
- Select one phrase to be your guiding North Star for 2026.
- Create one new enterprise experiment/ product/ service to carry that phrase to life.
Enterprise and life planning isn’t about writing one other listing of resolutions. It’s about making intentional, nicely‑thought-about strikes that help the life you wish to reside and the enterprise you wish to construct. It’s all about purposeful design. Enchancment received’t occur in a single monumental leap. Enchancment will occur within the easy steps, the day by day choices and the progress ahead.
Higher isn’t a vacation spot – it’s a day by day follow. And higher by no means stops.
Written by Kate Christie. Have you ever learn?
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