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24 FEDA News & Views BEST PRACTICES in Personal Development "How to Make 2017 Truly Epic" By Ryan Estis Decide and Commit The decision to change occurs in a moment. But a moment of inspiration is almost never enough. Inspiration alone can't sustain the effort you need to achieve a breakthrough result. To perform at the next level, you need a clear course of focused, determined, massive action. Action mitigates fear, moves people beyond their comfort zone and is a catalyst to create the momentum necessary to deliver real, lasting change. The more specifi c and intentional we can get with our commitment to action, the better. Check out my 10 steps to jump start change in the sidebar to the right for support. I'll deliver 20 live events during January and February 2017, including several big sales kickoff meetings. One of my favorite 2017 sales kickoff events is already in the books. I delivered the closing keynote to 3M on December 7. That gives them a big jump on their competition. Here's my point: Why wait another minute? Jump-start your momentum into 2017. Take action now! Stay in the Learning Lane Reinforce the decision you've made and commit to continuous learning. This will help you accelerate momentum toward your desired outcome. I also love creating accountability systems through teams, technology and professional coaching. One commitment you might consider is a continuing education calendar. Because it's so easy to push learning aside when we get busy, it pays to carve out the time well in advance. When and where will you invest time to skill-up in the New Year? Your learning calendar will obviously look different given your specifi c objectives, but mine is shaping up to look something like this: -Tony Robbins, UPW, March 23-26 -Hoffman Process, Graduate Program, June 23-25 -National Speakers Association Convention, July 8-11 -Brendon Burchard, Experts Academy, October 26-28 Of course, I supplement my quarterly dose of live classroom and experience-based learning with a steady diet of reading, podcasts and professional coaching sessions. What gets scheduled gets done. Remember, while you are working on increasing your knowledge base, it's also important to schedule plenty of time to play! Embrace the Process Change is a process, not an event. Focus on the process and try to make a little bit of progress every single day. Anticipate adversity and setbacks. They are part of every growth journey and so often signal that the big breakthrough moment is near. I am reading How's Your Soul: Why Everything That Matters Starts With the Inside You, and the author, Judah Smith, makes an excellent point: "Life isn't about arriving. We don't stop learning when we get out of school. We don't stop working when we get our fi rst big career break. We don't stop dreaming when we reach a milestone. We never stop imagining; we never stop growing; we never stop reaching, believing, creating. Life is a journey." He goes on to pose an important question: "What do you want your life to look like?" As I consider this question and refl ect on my 2016 commitments, I am starting to see 2017 clearly. I hope you are too. Life is a journey. The New Year is here and 2018 will surely arrive. How we arrive will be shaped by the decisions and commitments we make today. About the Author Ryan Estis & Associates is a training and development organization helping companies, leaders, sellers and indi- vidual contributors embrace change and achieve breakthrough perfor- mance in the new economy. We offer keynotes, live classroom training and online learning that blends interac- tion, energy and actionable content designed to elevate performance. For programming inquiries and assistance determining the curriculum that could best support your learning and devel- opment objectives, call 800-480-0455. What is an area in your life where you'd like to improve or grow? A lot of people will be considering this in the coming weeks, myself included. It's that time of year. Of course, there are also a lot of people who make the case for ditching resolutions altogether. Ignore them and read this instead. 10 STEPS TO JUMP-START CHANGE 1. What improvement do you want to make? Get specifi c. 2. What is your timeline for the change? Keep momentum by tracking and celebrating progress along the way. 3. What habits or behaviors aren't working or serving you well in this area? 4. What habits or behaviors could you embrace that would move you further and faster in that new direction? Identify the required routines and rituals for success. 5. What is the cost of not taking action? Get specifi c. Where will you be 12 months from now if nothing changes? Five years? Ten? 6. What will be different if the change materializes? How will that feel for you? Who else would benefi t? Create a very real vision of that destination. 7. Who else can you enlist to join you on the change journey? Who could partner up or offer real support? Who can hold you accountable to the commitment? Going at it alone is less than ideal. Communicate your commitment to change. It's okay to ask for help. 8. How important is this to you personally/ professionally on a scale of 1– 10? Why? 9. Put the personal pledge in writing. Read your commitment out loud. Share the commitment: "I vow to change…I can no longer afford…I am committed to this change because…This change will benefi t the people I love because…I am moving forward effective immediately…You get the idea. Sign the commitment vow. Date it. 4/21/2016. 10. Make your move! Now is the perfect time to take action. Grab that notebook or journal and go back to Step 1. It's worth investing a few minutes of time to set up success.