Holy smokes! The year is almost over. I know many of you are making plans for 2017. Before you jump too far into planning, I want to share a quick story about why this year was way better than last year, and how you can make 2017 your best year ever.
If you look at the headlines, 2016 was a wreck. It started with a gorilla, had a knock-down-drag-out election season, and a whole load of messes in between. But if you look past the news, good things were happening all around in people’s everyday lives.
The year before, 2015, was a tough year for my family.
My wife was in school, we were expecting our fourth baby, I left for military training across the country for four months, and more. The baby was born while I was away and my wife toughed through school with a newborn on her lap while taking care of the other three kids at home.
Once I got home from training, the school year was already three-week underway, not fun if you’re the teacher. I had to jump into teaching without any preparation.
The next few months flew by and I felt like I never saw the people I loved most.
I was strapped for time, working myself to death, getting no sleep with a newborn in the house, and on the edge of depression.
Have you ever been in a situation like this where you felt like no matter what you did or how hard you tried, the world was plotting against you and making things more difficult at every turn?
I was frustrated beyond belief. I’d long since dropped any focus on goal setting. I knew that 2016 could be better if I could only find the right tools to get me in control again.
In December, my buddy John Meese told me about some awesome training that Michael Hyatt was sharing. He shared the LifeScore Assessment and ultimately Michael’s flagship 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever course.
Michael Hyatt always had great content, but I’d never purchased a “premium” priced online course before. I was totally skeptical that five twenty-minute videos and a workbook could change my life. But my wife and I wanted more for 2016.
When I first mentioned the course to my wife she loved the idea. But, the cost seemed ridiculously high to both of us. We bounced the idea back and forth for a few days missing out on Early Bird pricing and some super bonuses as we tried to figure out how to pay for it.
Finally, we spent the last $500 in credit we had. We decided to buy the VIP version of 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever. We decided that if it wasn’t worth the cost, we’d just ask for the refund. There was nothing to lose and we were desperate to change our life.
The night we bought the course we watched the first video and worked through the workbook together.
As cliche as it sounds, we made a pact to make 2016 our best year ever!
As we sat on our bed talking about what we wanted 2016 to look like, we were hopeful but still discouraged. We knew the statistics that say that only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions.
Each of us carefully crafted 8-10 goals and posted them on the wall to hold ourselves accountable. Took our “before” pictures for our health goals and were ready to make a difference. We still haven’t taken the “after” pictures. Some goals will happen next year.
Did everything go perfectly?
Absolutely not. To be totally honest we barely completed 50% of the goals we set last year. But the goals we did accomplish have completely changed our life.
The biggest thing Best Year Ever did for us was to change our attitude towards goal setting. We broke big goals down into bite-sized chunks we could actually accomplish.
More than that, we had something positive to keep our eyes on as we went through some tough months. We regularly ended our texts with #BYE. Though, often we meant it sarcastically when things especially sucked.
As we knocked out small wins, we built confidence that we were in charge of our life and could do more of what we want and actually see results.
With the VIP package, we were part of the exclusive Facebook group and got monthly coaching from Michael Hyatt. This was absolutely priceless.
We always watched each month’s videos with kids and got them involved and setting their own goals too. Our support network grew on Facebook and at home. And, the monthly pep-talks and check-ins kept us motivated when things got tough.
Some of our big accomplishments were:
Reaching out to mentors and seizing opportunities we wouldn’t have noticed or acted on before.
I actually began working with John and MeeseWorks as technical support and a course creator.
My wife finished her degree and got a job in her field and earned a 16% raise in the first four months.
We set reasonable schedules for the kids and got them on some awesome routines. Even better, we focused on spending some real quality time with them.
Cleared at least 20% of the clutter from our house.
I became a Nozbe Ambassador and am featured right next to Michael Hyatt on the Nozbe site.
I read at least one book per month (most people don’t even read one per year)
I know some of these might seem like small accomplishments to some, but each small accomplishment set our family on the path we’d always dreamed was possible.
We’re not to that dream-life we see for ourselves someday, but we are heading the right direction thanks to John’s recommendation of the Best Year Ever Course.
Today you have the opportunity to change your life.
If you’re frustrated with life and ready to give up like I was, stop everything and listen to me.
Things can and will be different in 2017 if you decide to take action now.
You could go through another year doing the same old thing and getting the same old results.
You could wish you were healthier.
You could want to spend more time with your kids.
You could even work yourself to death trying to provide for your family.
All these things are good (except working to death), but unless you have a plan and take action, this year will just be a repeat of last year. Is that what you really want?
Michael Hyatt just opened 2017 enrollment for his 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever course.
Click below to learn more about this course and hear some other amazing transformation stories.
Act fast because it goes away December 19 at Midnight.
