I only ask one thing of you: start with joy.

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You’ve undoubtedly realised that it’s the start of a new year. And that brings with it the whole dance… resolutions, new beginnings, goal-setting…

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You may be feeling a sizeable heap of pressure right now - both externally-absorbed and self-created.

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I’m not talking about the horrible, (!!)it’s-the-day-before-that-assignment-is-due(!!) pressure, but more so an enormity of oxygen-sucking expectation.

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Every year we do it. We attach a weight of importance to 1 January as a page-flipping, new-leaf-turning, fresh beginning. 🗓️

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And that should be exciting, right?

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So why is it that we actually turn it into a high stakes exercise in unrealistic goal-setting and loathing over what we did NOT achieve the year before.

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💡 You didn’t lose that weight in 2023? The solution is clear: rinse and repeat last year’s overly-strict diet regime, coupled with 8 days a week at the gym. Just tighten the screws on what was too difficult to achieve last time around, and surely it will work.

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💡 You failed in your quest to post 2 posts and 5 stories per day to social media? Simply subscribe to new social media scheduling software and up the target to 8 stories per day.

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A recipe for success… 🤪

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Inevitably, we end up setting stretch goals, driven by some form of guilt, lack of happiness or eroded self-confidence. We feel that we NEED to set goals like this, or we’re just not taking our shortcomings seriously. You can’t be happy looking like that, surely!?

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Here’s the thing.

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In setting yourself unachievable goals - particularly ones you find loathsome to work towards - you are merely guaranteeing failure. Ultimately, that is going to put you in a worse place than you started, as you reinforce your own self-talk around how inadequate you are.

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The solution?

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Insert JOY into your 2024 plans.

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⬇️

DON’T: set a health regime that you are destined to fail at.

DO: find an activity that you genuinely look forward to, which involves some physical activity, and schedule that into your week.

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⬇️

DON’T: require yourself to post 20 times a week to social media if you genuinely do not enjoy it.

DO: determine the form of marketing you’re most pre-disposed to, and insert more of that into your schedule. What provides a genuine spark of joy for you? For some, that is attending broad networking events; for others it is meeting industry contacts for 1-on-1 coffees. For some, writing longer form emails is their jam, whilst others are quite happy to jump in front of their camera phone and record a short video every so often.

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💭

Whatever you choose, prioritise JOY.

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It will serve to keep you energised, in turn keeping you productive for longer.

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That way, when March rolls around, you have made some incremental positive steps towards your physical health, or that of your marketing strategy, rather than sitting in a quagmire of failure, waiting for Christmas to dust off those same unrealistic plans again.

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Make 2024 your year of joy.

I appreciate your time in reading this. I'm Mark Schiralli, your Business Growth Mentor in Sydney, Australia. I share business and professional growth tips here via this email newsletter, drawing upon my experience in the Accounting, Marketing and Sales professions.

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Looking to start a business or grow one? At Own Your Mark we provide business mentoring, help you to build your authority online through ghostwriting, social media content and video production, and design websites for service-based professionals.

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Connect with me on Linkedin for shorter form content.

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