Evolve

The new year is here and I have another word that works well for the start of this new year… Evolve. 

You may think this would be better suited for the end of the year or within the middle, but I wanted to give it to you so you could put it in your mind and think about it as you begin this year. You’ll find out why below.

Yep, we’re keeping to the tradition… here are the definitions!

Wiki

• Develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form

Dictionary

• To develop gradually
• To give off or emit, as odor or vapors

Let’s stick with the first two, shall we? Those are the ones we want to focus on. So, why did I close the word evolveand what does it have to do with you? 

Well, let’s dive in and I’ll tell you all about it.

How to Evolve…

We’ll touch on a few items here as to why and how the word “evolve” would be chosen for the first word of the year.

Personal

Mind and Body

This area is definitely an area I need to work on. To evolve your mind and body, you must work to gain the knowledge and physicality you intend to achieve.

By learning, taking new courses, research and more, you are able to grow your knowledge of any subject you decided is worth your time (and money). Learning is important in your every day life. It’s what keeps your you brain active, your thoughts moving and your mind reaching for new ideas, new stories, and new innovations.

If you’re anything like me and you write for a living, moving around and getting enough exercise is something that is important, but not important enough to schedule it in and actually see that it gets done. A lot of us hate exercising for one reason or anther, but I challenge you to find some activity you like to do and start with that. For me, it’s kickboxing. I hate pushups and pull-ups, squats and all the rest, but I do enjoy punching and kicking. Who knew!

So, look into activities you might enjoy and stick with those. Remember, it needs to be active. No, Netflix doesn’t count. Lifting the remote to surf only works one arm so try something new for the new year.

Rest

This may go against the above, but getting enough sleep is essential to you and your business as well. Not long ago, I began staying up to see my husband when he got home from work at 11:30 at night. If I stayed up with him, we wouldn’t get to sleep until after 1am sometimes. Getting up the next morning was difficult and most of the time, I would sleep in.

The point of telling you that is because although I loved seeing him, it wasn’t practical for getting up with my children every morning and working on my business. This year the schedule will be a bit different. So, keep those things in mind as you look toward this year.

Business

Evolving within your business is the goal of many at the start of the new year. The progress and growing of your business from the previous year is an achievement all of us strive for.

New Look/Content

With the beginning of the new year, it’s a good time to take a look at your business and decide what is working and what isn’t. A refresh of your brand, colors, fonts may be necessary to grow and move forward with your business as it was intended.

For more on this and other topics you can visit my previous post on the word REJUVENATE, where I go through and list how you can rejuvenate yourself, your business, and more. 

Your content is how your readers get to know you. By providing new and engaging topics, you’ll grow your business and gain more viewers/readers. Use your previously engaging topics to plan for future content. Use what works well and grow off of those.

Relationships

This is the place where everything happens. Keep those contacts close as you move forward and you’ll learn more than you intended. I did.

Business Connections

I can confidently say that I’ve improved in this area. I’m a massive introvert and connecting with others takes a lot for me to do, but I’ve connected with a wonderful group of women that are willing to encourage, give suggestions, and provide feedback on my work.

It’s a great feeling when you connect with others who are just a passionate about your writing as you are and I couldn’t be happier that I finally took that step and communicated with these ladies.

Do yourself a favor and start connecting with others, the worst they are going to do is tell you they are not willing to speak with you and that just opens the door for anther to take their place. Work on making those connections. You’ll be glad you did!

Personal Connections

Your personal connections, those within your daily life are just as important as those within your business. These are your friends, your family and those you are close too.

Creating those personal connections and making them stronger will create a sense of belonging and encouragement. You need personal connections to get through daily life. Someone to vent to, to cry with, to share your new favorite drink with. These are the people that keep you sane, while still giving you a break from your business life. Don’t let them go to the wayside. Keep them close and build on them.

Final Thoughts

So, evolve your life, your business and your growth. See it bloom and reach for places you never dreamt possible.

So, what are you doing this year to evolve this year? Let me know below. I’d love to hear how you are. You never know, something you do could encourage another so go ahead and comment below!