Penny Casselman [00:00:00]:
Was thinking about a t shirt drawer. We all have 1, I am sure, maybe for you it's a sock drawer. It is a drawer in your wardrobe that is so packed with items that you cannot see the bottom and I would challenge you to open the drawer, look at it, close it, and I want you to write every item that's in there. Okay. Don't bother because you cannot do it. You don't know what you have in that drawer until you take everything out of it to see what's in there. You might think that you lost a t shirt, it's probably in the bottom back. You may have thought you gave something away to Goodwill, it's still in there.
Penny Casselman [00:00:46]:
That's why we need to see things because if we can't see everything in one eye shot, you forget. Welcome to the Pivot with Passion podcast. Hi. I'm Penny Casselman. I believe everyone is deserving of a phenomenal life. Regardless of where you came from, life is what you make of it. And when you learn to pivot with passion, your world explodes with opportunities. Go grab your favorite beverage, and let's shake things up as we explore how to pivot with passion.
Penny Casselman [00:01:30]:
Hello, director. Welcome to another week of your life. If you are new to the podcast, I'm thrilled that you are with me. I do not take it lightly that you push play. We are all so busy putting out fires, reaching for goals, dealing with personal, professional things that are unexpected. I get it. We're busy. Thank you for pushing play.
Penny Casselman [00:02:00]:
Thank you for showing up for yourself, and thank you for joining me this week. If you've been with me for a while, you know organization is one of my number one superpowers. I have topics planned through the balance of the year. However, last week, I did something that I knew I had to share with you this week. So I threw caution to the wind, to the outline, and sat down this morning and wrote out some thoughts. And it's my hope that these will help propel your phenomenal life. How can we set ourselves up for success next year starting right now? It dawned on me first, hello, we are in October and by any corporate measures this is Q4. And I would say most people in the US look at a calendar year in that way.
Penny Casselman [00:03:05]:
We like to think of January as a fresh new start and December where we wrap up. When I was in corporate America being in the retail segment, I was always thinking ahead. I had to. My job demanded that I think ahead. So in February, I was already thinking about back to school and by the time June rolled around, I had to almost have Christmas buttoned up. Having said that, I had to have the vision for those times in our corporate calendar set, locked in, ready to go. Did I have all of the specific hows figured out at that time? No. In terms of what was I gonna run-in an ad? What specials were we going to promote? Not that far out in advance, but at least I had the vision that would then help guide me to make those decisions later.
Penny Casselman [00:04:08]:
Did you know only about 30% of the population makes New Year's resolutions? And of that 30%, 80% fail to see them through. We can be so hyper focused at the beginning of the year for what we want to accomplish, but then quickly lose sight of it and quickly get caught up in the everyday of our lives, and in doing that, we let our vision slip. I want to explore why we need to stop thinking that our phenomenal life will just happen if we think about it. Yes, it's important to think about where we're headed, but we can't stop at that point. We've gotta take the next step and go beyond just thinking about it. And I want us to start being deliberate about our success because we know we would love to say that we started last week to work on our success, but if we can't go back, the best time to start doing it is right now, before anything happens. Let's get deliberate about our success for next year. Let's not be the 80% that let their goals and visions fall to the wayside.
Penny Casselman [00:05:37]:
I'd venture to guess that if you have some experience in a corporate environment, there are goals that need to be achieved, whether that's a fundraising goal, a shrinkage goal, a goal of no accidents, a goal of great customer service, a goal of credit card enrollments. Oftentimes you may see a thermometer on a piece of paper as a quote gauge for all employees to understand where you're at. And I know at the beginning of any one of those pushes to excel, it feels impossible. You have this huge thermometer and at the bottom it's red, but your goal is to push that thermometer all the way to the top. Over time, it slowly inches upward, which does a few things. It gives you hope, you can see the progress, and you get excited about getting closer to the goal. And I know for me, when the last days of any goal were ticking down, and I knew I had only so little to go to meet the quota, you better believe I kicked it into high gear to make sure I made that happen. And there's a reason they do that.
Penny Casselman [00:07:01]:
You need to see, not just think about where you are, not just think about the efforts you put in, but you need to see it happen in real time. And so let's take a page out of that book and apply it to our lives to ensure that 2025 is your best year ever. It's time for a clarity cocktail. Today's clarity cocktail comes from Jim Rohn. If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. Oh, ouch. This resonates so deeply with me because when I started my career, I was under the impression that corporate worked like school, and that was if I applied myself, if I did the work, someone was going to recognize my efforts and reward me.
Penny Casselman [00:08:14]:
My friend, let me tell you that is not how it works. Maybe in some idyllic corporate environment it does, but what I have found is that as I was going through my career, it was the people who created their career trajectory were the ones that made it happen. They were deliberate. They did not sit back and wait for someone else to recognize them. They were strategic, they knew what they wanted, and they made sure to share their ambitions with the people around them. And so too, we need to take that approach with our life. Let me offer his quote again. If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan.
Penny Casselman [00:09:08]:
And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. Now, we are all creatures of habit and one of the habits that we all have is we think about ourselves first. I joke that if you're thinking about what someone else is thinking about you, just stop, because they're not thinking about you, they're thinking about themselves. And this quote sheds light on exactly that because someone, as they move through their life plan, just saying that it's their life plan, not yours. You're simply someone who can help them achieve that. So how often might you be self sabotaging your own success by falling into someone else's plan, and here's a really stark example. Have you ever said yes to an activity or a request that you really wanted to say no to, or in the moment you felt guilty, so you said yes. Maybe you're a people pleaser.
Penny Casselman [00:10:24]:
But here's the thing, when you say yes to someone else's plan, it's not yours. In that moment that you say yes when you wanna say no, when you feel guilty and say yes, but you wanna say no, Remember this quote because I promise you, the person making the request or the request being extended to you is to forward someone else's plan, whether that's to be around you more, whether that's to achieve their goal. Make no mistake, people are in it for their benefit. So I'd invite you to think about this quote next time you get an offer extended. If it's mutually beneficial, absolutely say yes. If it's something that will bring you joy, move your life forward, put you in a positive place, a better mindset, more opportunity, by all means, absolutely. But if you for one moment take pause, aren't feeling the energy, then be honest with yourself. That what you may be saying yes to has nothing to do with you.
Penny Casselman [00:11:46]:
If you don't design your own life plan chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. Thanks Jim Rohn for helping us clarify exactly how to honor what we want and to ensure we're moving forward and going after our dreams. And now back to the episode. Cheers. Circling back to setting yourself up for success now for 2025, here's a 3 step process that you can take now to help ensure that your 2025 is your most phenomenal year. 1st, take some time and reflect on where you're gonna end 2024 and be honest. What are you not going to accomplish by the end of the year that maybe in the beginning you thought you would.
Penny Casselman [00:12:53]:
Now I can already hear some people saying, like I have time, we are in q4, the holidays are rushing fast and furious towards me, I don't know where I'm gonna find the time. Here's what I know. Most people when pushed will say, man, I work good under pressure. I get so much done. If I wait until the last moment, that's when the magic happens. So here's my invite. Prove it. Put 30 minutes on your calendar.
Penny Casselman [00:13:25]:
That's it. Don't give yourself more time because one, you'll take it or 2, you'll find an excuse not to do it. 30 minutes. For the first 15 minutes, write down the things that you are not going to accomplish by the end of 2024. And be honest. No shame in this game. You have to record so that you know where you might want to focus for 2025. Then take that second 15 minutes, review your list and say, next year, do I still want to do some of these things? And if not, hey, that's cool.
Penny Casselman [00:14:05]:
Let it go. And then ask yourself, what do I really want to accomplish by the end of next year? What would make my life phenomenal? And write those things down. I want you to be hungry for what you want. I want you to do whatever it takes to make those things happen. Give yourself some kudos for taking the time to make the list and create a high level plan for 2025. That was step 1. Set 30 minutes. First 15 minutes, what did you not accomplish this year? The last 15 minutes, do you still wanna do those activities? And if not, that's cool.
Penny Casselman [00:14:49]:
Pick some new ones, and then just focus on the top 3. Excellent. The second thing I want you to do is get a 12 month calendar where you can see all 12 months in one glance. You can get these that you can put on the wall, you can get erasable ones, paper ones, decorative ones, or you can make your own. Go to Amazon, OfficeMax, Staples, wherever. They've all got them. There is no excuse that you cannot find a 12 month calendar that represents 2025 that you can see every month in a single glance. And once you do that, you've got to find somewhere to put it that you will see it every single day.
Penny Casselman [00:15:42]:
Director, you are in charge. Trust me when I say this has got to be visible to you for the entire year because it does a few things. 1, it helps keep things in perspective. The year when you just think about it seems long, but hello, we are in October. I am sure, like me, you might be sitting there saying, how did we get here so fast? Well, it is not magic. And so putting this calendar somewhere that you can see it every day will help ensure that you stay focused and understand how precious every moment of your life is. So you've set some goals, you've got the calendar, and the third thing I want you to do is of your top goals, what benefit will you get when you achieve those goals? Sometimes we set a goal up and it seems so far away, we don't have that hungry aspect for it, but we need to layer on some additional thoughts so that it feels more real and we're more propelled to make it happen. So for instance, if one of your goals was to lose weight or change your diet, what benefit will you get from achieving that? How about more energy, more aliveness? Maybe it's you want to remodel your house, what benefit will you get? Well, you're going to create a new calm space, a new space that's more functional.
Penny Casselman [00:17:22]:
Maybe you have a goal of going back to school, maybe learning a new language, maybe it's starting a new podcast, running a marathon, whatever it is you can do it. But make it clear so that you feel that hunger and let yourself know the benefit that you're gonna get out of it when, not if, when you achieve it by the end of next year. I was thinking about a t shirt drawer. We all have one, I'm sure, maybe for you it's a sock drawer. It is a drawer in your wardrobe that is so packed with items that you cannot see the bottom and I would challenge you to open the drawer, look at it, close it and I want you to write every item that's in there. Okay. Don't bother because you cannot do it. So you might be wondering why did I have you put a calendar somewhere that shows you the entire year at one glance and somewhere that you will see it every day? It's because of your t shirt drawer.
Penny Casselman [00:18:33]:
You don't know what you have in that drawer until you take everything out of it to see what's in there. You might think that you lost a t shirt. It's probably in the bottom back. You may have thought you gave something away to Goodwill. It's still in there. You may have forgotten that you got that erasure go wild t shirt on the streets in Chicago back in the nineties. Oh, yeah. Did I did I just share that with you? Did I Yes.
Penny Casselman [00:19:06]:
I did that. I do know for sure the shirt is now gone, but that's why we need to see things because if we can't see everything in one eye shot, you forget. That's why goals fall to the wayside because a year, yes, it's a long time. But if you can see it all in one glance, it will help keep you focused and remind you every day of what you're setting out to do. I'm super passionate about this 12 months at a glance because up until this year, for planning, I have always used a flip calendar, which is 1 month view. And I would flip ahead and write some things, but what I was lacking is a perspective of how long was left in the year, how many months were already under my belt, where I was headed. And I'll be honest, the end of 2024 for me is not looking like what I thought it would be at the start of the year. But I'm also looking at this as a learning opportunity, which is why I wanted to share it with you.
Penny Casselman [00:20:19]:
I went out and bought a huge desk pad calendar, and what I did last week is I ripped off all 12 months. I got some painters tape, and I put them all on my wall so I could see the year in a glance. It was chilling. 1st, I felt super in control. I could see the last 3 months of this year and the entire 2025 on the wall in front of me. It also gave me pause because in looking at the entire year that fit on one portion of my office wall, I realized it's not that long. There are 12 paper boxes on the wall for me to make an impact, for me to make my goals a reality. And seeing that physically before me empowered me for next year to start planning now and set myself up for success.
Penny Casselman [00:21:28]:
So my challenge to you, do you want 2025 to look different than 2024? If your answer is yes, take action today to put a process in place that supports you in moving towards your dreams. Because without a constant reminder, without focus, without the appreciation of how much time is in front of you behind you, you will sit at this time in 2025 wondering why the year doesn't look any different. I want you to know that next year can be the most phenomenal year of your life. Director, you have the power to make that happen. I want you to feel that you've already got everything you need to start, and I want you to take action this day, this week, this month. Lay the foundation for your success going forward, because you deserve nothing less than a phenomenal life, and that life starts with a small action that you can start taking today. Director, grab your red marker, make a declaration, and start 2025 off strong with your 3 step action plan. Until next week, take care and go plan.
Penny Casselman [00:23:12]:
Friend, thanks for listening to this episode of pivot with passion. If you've been feeling stuck, exhausted, or frustrated, this is your permission slip to go grab a red marker and claim the life you desire and deserve. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, and then hop over to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts. Because my goal is to put a red marker in everyone's hand, and I need your help to spread the word and make that happen. Until the next episode, go grab a red marker, get excited for your future, and make your first move to pivot with passion.
