Things You Really Do Need in 2020
By: Veronica Head
Tags: Startup, Life Lessons, Advice, Goals, Life

It’s a new year, which means the world and your social media streams are full of advice on how to start off on the right foot. You might find that some of it is useful. You might also find that most of it is noise. Noise in the sense that they’re half thought out articles with generic advice for improving your life. A common take on self-improvement that doesn’t necessarily get to the root of your problems. This article, I hope, is real enough to be useful to you. So, what do you need?

You need some guidance

Whether you buy into the idea of resolutions or not, the start of a new decade provides a useful milestone for some reflection and a plan for moving forward. I personally believe in resolutions, and I made space for my own personal reflections moving into this new decade. This is mostly because it gives me some hope. I had a challenging year. I scratched everything part way through and started over. The start of a new decade feels like the clean slate that I’ve been wanting.

You need some framework to think about your life. To think about your wants, needs, dreams, desires. Without this in place, you’ll end up spinning your wheels in place. You’re trying to move without having any traction. Pick a method for reflection that makes sense for you, I’m not here to prescribe your life. I personally like to ask myself a series of questions to reflect:

How do I feel? How do I want to feel? What do I want to change?

Then, with an idea of where you want to go in mind, start that journey with a map — or plan to get there. This involves setting actionable goals for yourself. A balance of a goal that’s ambitious enough for you to accomplish your dreams, but bite-sized enough that it’s feasible to do. There are numerous frameworks for goal setting out there. I personally like to use SMART goals — or specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound goals.

You need a therapist

People go at it alone, more than they should. While there still remains a stigma surrounding mental health, seeking out therapy when you need it should be your go-to. Over the holidays I was speaking with a good friend who’s become a therapist in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. I think she said it best when she said:

The world would be a better place if everyone went to therapy.

I think she’s right. We are often at odds with our own minds, struggling through anything from the everyday minutiae to issues with mental health to true crises. You won’t be able to bring your full self to your work if your full self isn’t completely available to work with. Take care of your whole health, mental health included.

You need a coach

Again, people put themselves at wits ends going at it alone. Entrepreneurs, in particular, are guilty of this. They’ll work long days DIYing their ventures and side projects. Instead of turning to the experts, they’ll turn to their fifth cup of coffee and work well into the night. In reality — with the backing of a coach, mentor, or trusted advisor — you’ll be able to go further faster.

Remember that plan you created for your year? A coach will guide you in how to do your best work, and how to make your goals actually happen. It’ll be worth it to spend the time and money upfront to set yourself up for success later.