Salmon, Salad, and Yacht Rock

What Do Salmon, Salad, and a Yacht Rock Concert Have in Common?

I found myself at a Yacht Rock concert last Friday night. The band was The Captain and Camille. They cover all the best hits of the 70s— my absolute favorite decade for music! We ate, we sang, we danced. I caught myself on the dance floor, realizing I was living out my 2024 Vision. I was dancing with my husband, letting myself be free of worry, experiencing pure joy and smiling really big! It was a moment of uber-presence and I felt surge of gratitude!

Moments before, I was eating salmon and a salad. Yes, "healthy" food at a concert. (It was actually really tasty— shout out to the venue's chef!) This was another moment where I realized I was living my BEST LIFE- my 2024 Vision! I was making the effortless choice to eat food that would leave me feeling good, both in the moment and in the days to follow.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Those meaningful moments were made possible because I created a vision for my life at the beginning of the year, AND I implemented a reflective practice to check-in on that vision on a regular basis (every 90 days), to see if I'm on track or off track to living the life I want to live.

Living a satisfying and fulfilling life is more likely when you take time to create a vision for your life AND slow down to reflect on what you're experiencing. The same goes for your business...

Operating a smooth, stable, and profitable business is more likely when you take time to create a vision for your business AND slow down to reflect on what you're experiencing.

90 Day Planning, a Clear & Inspiring Vision AND a Reflective Practice are all ROOTS of a solid Personal Foundation AND a solid Business Foundation. (In business, I refer to the reflection part in terms of analysis and strategy) To live and operate in flow, I suggest you to implement a Reflective Practice to revisit your Vision every 90 Days- not just a one-n-done kinda task every January.

With the end of Q2 and start of July, a new 90 day cycle begins. The start of a new quarter is the perfect "makes sense" time to first, check-in with your life & business, and then, plan and plot what you want to accomplish over the next 90 days.

Have you ever heard about WHY a 90 day cycle is even a thing?

If you think about it, it's the age-old time frame used in the business world AND in temperate climates, it's just about the length of each season in nature (unless you live in Alaska).

The 90 day cycle works so effectively for visioning and reflecting because it's short enough to give you time to take action and gain some momentum, while still remaining focused on where you're headed. (your goals are still top of mind) It's also a long enough time period to make meaningful progress and assess your results, while still having time to adapt, shift and iterate, if you're going sideways.

Gino Wickman, author of Traction and Get a Grip (two of my FAVORITE business books) says that around the 90 day mark, distraction kicks in and most business owners start going off the rails, away from their Vision. It's therefore critical to pause, reflect and plan every 90 days- your personal wellbeing and the health of your business depend on it.

So, what can you look at every 90 days to reflect on your Vision?

In your personal life, consider these points to ponder:

• Wins: what went well and what choices did you make to get positive results?
• Losses: what didn't go well and what choices did you make to get yuck results?
• Habits: what did you stay committed to doing on a regular basis, that made a positive contribution to your overall wellbeing?
• Meaning: what moments felt meaningful, satisfying and fulfilling?
• Lessons: what lesson(s) did you learn, as a result of the yuck stuff and kerfuffles?
• Gratitude: what are you feeling gratitude and appreciation for, as you close out this 90 days?

In your business, consider these points to ponder:
(notice, the list can simply be very much as the same as your life. Operating a smooth, solid, profitable business doesn't require fancy business acumen, complicated analysis and high-level jargon)

• Wins: what went well and what choices did you (or your Team) make to get positive results?
• Losses: what didn't go well and what choices did you (or your Team) make to get yuck results?
• Habits: what did you (and your Team) stay committed to doing on a regular basis, that made a positive contribution to the overall health of your business?
• Meaning: what moments felt meaningful, satisfying and fulfilling?
• Lessons: what lesson(s) did you (and your Team) learn, as a result of the yuck stuff and kerfuffles?
• Gratitude: what are you (and your Team) feeling gratitude and appreciation for, as this quarter comes to a close? 

(I always loved reflecting on each quarter first on my own, and then with my Team. The experience of reflecting together can be a regular source of team bonding AND way more impactful than any ropes course.)

Without a Reflective Practice, a Clear & Inspiring Vision and 90 Day Planning, you might find yourself hustling aimlessly, putting in endless effort without a clear sense of direction. (one Client refers to this as "running hair on fire") You miss the chance to celebrate your wins and learn from your experiences. You risk burning out because you're not aligning your actions with what truly matters. Your days become a series of tasks without a unifying purpose, leaving you feeling unfulfilled, scattered and drained.

With a Reflective Practice, a Clear & Inspiring Vision and 90 Day Planning, you have a roadmap that guides your decisions and actions. You know where you’re headed, which makes it easier to say "NO" to distractions and "YES" to opportunities that align with your goals. You can see how far you've come and what adjustments are needed to stay on track. Reflection allows you to course-correct, to ensure that your day-to-day actions are in alignment with your vision. Your actions are driven by a sense of purpose and direction, infusing your daily life with meaning and motivation.

What can you do with all this information?

• Start Simple: Grab some paper, set a timer for 20 minutes (we all have 20 minutes) and make a few notes about the suggested reflection points to ponder above.
• Get Focused: If you skipped the Yearly Planning process, you can actually plan your year at ANY TIME (yep, that's right- this is YOUR life, and you always have a choice). Create 1-3 goals for the next 90 days, in your life and in your business. Consider fewer goals that would be pivotal, having an impact on many areas of your life and business.
• Live in Flow: Schedule time on your calendar weekly and at the end of this Season/Quarter to reflect on the past 90 days. Regular check-ins will help keep you focused, productive and on-track to accomplishing whatever you set your heart and mind to accomplish!

Remember, the whole of your journey- living life and operating your business- can be satisfying and fulfilling. Embrace the entirety of the process of strengthening your ROOTS and transform your hustle into a flow!

And breathe, always remember to breathe, so you can move forward with clarity and purpose.

If none of that works, try Yacht Rock.