28: Finish Your Year Strong

Do you want to make the most of the last quarter but don't know where to start? One of the things I've always done is to look back over the year in the last quarter so that if there is anything I need to complete before the calendar year ends, it'll be in the forefront of my mind. I can take stock of where I am and understand how to move forward. You know, there's a passage in the Bible that talks about knowing the state of your flocks. And this is what we are diving into today. 

If you're ready to reflect on your accomplishments, set concrete goals, and make strategic plans to ensure a successful year-end, this episode is for you. 

Top reasons to listen to the entire episode:

• Learn how to finish the year strong practically and strategically. 
• Understand why it's important to reflect on your achievements and challenges. 
• Get inspired and motivated to make the necessary changes to finish the year strong. 

Mentioned Bible Verses:

Episode 2: Build Your Village

Proverbs 27:23

Finish Your Year Strong Workbook

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Have you come to the point in your life where doing that work, church, home, repeat just isn't working for you anymore, and you know there's gotta be more to life than this, then girl, you've come to the right place. I'm Kimberly Knight, and this is the Position Podcast. As a certified coach, consultant, author, and speaker, I've had the privilege of helping women to position themselves for success in life, love, and business. So if you're ready for some wisdom wrapped up in a little bit of girlfriend, join me and other experts each week as we give you the conversation, coaching, and keys you need to take you to your next steps. Hello and welcome to the position podcast. I am your host, Kimberly Knight, and today we are going to talk about how to finish your year strong. You know, one of the things that I've always done is to take a look back over the year in the last quarter so that if there's anything that I need to complete before the calendar year ends, it'll be forefront in my mind. I can kind of take stock of where I am and understand how to move forward. There's a passage in the Bible that talks about knowing the state of your flocks, and this is that. So let's dive right in. A few things that you want to do are to take a look back over your year. If you have a journal, you have your checkbook, I'm really dating myself, right? Well, you have your financial statements and you have your calendar. Take a look back and list everything that has gone well this year. If you keep a journal, you know, flip through it and just make a mental note and begin to jot down and recall the highlights of each month and the highlights of your year. And you also want to look at some of the things that didn't go as planned. Some of the things that, well, they were a challenge for you, for your family. Now we love glory stories and testimonies, but we also have to deal with the reality of how our year went or how we spent. Another thing you'll want to journal is how did you see God move this year in your life and in the lives of those you love? What was the best piece of advice you got this year? Or here's something that I love to do. What tool, tip, or hack made your life easier this year? Hmm. So you just want to go back again and just look at all of those things so that you can find out where you are right now. Think of it as a map in the mall. You ever go to the map in the mall to discover where you are on that directory? And then they have that little red dot and it says, you are here. And then you can now plot your course because you know where you are. That's what you need to do before you start planning how to finish this year's straw. Once you get all of that out of the way, then you can go and begin to look at some concrete things. For instance, what needs to happen between now and December 31st? What do you need to do, delegate, defer, or dump? When I talk about deferring, is that something that you can put over to the next calendar year? Are you ready to take charge of your life and finish this year strong? Well, I've got just the resource to help you do it. The Finish Your Year Strong workbook is a downloadable workbook that's your key to reflection and growth and making the most of the remaining weeks of this year. So here's a sneak peek as to what you can expect inside. You'll get a chance to reflect on your journey and explore the highlights and the triumphs and even some of the unexpected detours that you had to take this year. Of course, you'll have an opportunity to celebrate your glory stories and your testimonies, as well as some of the challenges that you've encountered. Speaking of which, you'll also take a look at your growth and inspiration and how you witness God move in your life this year. There's another section that looks at life hacks and priceless wisdom nuggets, as well as goal setting and accountability. And to help you get on track between what needs to happen between now and December 31st, we've also added a section in there so that nothing slips through the cracks, not even during a busy holiday season. You'll also have the opportunity to plan for the holidays with intentionality, both practically, mentally, and spiritually. We'll also take a look at your village and how your villagers worked with you this year to help you to experience success. So are you ready? I don't want you to miss out on this opportunity to invest in yourself and your future. So download the Finish Your Year strong workbook now and get ready to release your potential. We're not leaving anything on the table this year. The link is in the show notes. You want to be concrete about how you're going to spend and plan for the holidays. And for most of my listeners, the major holidays would be Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. How do you plan to spend and how will you plan for the holidays? I don't wait until November to start planning Thanksgiving. And for my listeners who are not in the U.S., we celebrate Thanksgiving Day the fourth Thursday in November. So I don't wait until November 1st to plan that. Why? Because now I have to adjust my budget. I want to buy things when they're on sale, not when everyone else is buying them. I want to give people save the dates if I'm having company or what have you. If I'm going to make travel plans, I want to pay for it when the things come on sale, right? Because flights come on sale. And if I can catch the sale because I already have everything planned out, then I've also saved money. So I tend to plan those things pretty early. If you're going to give gifts, it's time to start making a list, getting the right addresses and things like that. So you want to begin to plan those things. Another thing, and I I forgot to bring this up before I usually get to the concrete stuff. Here's something else that I've done. What do I need to forgive? And who do I need to contact? Do I need to ask forgiveness? Do I need to give forgiveness and grace? Is there someone I need to contact? Is there someone I need to thank? Is there someone I need to reconnect with? So I just wanted to add those things because I think those are really, really important. Another one of the concrete things that you will want to do before year in is look at what paid time off you want to take. I know for some of us, we lose the time that we don't use every year. Not everyone's time will roll over. So you want to double check your time bank and calculate how much more time you will earn by the end of the year to make sure that you're not losing anything. If you're able to defer some of that time and you're not ready to take it off, make your arrangements to do so. Also, at the end of the year here in the US, a lot of companies will have their open enrollment period for benefits and health insurance. So make sure you make notes about that. Check out any policy changes that you may need to make and make your selections accordingly. Akin to that would be also how much FSA, HSA funds do you have left? So for those of you who have FSA or HSA funds, do you have a spin down that you need to accomplish before December 31st? And if so, how will you utilize them? If you're not going to be making any doctor visits or medical visits before the end of the year that you can deduct or use those funds for, it's a great time to take stock of what supplies you may need for your first aid kit and or get eyeglasses or finish up some dental work that you may have outstanding. It's also a good thing while we're on health for you to make sure that you got all of your annual appointments in, ladies, did you get that mammogram? And for the man in your life that you love, has he had a PSA test? What about the colonoscopy and the vision and dental, right? All those annual visits, we want to make sure that those were taken care of this year. If they haven't been done, schedule them. And I have to tell you, sometimes, and this is a trick, it's it is a trick, and I do use this. Sometimes I wait and I schedule that stuff for December because most people aren't doing them, so they tend to be less crowded and the appointments are easier to get. Just saying, if it works for you, run with it. All right. So those are just some of the things that I would give you just to kind of get the ideas flowing about how you can end this year strong. Because normally people get so caught up in the holidays and they lose the opportunity to really take advantage of this last quarter. A lot of good things can happen in this last quarter. We still, at the time of this recording, you will still have two and a half months to make things happen. So let's not give up before the end. You also want to take a look at the goals that you had at the beginning of the year that you have yet to complete. And you'll decide if you're going to do them, delegate them, defer them, or dump them. Additionally, every great accomplishment needs the support of others because it truly does take a village. So identify the villagers who were part of your journey this year. Is there someone who you need to thank for supporting you? Are there other people who may need to be shifted to another street in your village? I will leave a link to the villager episode and its companion workbook in the show notes. It's definitely time for that census. So these are just a few things that you can do to finish your year strong. And of course, I want to support you. So I've created a 15-page downloadable workbook just for you to support you while you do this work. Trust me, when you finish your year strong, you're also setting your year up right for the next year. So don't hesitate to get this done. I hope that was helpful. Please like and share this episode with your friends. They need to finish strong too. Have a wonderfully blessed day. Bye now. That's a wrap. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode. Be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you're listening so you never miss one. I would love it if you would share the podcast with your friends, post about it on Facebook and Instagram, or leave a review. That way you can help me and bring you more great content and expert guests. Until next week, be blessed.