On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, we are going to dive into a new way of goal-setting and business planning. Now if you follow my content, you already know that I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to planning for the New Year. I love it! I love new beginnings. I love looking back on the year, examining what worked and what did not work and then building something new or improved from there. I am going to cover 3 Lessons from this year that I am taking into the New Year. Some of them were easy lessons to learn, some not so easy. So let’s go ahead and dive in! Lesson #1: If you don’t build in the margin now, you will struggle to find it all year. Margin is all about finding time to breath, to be creative, and taking time away from the computer to recharge. Margin allows you to be better when you return and dive into your big projects. Finding margin is easier said than done and in this episode we are going to talk about ways to make it actually happen! In this lesson I will also share with you how you can use an at-a-glance wall calendar to see the pockets of margin in advance. Lesson #2: Build a team around your core skills. We all know that building a team is crucial for longterm success. In this lesson I suggest a different way to approach your next hiring decision - one that will help you do more of what you love. Building your team is one of the most important steps you may take in the new year - this lesson will help you do it better. Lesson #3: Add some soul to your goal-setting experience. I realized that goals without the "why" are empty promises, meaningless in fact. They can quickly deplete your energy, make you feel unproductive, create massive overwhelm and suck the creativity right out of you. Who wants to feel like that? In 2015, I am changing things up - I am approaching this whole goal-setting thing differently and starting with the WHY. These 3 lessons are exactly why I am so passionate about helping you change your goal-setting experience. I want your new goals to move you forward, invite in new opportunities and make you feel fully alive. In my journey to a more meaningful goal-setting experience, I was introduced to Michael Hyatt’s goal setting philosophy. He also believes in starting with the WHY, getting to the root of what we really want and focusing on what matters most. Right now and for the next week or so, Michael will be releasing a video series on goal-setting - it’s totally free and 100% aligned with creating a more powerful goal-setting experience. I encourage you to check it out! He put a lot of effort and time in this series and it shows. It’s quality stuff. You can check out his free goal setting trainings at www.AmyPorterfield.com/Goals but only for a very short time, so don’t wait to check it out! Key Takeaways: The three lessons I learned this year that you too can apply to your planning process as you get ready for the new year. #1: Build margin into your year IN ADVANCE. Don’t wait to find pockets of time that you can take off - be intentional about this time and protect it with your life. #2: Get strategic about your hiring plans and build a team around your SKILL SETS - find that one person or the people that will accentuate your skill sets and talents. #3: Create goals with more meaning. Specifically, identify the WHY before you set your big goals for the new year. Don’t set any goals that you don’t identify WHY you really want it.