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Listen "128 – Closing the Chapter on 2018"
Episode Synopsis
2019 is officially here. What happened in 2018? Do you feel like you achieved a lot? Was it a difficult year for you?
Regardless of what happened, it’s important to close the chapter on the year past so you don’t drag it into the year ahead. In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I close the chapter on 2018 and explain how you can do the same.
Download the PDF Transcription
Podcast Highlights:
00:18 – Happy New Year!
01:21 – An overview of 2018
02:01 – Michael Hyatt’s process for closing the chapter on a year
02:53 – #1: Genre of the year
03:29 – #2: Themes of the year
04:09 – #3: Achievements of the year
04:56 – #4: Lack of acknowledgement in 2018?
05:20 – #5: Disappointments in 2018?
05:58 – #6: Missing from 2018?
06:27 – #7: Life lessons in 2018
07:22 – Final thoughts
Transcription:
Hey friends, welcome to 2019.
Although I published a blog post discussing what’s to come in 2019, I realized that not everyone who’s listening to the podcast is watching the blog or vice versa.
So, before getting into today’s topic, I just wanted to give you a quick overview of what to expect moving forward. Here are a few bullet points worth mentioning:
One of the things I want to do is create content that’s more centered on whatever needs you have and challenges you might be experiencing in your career. So, if you have any suggestions, I hope you’ll leave a comment in the show notes.
I’ve decided on Confidence, Breakthrough and Fulfillment as the words that represent The Music Entrepreneur HQ brand. So, as much as possible, I’ll be creating content that revolves around these themes.
I’m planning to launch several new products this year, including Flashes of Elation, The Essential Guide to Creative Entrepreneurship, Growth Hacking for Musicians and other handbooks. Keep an eye open for these.
Alright, so with that, let’s get into closing the chapter on 2018.
Unlike 2017, it felt like 2018 breezed by.
And, as I started reflecting on 2018, I was feeling as though I didn’t accomplish much during the year.
That’s not the conclusion I eventually came to, as you’re about to find out. But for now, let’s forego the spoilers.
Regardless, if you don’t feel like you had a great year, that’s certainly a good reason to close the chapter on it. After all, you don’t want to carry last year’s baggage into the new year. You need to get complete with whatever happened and didn’t happen, or you’ll just repeat the same mistakes, make incorrect assumptions and add to your convoluted view of the world. This will all begin to weigh on you like an anvil.
There’s a process I like to follow when it comes to closing the chapter on a year, and it’s the same process I’ve been using since 2014. Thanks to Michael Hyatt for creating this framework.
Here are the seven questions Hyatt asks himself as he looks to close the chapter on another year (and I’ll be asking myself the same questions):
If the last year were a movie in your life, what would the genre be?
What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring?
What did you accomplish this past year that you are the most proud of?
What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t?
What disappointments or regrets did you experience this past year?
What was missing from last year as you look back?
What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year?
Now, here are my answers to these questions.
My Answers to the 7 Questions
1. If the last year were a movie in your life, what would the genre be?
Science Fiction. I say that because 2018 was a bit of a whirlwind and at times unreal. I admit that there was quite a bit of video game time compared to years past, and at times it was entirely necessary for me to distance myself from my work because of exhaustion. All that gaming put me in a bit of a trance-like state.
Regardless of what happened, it’s important to close the chapter on the year past so you don’t drag it into the year ahead. In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I close the chapter on 2018 and explain how you can do the same.
Download the PDF Transcription
Podcast Highlights:
00:18 – Happy New Year!
01:21 – An overview of 2018
02:01 – Michael Hyatt’s process for closing the chapter on a year
02:53 – #1: Genre of the year
03:29 – #2: Themes of the year
04:09 – #3: Achievements of the year
04:56 – #4: Lack of acknowledgement in 2018?
05:20 – #5: Disappointments in 2018?
05:58 – #6: Missing from 2018?
06:27 – #7: Life lessons in 2018
07:22 – Final thoughts
Transcription:
Hey friends, welcome to 2019.
Although I published a blog post discussing what’s to come in 2019, I realized that not everyone who’s listening to the podcast is watching the blog or vice versa.
So, before getting into today’s topic, I just wanted to give you a quick overview of what to expect moving forward. Here are a few bullet points worth mentioning:
One of the things I want to do is create content that’s more centered on whatever needs you have and challenges you might be experiencing in your career. So, if you have any suggestions, I hope you’ll leave a comment in the show notes.
I’ve decided on Confidence, Breakthrough and Fulfillment as the words that represent The Music Entrepreneur HQ brand. So, as much as possible, I’ll be creating content that revolves around these themes.
I’m planning to launch several new products this year, including Flashes of Elation, The Essential Guide to Creative Entrepreneurship, Growth Hacking for Musicians and other handbooks. Keep an eye open for these.
Alright, so with that, let’s get into closing the chapter on 2018.
Unlike 2017, it felt like 2018 breezed by.
And, as I started reflecting on 2018, I was feeling as though I didn’t accomplish much during the year.
That’s not the conclusion I eventually came to, as you’re about to find out. But for now, let’s forego the spoilers.
Regardless, if you don’t feel like you had a great year, that’s certainly a good reason to close the chapter on it. After all, you don’t want to carry last year’s baggage into the new year. You need to get complete with whatever happened and didn’t happen, or you’ll just repeat the same mistakes, make incorrect assumptions and add to your convoluted view of the world. This will all begin to weigh on you like an anvil.
There’s a process I like to follow when it comes to closing the chapter on a year, and it’s the same process I’ve been using since 2014. Thanks to Michael Hyatt for creating this framework.
Here are the seven questions Hyatt asks himself as he looks to close the chapter on another year (and I’ll be asking myself the same questions):
If the last year were a movie in your life, what would the genre be?
What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring?
What did you accomplish this past year that you are the most proud of?
What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t?
What disappointments or regrets did you experience this past year?
What was missing from last year as you look back?
What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year?
Now, here are my answers to these questions.
My Answers to the 7 Questions
1. If the last year were a movie in your life, what would the genre be?
Science Fiction. I say that because 2018 was a bit of a whirlwind and at times unreal. I admit that there was quite a bit of video game time compared to years past, and at times it was entirely necessary for me to distance myself from my work because of exhaustion. All that gaming put me in a bit of a trance-like state.
In God we trust