The Best Ever Way to Make Your Vision a Reality. Image of Best Ever Mastermind Flexible Framework 5 Components: Clarity, Constraints, Consistency, Celebrations, Community. Work Authentically logo in lower right corner.

 

The Best Ever Framework to Make Your Vision a Reality

Have you struggled to make your vision a reality? Do you appear successful to others, but feel like something is missing? Are you unsure how to actually achieve your resolutions or goals for the year? Do you ever find yourself wondering, “Is this all there is?” after you accomplish a milestone?

These and so many other questions are common to ask ourselves, especially at the start of the year. 

Many people go so far as to make resolutions about all the things they want to change in their work and life. But resolutions simply don’t work and WHEN they don’t, most people run out of ideas and energy to make the big changes they really want for themselves. 

But YOUR dreams don’t have to be abandoned like a rotten resolution!

With the Best Ever flexible framework, it becomes EASY to make your vision a reality.

Ever have a WTF moment? 

You know, you’re minding your business at work when suddenly, finally, you discover a framework that does more than make some rich consultants even richer.

It’s a framework that actually works.

It’s a framework that makes your life easier.

And it makes you say, “Wow! This Framework!” or WTF for short.

I know. Those moments are rare.

But friends, this is one of those moments!

I have rejected using the word framework for years, in part because of the many frameworks that I’d experienced and been subjected to in corporate. 

Many frameworks sounded good in theory, but in practice, didn’t solve the problems we were trying to solve. Some actually made the problem worse. 

And so I avoided using the word framework for a long time because I didn’t want to be lumped in with all those frameworks that make you exclaim the other WTF.

But flexible framework is the exact right word to describe the underlying idea the supports my Best Ever Mastermind.

I feel like I have to share this framework in part because it’s helped me and everyone in the program create BIG, vision-aligned results.

Introducing the Best Ever Framework

The flexible framework that we use in Best Ever allows you to FINALLY make progress on those things you’ve been trying to do for years. It sets you up for success, even when you have a history of not being able to see things through to the end. It removes the guesswork so you don’t have to wonder if you’re spending enough time on the stuff you actually care about.  

It’s the kind of framework you can use to:

  • achieve your goals personally and professionally
  • write a book 
  • tame the chaos of selling a home and moving 
  • start a business or grow that business to new levels 
  • manage your health in a way that allows you to thrive
  • change the trajectory of your career
  • create more fun and joy in your life
  • and so much more!

Framework Components

This flexible framework is the exact process I used for myself when I left my corporate job nearly 5 years ago to rebuild a life I wanted to live from the ground up. Here’s a quick look at the way we use it in Best Ever:

  • Clarity: We use visioning exercises and approaches that help you get a clear vision. I’ve had people tell me they’ve never been successful trying to do that and with my approaches, they finally have a vision they are excited to bring to life!
  • Constraints: We talk through ways to set the boundaries you need to move forward. We spend time at the start of the year doing a deep dive into approaches that work. We deliberately dive deep so you learn HOW to make your vision a reality.
  • Consistency: The cadence of our discussions is designed to build in consistency. You can’t get too far off track because there’s always another mastermind discussion or quarterly planning session coming to help you get and stay on track.
  • Celebrations: We kick off the year with a pre-party. We end the year with a party to celebrate your successes. And in between, we celebrate all the small steps and milestones you experience throughout the entire year. There’s even surprise mailings!
  • Community: My groups have awesome, encouraging, brilliant people creating amazing results! And let’s be honest, as adults finding friends who truly want what’s best for us can be a challenge. This group is already excited to support your dreams!

This framework worked for me and it has worked for all my clients.

Are you ready to take your work and life from fine to WOW? 

The Best Ever framework is, well… the best ever way to create your vision for a WOW life and then make your vision a reality.

By the end of the year, you’ll be saying to yourself some version of, “Wow! This framework! aka WTF! I’m so excited that my dreams have become reality!” 

 

Learn more about the Best Ever Mastermind

 

Image created by me in Canva.

 

Lessons from Elf. Lesson #5 - Dare to Have a Bold Vision

As I shared at the start of these lessons, Elf is timeless, which is why I can wear my Smiling’s My Favorite t-shirt all months of the year. So it’s never too early or late to share one final Lesson from Elf.

The final lesson? Dare to have a bold vision.

Walter Hobbs (Buddy’s dad) was a not-nice person. He was showing up as the worst version of himself at work and at home. He was even on Santa’s naughty list! (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)

It took a lot of vision and a healthy dose of hope for Buddy to see his dad as anything other than a curmudgeon. A modern-day Grinch, if you will. 

Many other people had already given up on Walter Hobbs, but Buddy saw what he could be, with enough Christmas spirit added.

Buddy persisted with showing kindness and love when most other people wouldn’t have been able to continue. And Buddy’s vision for a time when they had a great parent-child relationship helped him keep at it even in the face of many obstacles and challenges. 

As we move into the new year, it’s time for all of us to be like Buddy and dare to have a bold vision. 

It’s the perfect time of year to decide what you do (and don’t!) want to have happen going forward. It’s the best time to dream a bigger dream than you have before and surprise yourself as you go after it.  

And just as Buddy encouraged his dad to make changes, don’t we all need encouragement to live into the best version of ourselves? 

If you’re ready to dream a bigger dream in 2023 and be supported and encouraged as you make your dreams a reality, then the Best Ever Mastermind is, well, the best ever place to do it!

You’ll get the guidance you need to create a bold vision, maybe for the first time in your life, along with the practical tools to convert your vision into a reality. This isn’t a “resolution for a week and go back to the same old same old as before” kind of approach. This is a year-long group program that enables your growth in all areas of your life (relationships, wealth, health, work, and so much more). 

Here’s what people are saying about Best Ever:

“I’m so glad I decided to participate in Best Ever this year. This has been the most impactful year of my career to date and it has put into focus the lifestyle I can build for myself and my family. I accomplished things this year that I used to think were ambitious for a 3-year plan, but here I am! I also made back my entire investment less than two months into the program and have been growing my business ever since!”

“I no longer have to wonder, “Will it work?” or “Will I stick with it?” because I can say a resounding “YES” to both questions. Best Ever was easy to follow and apply especially when my work and life were super busy. It kept me focused and making progress, even when everything else was chaotic. In fact, I was always pleasantly surprised how much more progress I made each month than I thought I had. I’m so glad I invested in my future – it was worth it!” 

Best Ever | Work Authentically

Don’t be a cotton-headed ninny muggins… sign up today so you can create a compelling vision for your work and life!

 

Lessons from Elf. Lesson #4 - Be Known for Something.

As Buddy the Elf reminds everyone, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

And so, when some holiday hijinks involving Santa ensues, those who know Buddy start singing carols and get an entire crowd of people to join in. Wouldn’t you know, the extra cheer was exactly what was needed to save the day!

So why did people think to start singing? Because it’s one of the things Buddy was known for: his Christmas spirit.

Just like Buddy, we’re all going to be known for something (even if we’re known only by a small circle of people).

Have you thought about the legacy you want to have? 

People sometimes can recognize our strengths, but that’s not usually what we’re known for.

I spent my entire career in corporate delivering on results and doing my best work, but what most people told me when I left was that they were going to miss my… enthusiasm. Wait. What? Aren’t you going to miss the awesome software? Nope. It’s the way I could get people to care about and be excited about the software.

Today, it’s the same feedback I get from clients since I stepped away from corporate to start my coaching business. My enthusiasm helps them get excited about stuff that they ordinarily would avoid. 

I’m known for my enthusiasm and fair warning, it can be pretty contagious!!!!!!!!! (NOTE: One exclamation point simply would not do here).

Now it’s your turn to think about what you ARE known for and what you WANT to be known for.

Are they the same thing? Do you need to make small changes to align them or big changes, like Ebeneezer Scrooge on Christmas morning? Write down the legacy you want to have and ideas on how you can start sharing it with others.

Buddy wasn’t afraid to own being known for his Christmas spirit and we shouldn’t be either.

Sing your own praises loud for all to hear! Tell me, what are you known for? Or what do you want to be known for going forward? I’m excited (enthusiastic, even) to hear what you have to share!

 

Lessons from Elf. Lesson #3 - Design Your Ideal Day.

Once Buddy the Elf reunites with his dad and gets invited to stay in a human home, Buddy is pretty pumped to hang out. He’s got a lot of expectations for an awesome time, so he writes out a to-do list on an etch-a-sketch, naturally.

Buddy: “I planned out our whole day. First we make snow angels for two hours, and then we’ll go ice skating, and then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookie Dough as fast as we can, and then to finish, we’ll snuggle.”

Sounds pretty awesome, right? 

Unfortunately, Buddy’s dad is focused on getting to work and declines to do anything on the list. Boo!

Although it didn’t materialize right away for Buddy, there’s a lot of power in designing your ideal day and working to bring it into being.

There’s joy in the clarity of knowing what you want and setting boundaries to make sure it happens.

So here’s your question to ponder for this week: What would it look like if you were designing your work and life to be ONLY the things you were most excited for? 

Sounds pretty awesome, right? 

Think about what it would look like to not only enjoy what you’re doing daily at work (remember: make work your favorite), but in all areas of your life.  What if you could design your ideal day and, unlike Buddy, live it out?

I dare you to pass through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, go through the Lincoln Tunnel and share your ideal day with someone!

 

Photo created by me.

As a responsible human raised by elves, Buddy likes to stick to the 4 main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. He dislikes coffee and spaghetti (when served without syrup). 

Buddy knows what fuels him and what makes him feel bad. 

That’s an important lesson. 

There’s really 2 pieces to it:

  1. Knowing what fuels you
  2. Prioritizing what fuels you

I know it can also be challenging to figure out what DOES work for you and my best advice is to experiment. Try something out and pay attention to how you feel. Do you have more energy as a result? Start with making a list of what you know fuels you and makes you feel your best. Then, keep adding on as you try new things.

And here’s step two. Once you know what fuels you, it’s critically important that you prioritize it. Not once a year or once a quarter. DAILY.

When you don’t know what fuels you, or worse, don’t prioritize what fuels you, you’re going to feel off and out of sorts. And it can be hard to put your finger on exactly what is causing it.

For example, if you know that you need some quiet prep time before your work day begins in order to operate at your best, then showing up late and heading straight into a meeting is not going to work for you. That overwhelmed feeling follows you the rest of the day.

Instead, let’s take a cue from Buddy and stick to candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup!

I challenge you to schedule one thing that fuels you THIS WEEK and then tell me about it. 

 

Lessons from Elf - Lesson 1. Make Work Your Favorite

Smiling’s My Favorite

Welcome to December! This time of year you’ll usually find me making recipes in the kitchen or watching certain holiday movies. I’m a sucker for the Muppet Christmas Carol, Love Actually, even Die Hard. And of course, one of my all-time favorites, Elf. 

I am endlessly entertained by Will Farrell in this holiday classic. I quote the movie year round. I also see no reason not to wear my “Smiling’s my favorite” t-shirt EVERY month of the year. 

There are a lot of lessons to be taken from Elf too, so for the rest of December, I want to share them with you. And we’ll start with the quote from my fave shirt.

Buddy the Elf: I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite. 

Gimbel’s Manager (aka his boss): Make work your favorite.  

Make Work Your Favorite

That conversation between Buddy and his manager makes me laugh every time I see Elf.

But here’s something I like to ask my clients: What if work really was your favorite? What if you truly enjoyed the key elements of your job while sharing your strengths with the world? 

Anyone who’s been around here for even a little while knows I talk a lot about the importance of money, meaning, and impact because those are the reasons we all go to work. And when there’s a misalignment in any one of those things, it’s impossible for work to be your favorite.

If you’re having a hard time imagining work being your favorite (trust me, I’ve been there!), here’s a collection of articles and blog posts I’ve written around money, meaning, and impact that just might help you figure out what to do next.

And since we’re in the season of making a list and checking it twice, here’s my other suggestion: Start a list of your favorite things at work.

Before we can make any changes to something, it’s important to know where we’re at. The easiest way to create your list is to pay attention to your activities for the next week and to write down any that you loved or got big energy from doing. 

When you know your favorite parts about work, you can start to intentionally incorporate more of them into your everyday.

Need help? Tell me about the ways work isn’t your favorite and I’ll get back to you. Yup. My work is my favorite and I love reading and replying to your questions and comments! 

And finally: Not familiar with Elf (*gasp*) or want to watch it for the kajillionth time like me? Check out the clip here.