Make this a play on the year 2020. No one could have ever guessed 2020 would go as it did. There was a major pandemic that shut down the country for months. Riots broke out across the country. A presidential election turned into a 2 month battle in court. On a personal note, I lost both grandparents and nearly lost my mom. No matter what goals you set for 2020, few of us were able to hit them. In fact, I've been connecting with cleaning owners from all over the country all year and most were just trying to get back to where they were as 2020 started! At the end of 2019, I shared an important strategy planning episode called "Think Week". I followed that up with a 5-part goal-setting series prior to the pandemic. (Goal Setting I: What is Your Why? / Goal Setting II: Why Set Goals? / Goal Setting III: Make Your Goals SMART / Goal Setting IV: The Accountability Roadmap / Goal Setting V: Kill Parkinson) I highly recommend that you re-listen to each of these 6 episodes as you close 2020 and prepare for 2021.
This episode is a little different. It's hard to look ahead. As you may know, I wrap up each year with a Think Week. This year is different... obviously! I have been achieving my #1 goal all year. Therefore, I already have my "thinking" done for 2021 planning. Instead of teaching you how to think and set goals for next year, let's talk about something related. I was having a conversation with a newlywed couple at breakfast during our honeymoon retreat. I shared when you are starting out in life, every decision seems like a major one. You feel like each decision you're making will last your entire lifetime. But the truth is that our lives change often. Looking ahead, our steps don't seem to make any sense. That's what faith is. God numbers and plans our steps. We must trust in Him (if you're a person of faith). But then I told the newlyweds that looking back, everything is crystal clear. It all makes sense looking back. I've been married close to 20 years and I can see major decisions I've made and which have majorly impacted my life. I shared how a contractor picks up different tools along the way and when he gets to the job site, he has all the tools he needs to complete the job. I related this analogy to this young couple as the "job" is God's purpose in our life. The "contractors" are us and the "tools" are the decisions we make along the way. I added that my engineering training has allowed me to flourish in my solo cleaning business and I could have NEVER planned that one. It just happened. "Life sometimes happens and maybe that's another way that God remains anonymous." This analogy made a ton of sense to the newlyweds and even more sense to me. I said. "Hark, I need to make this a podcast episode." They gave a strange expression and my wife smiled.
As you approach 2021, I want you to obviously do your best to plan your goals as I've taught in the above-listed Solo Cleaning School episodes. But I also want you to consider yourself a contractor collecting valuable tools along the way. 2020 was hard. I guarantee you picked up valuable tools that make no sense now, but they will!