10 years ago, when I wrote Body of Work, I was responding to a world that said “you can only be cool, creative and free if you work for yourself.”
That obviously wasn’t true, as I knew plenty of cool, creative and freedom-loving people who worked for others in a whole variety of different work modes.
My definition of body of work from the book is:
“Everything you create, contribute, affect and impact throughout the course of your life.”
As the years have gone by, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the importance of evaluating and updating the vision of your body of work on a regular basis, which is impacted by large external circumstances (economic fluctuations, a global pandemic, a contentious and gravely consequential election) as well as internal circumstances (grief, aging, change in relationship status, change in job status).
After we take time to process the shock of an unexpected shift, to feel grounded, aligned and clear about our path, we need to do deliberate reflections around what the heck we are doing for the coming year and why.
This will put us in a position of proactive and deliberate action, strategic alignment and emotional harmony.
The alternative of “let’s just sit back and watch what life throws at us and respond accordingly” will amp up anxiety and uncertainty.
Reflection Questions for your Body of Work in 2025
There are 9 areas of your body of work to explore. Here are some questions to get your creative juices flowing:
Your Body of Work Given your assessment of the external environment and your own internal goals and desires, what do you want to bring into the world in this next chapter of your body of work?
-Is there anything you have been putting off doing that you will no longer hold off on?
-Is there anything you have been doing that you are ready to complete or stop?
Your Roots
What is driving this next chapter of your body of work, and why?
-Have any of your drivers or priorities shifted?
-Do you have a deeper and more pressing “why” for any part of your work?
Your Ingredients
Do you have skills, strengths or experience (your “ingredients”) that are uniquely suited to today’s external environment?
-Which of your ingredients are most valuable to your clients?
-Which of your ingredients are overused and need to be put back in the cabinet for awhile?
-Which ingredients do you need to develop to remain competitive and fresh?
Your Work Mode
Is the way you are working still working for you?
-Is it time to finally start your business?
-Is it time to stop your business and take a role with someone else?
-Is it time to strip things back to the essence of you doing direct work, or time to ramp up your team and stop getting stuck in the weeds?
-Is there anything about the way you are working that won’t work/is risky in today’s environment/needs to be renamed or repositioned?
Your Creative Innovations
How are you bringing your body of work to the next stage of innovation and excellence? -Do your programs or offerings need to be updated?
-Do you need to change the way you are doing things for increased effectiveness or efficiency?
-Do you need to simplify your offer footprint or clarify your market positioning?
Your Relationship with Fear
How are you going to manage your relationship with fear, no matter what is happening in the external environment?
-How do you need to assess risk differently?
-How will you deliberately build in structures of support and protection for your work?
-How will you eliminate destructive people/patterns or habits that make you feel wobbly?
-How will you remember who you are on a daily basis?
Your Collaborations
Who do you want to work with in the coming year?
-Are there favorite PB&J collaborations that you want to activate?
-Are you ready for more sophisticated support from people like agents, business managers or partners?
-Are there partnerships that you need to wind down or end?
Your Definition of Success
How are you going to define success in the coming year?
-Is money more or less important to you? How much of it do you want?
-What measures of success will you put in place to drive your well-being?
-Which metrics can you develop that have nothing to do with comparing yourself to others?
-Which metrics will measure the value and impact of your work on your clients’ lives and businesses?
Your Two Stories
Once you have done the work of reexamining and adjusting your body of work for the coming year, story is one of your most powerful tools for bringing it to life.
What is the story you will tell yourself about your body of work this year, and what is the story you will tell others?
-Why are you doing this work right now, in this season of your life?
-Why is this work clear, compelling and the perfect solution for your ideal customers?
You have more power than you think
Taking time to reflect on, adjust and communicate the focus of your body of work will remind you of your power and agency.
Through the ages, people just like you have dealt with extremely challenging circumstances and managed to still create beauty, justice, movement and positive change.
Claim your power, and build something meaningful this year.
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