Top Ten Resolutions
to Jazz Up Your Career
1. Love your work. Resolve that, this year, you are going to find work that you love. If you've found it already, congratulations -- you have a great foundation to build on! If you love what you're doing, you'll put your heart and soul into it and be successful. Is this you? If not, resolve to take steps to change your situation.
2. Set some career goals for yourself this year. A goal is a dream with a deadline.Take quiet time to think about what YOU really want out of your career this year -- it may be time for a change, or to take on different responsibilities in your current position. Maybe this is the year that you'll set up your own business venture! Envision yourself at the end of 2006 and describe at least 3 achievements you want to make during the year for you to feel it has been a successful one.
3. Manage your boss. There's great benefit in managing your boss to ensure that you meet your personal goals and find career fulfillment. Do you want a 4-day work week? Have your eye on a promotion? Want to mentor the new hires in your office? Find a way to share your dreams for the year with him/her and ask how they can help you achieve them.
4. Review your financial situation. Are you being paid what you're worth? Are you living within your means? Review your finances and streamline your living expenses. Make sure you know what's going in and out of your bank account and eliminate waste. Then you can be sure that you're in control of your money and have resources for the things that are really important.
5. Take up networking as a hobby. Networking is a great way of making new friends as well as finding new career opportunities and getting a new perspective on life. Make a commitment to have one lunch and one dinner out monthly, either with a professional organization or with new contacts. There are also lots of networking groups on the Internet.
6. Schedule vacation time. Constant routine and continued pressure and deadlines mean that you could be tempted not to schedule in appropriate rest time and vacation breaks. Many of the world's most successful entrepreneurs insist on taking their vacation because they know the value it gives in recharging their batteries and bringing them back to their office fully refreshed. Talk to your loved ones and plan your breaks for the year right now.
7. Review your working habits. Are you always late for meetings? Is your office always a mess? Change at least one daily habit and see how it makes a difference to the way you work and the way you're perceived. Try something new so you don't get into a rut!
8. Spruce up your image. What is your personal brand saying about you? Your clothes, your personal hygiene and habits, your car, your writing, your way of communicating all speak volumes about the type of person you are. Make a resolution to raise your image a notch and project a sense of success -- you'll see it coming true!
9. Market yourself within your company. You may expect others to notice what you've achieved, but you sometimes have to tell them. It's possible to get the word out about your accomplishments indirectly or without seeming boastful. One way is to praise a subordinate or your team in an e-mail memo to your boss copied to other managers or during a conference call. Acknowledging their successes raises their visibility and puts the spotlight on you as their manager.
10. Expand your thinking. There are millions of self-help books, audiotapes, websites, magazines, e-resources, seminars, workshops and much more going on around you all the time, every single day of the year. Make this your year to evolve -- work on your personal development and watch it pay off in your career.
Hello! I wish you a year filled with experiences that elicit your whole-hearted enthusiasm.
New month, new year...it's the prime time for a fresh start -- especially in your career. As you read these ten ideas, which ones rev your engines and bring a smile to your face? Commit to taking action on the most exciting ideas and watch yourself and your career soar. And if you find you're in a "gumption trap," give me a call and we'll figure out how to get you unstuck!
Warmly,
