Three Keys to a New Year and a New You

“I will be so glad for the New Year – 2016 has been terrible!” a friend said to me a couple weeks ago. Similar feelings on the subject have been echoed in my ears by clients, colleagues, and posts all over social media since before September! I will have to agree that 2016 has been challenging in many aspects from social issues, economic worries, and political upheavals. We’ve seen struggles between good vs. greed, we have experienced social polarization sprung forth from political battles, and we continue to have layoffs all across the country.

Before we say “Good Riddance 2016” – here are a few key concepts to make the most out of the New Year and a new you.

1. Everything Worthwhile is Uphill

Leadership guru and best-selling author, John Maxwell says: “Everything worthwhile is all uphill”. Right now life may feel a bit grim, overwhelming, or scary. The truth is: you cannot evolve as a person when there are no challenges to overcome. Smooth sailing does not incite reflection or growth. We gain wisdom and maturity because of the experiences we face. Before you spit on 2016 and run towards the next big thing – think about what you have learned from the year and how it has changed you.

• What challenges did you meet in 2016 that you feel that you couldn’t overcome but did?
• How did the experience change you and what did you learn?
• Are you better equipped to handle similar challenges in the future or what action items can you put in place to ensure that you are?

I’ve been laid off before. I’ve been scared of the unknown and I didn’t get anywhere in life by allowing my fear to keep me boxed in. If I allowed those things to drag me down instead of shedding the baggage and being real about what steps I needed to take to reach my goals: I wouldn’t be writing this article. The way forward is not always clear and we are not often handed a map to tell how to navigate life. I finally realized that: if we can be confident enough to set a goal and move toward it one step at a time, we will surprise ourselves how much we can accomplish!

2. It’s All About Perspective

You’ve heard the over-used cliché: ‘attitude is everything’? What I most commonly see that hamstrings people from being able to overcome challenges and evolve in a positive fashion depends on what lens they are seeing the world through. It’s about their perspective and it’s incredibly easy to have a negative one. After all, most of what we hear from the media is negative. Popular songs aren’t necessarily all sweetness and light. If you listen to NPR, quite a bit of what is discussed can be emotionally disturbing. How many colleagues that you interact with are constant complainers? Consider this:

• We reflect whatever our top inputs are. In other words: if we hear mostly negative inputs, we will probably reflect that in our attitude. If we take care to balance the ‘gloom & doom’ with positive input – we will probably have a more balanced outlook.
• List your top common inputs and reflect on how they might impact your perspective.
• Try and experiment to eliminate at least one potentially negative input for at least 3 weeks and observe if you feel less stressed.
• Think about the people you enjoy being around – are they Negative Nellies or Uplifters? Chances are, they are uplifters.
• Remember that happiness is a decision not a condition. Just like anger and jealously – happiness is a CHOICE. Sure, we all have the gut reaction to circumstances, but what we do with that emotion from there is up to us. Are you going to drive your emotional bus or are you going to let someone else do it?

We are a product of our inputs. Our inputs impact our perspective. I remember that I was a very stressed and irritable person for entirely too long in previous jobs or positions. That also spilled over into my personal life and I tended to see things from a negative lens. I allowed my environment to manage me instead of the other way around! I gave my power away to circumstances and other people every day and didn’t understand that I had the ability to decide what my ‘lens’ of the day would be. When I realized what I was doing and how I could take charge of my emotional well-being, it literally changed my life!

3. Understand Your Value

As a continuous improvement and professional development coach I see that most of life’s roadblocks begin with at least one of the following:

• A lack of understanding your value and how great you truly are!
• A lack of vision (or holding a dream) and having an action plan to get you there.
• A lack of a positive and healthy mindset with an energy renewal system that can support a satisfying life.
• A reluctance to communicate your value, stand up for what you believe, and change your life!

Everyone has value – and so do you! We are conditioned from children not to ‘brag’ or to downplay our accomplishments. Truth is: that’s not how you can (1) affirm and empower yourself, or (2) communicate your value to others (especially supervisors or future hiring managers!). What you do, even if it is a ‘part of your job’, a hobby, or volunteer work – can be considered an accomplishment and it’s not bragging! Leverage these, keep a ‘Kudos’ file, or make an Accomplishments Inventory. A solid practice of affirming and documenting your value can make the difference between getting passed over for a promotion or being allowed to grow and expand in your career (and your personal life).

It’s also too easy to let dreams slip through your fingers thinking that we must toughen up and face the hard reality of making a living. Fact is: we will probably spend over 50% of our adult lives at work, so why would we want to be unhappy over 50% of the time? If you are unsure of what steps to take to visualize a goal and make a career change actionable – I wrote an article on that very subject that you can access below.

Breaking Out of the Box: 6 Steps to Career Bliss

New Year and A New You

As 2016 comes to a close, let’s remind ourselves that most of the solutions to our challenges are inside of us. If we desire more out of our lives and our future – what changes and steps can we take to make it a reality? What I want most as a career coach is to help people address their lack of self-empowerment and vision so they can become confident enough to defy their limits to achieve what they have always wanted in their lives and work. To take your life down the path you want: it’s important to unplug from toxic behaviors, inputs, and perspectives – accept that you are great, set forth an actionable vision plan, and take charge of driving your bus where you want to go!

“Together, we build a better tomorrow.”