New year, new career?

The beginning of the year marks a turning point for many. Some feel the excitement of a new beginning, whilst others feel another year has passed and they haven’t achieved what they want to. Whichever space you are in, it’s as good a time as any to evaluate your career and set goals and intentions for the coming year.

5 ways to get your new year off to a flying start

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to your career plan, but lots of us will be setting our annual objectives in January so now’s a great time to try doing things a bit differently. Here are five things you might want to try to start off on the right foot this new year.

1. Set your one big goal

Too many goals can mean you struggle to focus on them and end up achieving none. Why not set one key thing you want to achieve by the end of the year and focus all of your attentions on it? It should be something which is within your control. So, try not to focus on things like getting a promotion which are almost always dependent on the decisions of others.

2. Review your blockers

Look back over the last year – what held you back? Again, try to only focus on the things which you have control of which have stopped you achieving what you want to. Is it negative self-talk, procrastination, lack of confidence? Try to understand how you are standing in your own way. As the stoics of old saw:

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Marcus Aurelius

3. Start a work gratitude log

Gratitude as a practice has been repeatedly shown to improve mental health and positivity. It can also help to break us out of the continual and unsatisfying cycle of more that our society perpetuates. Try writing down three things at the end of each work day which you are grateful for. It might be a colleague, or a meeting that went well, or a piece of positive feedback you received. It’s amazing the value that work brings to our lives that we don’t notice. We’re built to focus on the negatives for survival, so we need to consciously choose to look to the positives.

4. Start every day with your goal and intentions

Each day write out your one big goal (what you want to achieve). Then create an intention (what action you are going to take) for the day which will help you move towards it. There are about 252 work days each year – imagine what you will achieve if you do 252 things towards achieving your goal!

5. Find your accountability buddy

We all struggle sometimes to overcome our own mental blockers. It can be incredibly helpful to find someone who can provide you with the support you need and hold you accountable to what you are trying to achieve. You, in turn, can then support and challenge them to achieve their goals. We all need at different times a cheerleader, some tough love or someone to celebrate the wins with. Finding yours can help on the days it doesn’t feel so easy.