New Decade, New Professional You – 4 Tips to Make it Count

Get ahead of the professional game with these four tips.

We’re halfway through January and we want to help you stay on track with your goals.The holidays are over and you have probably had your fill of pecan pie, butter tarts, all the meats, gravy, and potatoes. I mean, lots of potatoes! You had red potatoes, orange potatoes, white potatoes, purple potatoes, and yellow potatoes. Who knew there were so many varieties of potatoes? They do say that “variety is the spice of life”.

What does that mean exactly? This idiom came from a poem entitled The Task which compares bland unseasoned food to life. The idea is to spice up your life because differences are what make it more interesting. It’s time after the hubbub of the holidays to reflect on the differences you want to make in the new decade. Here are four tips to start you off on your 2020 professional journey:

1. Perspective is not just a word – How you view the world matters. We are all looking at the world through our own lens and regardless of where you work or what you do, your attitude towards your job is what others see of you through their lens. We all have good days and bad days, but the ultimate goal is to strive towards excellence in what you do. Excellence is a ‘can do’ attitude toward your goals and work. It’s ok to make mistakes, just brush your shoulders off and try again. Not only will you feel better but the world and the people around you will respond in a positive way. Go ahead, try it!

2. Become a master of your time – Oh the dread we all feel when opening up and dusting off the ‘good old’ inbox full of unread emails after the holidays! Do they ever end? There is no “one size fits all” organization approach for maximum productivity but most successful people do follow a method of some form. For example, blocking a chunk of time into your calendar that is used solely for organization (no phone calls, no sending emails, no right corner screen pop-ups, no texts, no messaging apps, nada). Another approach is to prioritize and focus on what is essential. This means taking the time regularly to prioritize and re-prioritize these tasks. Find what works for you and keep it consistent. Mastery of any form is not just for Yoda.

3. Grab your online presence by its horns – When was the last time you Googled yourself? Yes, Googled is now officially a verb in several dictionaries. It’s not a strange thing to do it or admit that you are doing it. Your online presence, whether you like it or not, is a big part of your brand in this day in age. The suggestion is not to download every platform in the world that is available and then create this glamorized version of yourself. That sounds exhausting. The idea is to be thoughtful in how you would like to present the real authentic you to help build your career in a meaningful way.

4. Feed your mind, body, and soul – There is no way to get around this one. Your health and how you treat it will treat you exactly the same way back. This spans across physical, mental, social, spiritual, social, environmental and emotional. Work and life can be extremely busy with no room for air but if you take some time (even five minutes each day) to find a sensible balance across these spectrums you will start to see that there is a lot of fresh air to breathe in after all.

You have the ability to pursue your dreams and become confident, resilient leaders. Why not become the next female CEO, why not become a Captain and sail the next ship, why not become the next female astronaut (hey they finally fixed that female spacesuit issue lol), why not (insert anything else in here), why not!

Keep your goals beyond January. You have the power to control how your 2020 turns out.

Try something new and bring some variety into your life!