The New Year comes full of expectations, ambition to advance even further in your career, and perhaps even a brand new job. Here are five areas of focus to make 2016 your best year ever.
- Find Balance
Forming better habits now will mean less conscious effort for the rest of the year. Focus on what you’ve defined as important to you, and measure the amount of time you’re investing in that area. If you find your work is taking up much more energy than the other areas, know that it is going to negatively affect your health and relationships. Adjusting that balance should move to the top of your priorities. The other parts of your life are important, and ultimately your work will suffer for the lack of balance as well. Tired and stressed employees achieve less than their balanced counterparts.
- Be Assertive, Not Aggressive
Aggressive employees upset colleagues and create poor working environments no matter how productive they are. Make an effort to be assertive instead, by taking other’s valuable input and views into consideration. Open yourself up to coworkers and speak up for your projects and initiatives without crossing a line into a demanding demeanor.
- View Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
You have to be willing to fall and get right back up again. Every crisis, every mistake, and every obstacle can teach you a great deal about what you’re good at and what skills you need to improve. Even when horrible events happen, you can turn your situation around. You have to be persistent and willing to fail in order to move forward after identifying what the valuable lessons were.
- Keep a Broad View
We all get tunnel vision at times, it’s only natural. Your attention can only be devoted to so many tasks, but we have a tendency to miss out on the enriching opportunities in life. In a world that’s focused on “googling” everything, there’s still a lot of information out there that can’t be found online, and can only be experienced by broadening what we focus on. Keep your ears open everywhere — coffee shops, restaurants, the water cooler, meetings, and elsewhere. Developments will clearly emerge, so you can take advantage of your new perspective.
- Never Stop Learning
Much of life IS routine and habitual, but your mind also needs to be flexed. Anyone in any position can improve what they do, but it takes work. Read, ask questions, or attend the conference you’ve been putting off. Study and learn the cutting edge trends to stretch your network and your mind.
So much of succeeding in your career is about being an evolving person and leader, rather than a different kind of employee. Focus on one or all of these tips for a better year and a better you!
