Thursday, January 16, 2014

8 Things to Review, Refine & Refocus for Any New Year

By Deborah Shane

Yep, the end of any year is hectic, crazy and disruptive but it’s also a key time to review, refine and refocus on our accomplishments, changes and how we dealt with our challenges.
 
Ultimately, we should look mostly at the pluses, but be honest about the minuses and how they have held you back. There are always endless positive insights and lessons to be learned from them.

I don’t do resolutions as they are too rigid for me. I prefer setting my intentions, which are more fluid and allow me to decide what I would like to see happen, then set myself up and be ready for them to happen. I call it “active dreaming” which adds the “doing” to the dreaming.

I have to constantly be monitoring myself on several levels. Self appraisal with a healthy dose of honesty is a valuable tool. Developing our EQ (Emotional Quotient) is a huge asset in business success in addition to our IQ.

Our professional success is only possible if our house is in order. We need to know ourselves, change ourselves when it’s called for and trust ourselves more than we sometimes do.

According to Talent Smart, 90% of high performers at the work place possess high EQ, while 80% of low performers have low EQ. Emotional Intelligence is absolutely essential in the formation, development, maintenance and enhancement of close personal relationships.

Below are eight items to review, refine and refocus that can jump start any year.

Work Life Balance
All work and no play, or too much play and not enough work, definitely impacts our happiness and success.
Trying to put into place your best balance is an effort whose value we should never underestimate.

Health and Wellness
It is ultimately your responsibility to take care of yourself. Employee wellness is a top priority now, as it can cost companies $23 billion each year, according to the Wall Street Journal, and impacts hiring and retention.
Healthier employees make more productive workers.

Coping Skills
How are your coping skills?
All of us go through uncertainty, health issues, sudden change and other life events that we must be able to work through. What are the best coping activities and mechanisms you have in place and what do you need to do to refine them?
We can never have too many coping skills.

Skill Gaps
Career retention and job search change are ongoing. Make sure you are qualified for the jobs you want and the one you currently have. Don’t fall behind, stay ahead.
Upgrade both your hard and soft skills, especially if you are in technology, healthcare, medical and professional services. Develop more likeability, be more of a team player and take more initiatives to develop leadership.
People who show thoughtful initiative will be rewarded.

Relationships
Networking and making quality connections both online and in person are the most non-negotiable parts of standing out as an employee or small business owner. Focus on the pillar social media marketing tactics including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, blogging and eMarketing and go out and meet people in person and at local and national events.
Show up, connect, engage and grow relationships daily. Find the time, make the time, invest more time and be selective.

Resentments
Get rid of them, work through them, resolve them and let them go. They are not productive or good energy to hold onto.

Intentions
What do you want to see happen in your life this year? What do you need to do to make them happen?
Move yourself in the direction you want to go. Your career path is your responsibility. Set the tasks, timelines and tone, which will impact the outcome.

Optimism and Kindness
These two assets are capable of changing anything and everything and building so much good faith and good will.
Be willing to uncover everything you need to know about yourself to get your house in order, inside and out and continue to refine your who, what and why.

Big commitment – but even bigger payoff.


See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/1613/8989/6049/2014-01_Web.pdf

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