With the new year ringing in new hopes and dreams, all of us are sure to have made some promises to ourselves. The good old new years resolutions that we strive hard to keep. However, resolutions help us proclaim and welcome the new year with optimism. After a year of uncertainty, let us dedicate this year to practical, smart, and professional goals to further enhance our lives.
1. Manifest Your Goals
Keep those positive vibes going, and manifest the career goals of your dreams! Maintain a journal or a personal blog to help put your objectives in perspective. Take a few minutes daily to mentally visualize and pen down your aims for the day. That fantastic feeling of ticking off everything you’ve managed to meet at the end the day never gets old. And before you know it, you’ll be meeting your goals one day at a time.
2. Declutter and Enhance Your Digital Self
Digital presence is vital now more than ever, with most industries forced to run primarily on digital platforms due to the worldwide pandemic. Revamp and update your profile on online professional networks like LinkedIn. Make sure you’ve chosen a recent headshot as your profile photo, and that the details reflect your work and achievements well. Overall, ensure that the look, tone and content are updated and that you are depicted in the best light.
Moreover, decluttering and organizing your digital correspondence and space is paramount! Promise yourself to declutter and manage your e-mail and files. You are bound to feel digitally lighter once you shed those junk e-mails, and arrange those files, prioritizing the important documentation.
3. Make New Connections
Building goodwill and connecting with people is definitely professional tips 101. Make this year about building new professional relationships, whilst strengthening the old. Don’t be that ‘fair-weather friend’ that connects with a colleague, simply to ask for a favour. Of course, professional networking will reap benefits in the long run, but you must put in the time and effort to nurture the relationship like any other association. Create mutually beneficial relationships, with ample support and generosity on both sides.
4. Foster a Thirst for Knowledge
We are, after all, lifelong learners. It is impossible to know everything at once, so why not choose this year to pick up a new skill. Perhaps you have one that you’ve wanted to perfect for a while, and there is no time better than now! Choose a skill that can further enhance your professional prospects and put you at the top of your game. Annually adding a new skill to your smart action plan is always a win, for you and your company.
5. Improve Your Brand Image
You are your best advocate. Make it a point to proactively manage the way people think of you in order to establish a stellar personal brand in the workplace. It certainly plays a vital role in boosting your career. Your personal brand should highlight your strengths, establish a reputation, build trust, and communicate the unique attributes that you bring to your current (or desired) industry. Cultivated well, your personal brand will signal to employers whether or not you’ll be the right fit for an open role.
6. Take Stock and Re-evaluate
Ask yourself, what projects and work spark joy and meet goals? Working smarter, with maximum impact is the way to go. Re-evaluate the value of time and energy-consuming projects with shallow results, and re-focus your abilities on projects with measurable goals and greater outcomes. You are responsible for building a strong foundation for your career, so make sure that whatever you put your heart and soul into, leads you to the culmination of your success.
Most often than not, resolutions are short-lived, as the novelty of the year fades, so do the goals. However, with concrete resolutions like these, you will have plenty opportunity to live through a great new chapter in your professional lives. However, it is important to remember that in order to meet your goals, you must stay focused throughout the year and ensure you set daily and monthly goals. Gift yourself the promise of well-planned success this year, and watch your career soar!