By Dr. Thyonne Gordon
CEO, Beyond Story
In January, we speed into the New Year tackling head on a long list of resolutions that are almost impossible to keep. Just about this time of the year—February to March—we realize we may have overextended ourselves on the resolution front. Sometimes this gets us down. We feel defeated. But hear this: It’s okay to admit we might have put in too large an order to handle in our normal lives.
Once we accept that there’s too much on our plates, it’s time to reset our resolutions so that they work for us. Whatever resolutions we had, a sure-fire way to keep them is to put in place some tools that will accelerate our process.
Top leaders use these five tools regularly to keep from overextending and to stay on track. Try them and let us know how they work for you.
- Make sleep and healthy eating a priority. Taking care of yourself is the first thing you can do to make sure you are capable of meeting your goals. Without your health and sleep, you are in no position to move forward in your fast paced world. When you work so hard that you neglect yourself, your productivity actually plummets. So make yourself a priority when it comes to sleep and health.
- Network outside the office to broaden your perspective. Whenever you are thinking of advancing your career or moving into a different space, networking is a vital part of your plan. Actively pursue industry events and conferences so you can understand the playing field in your chosen arena.
- Set at least one career and personally oriented goal that makes you happy. Sit down and think about what you want for your personal career and for your life. Write down what you’re interested in learning for this year and set some goals that can make it happen. Figure out what makes you happy and start doing more of that. When you’re happy it’s easier to reach the goals that keep you there. Find and set “happy” goals to keep yourself energized.
- Accelerate your growth: Make a goal to learn something new. Learning new skills sets keeps your mind sharp and offers cachet to your net worth. Make sure you are learning new skills that can be applied to your personal and career brand. Life long learners tend to live life fully a lot longer!
- Read news from your industry every day. Before you begin your work day, read something from your industry or from the industry in which you’re interested. Find a newspaper, a blog or a LinkedIn story that shares information from your industry. This will keep you current and motivate you to stay involved.
Once you implement these simple resolutions, you will see your other resolutions fall into place. Take care of yourself and your business, and everything else will take care of itself.
Great leadership is absolutely about sharing and giving, but it is also about being in peak performance mode. In all that you do, consider yourself a priority before you are tempted to overextend. This will connect your giving “heart” to your practical “head.” The result? You will be able to give the best of yourself consistently.
