Are you starting to put together your game plan for 2017? The transition from one year to the next is an opportunity to reflect on where you are in your career and plan for the future. Get a head start creating the roadmap to your 2017 success!
Start by considering your career dreams and goals and do your self-appraisal on how you have lived up or fallen short of achieving them this past year. If you were unable to achieve the goals you initially set out to accomplish, consider the following 5 questions to gain insight and help you find career satisfaction in the year ahead:
1. What is your definition of success?
Real success involves digging deep within to define it on your own terms, by your own standards, and by the things that hold true meaning to you. Success is personal. I like Maya Angelou’s definition: “success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
2. What are your 2016 accomplishments that you are most proud of?
This common job interview question can serve you well in evaluating your values, interests, and skills. Think about the skills that enabled your success, the challenges you overcame, and the knowledge you gained. Use these insights as you set your 2017 goals, prioritizing what you are passionate about. I had a boss who used to say that our past is the tutor of our present, always preparing us for future experiences. Or to quote Eisenhower: “accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination.”
3. What things have you left undone?
We tend to ring in the New Year with optimism and hopes about the opportunity for a fresh start and new possibilities. Many of us make our New Year’s resolutions intending to accomplish specific goals and projects. Which of your 2016 goals have you not completed? Which have fallen off your radar? Take stock of the goals you struggled with in 2016 and re-evaluate what can be discarded, what needs to be back on your plate, and how to make it happen. I believe that just as it is important to master the art of getting things done, we need to master the art of letting things go. The point here is not to beat ourselves up for what’s undone but rather appreciate the opportunity to move forward to what’s next. In the word of Bruce Lee: “absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.”
4. What are you most excited about for 2017?
Are there any new things you’d like to try in 2017? Any new places you’d like to visit? Any new skills you want to learn, enhance, or master? Any career goal you’d like to achieve? If you find this question easy to answer and end up with a lot of exciting things on your wish list, set up time to brainstorm each item on the list and prioritize on your 2017 to-do list. However, if you find yourself drawing a blank, you may need to challenge yourself to find inspiration, passion, and motivation in your life. Inspiration is fickle. Each of us finds it in our unique way whether exercising, reading, meditating, watching inspiring movies or videos, etc. Thinking about your past experience might provide insights. This is an important step in planning your 2017 professional commitments. Remember: “your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart & soul to it.” ~ Buddha
5. What would you try if you knew you couldn’t fail?
Are there things you’ve dreamed about doing, but you’ve been too scared to try? Is fear holding you back? They say that fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. Instead of asking yourself “what if I fail?” reframe the question and imagine what it would feel like to spread your wings and fly. Maybe 2017 is the year to dare work on that secret yearning? Perhaps it’s what has been missing in your life? Every year I dare myself to try one new “thing.” I visualize what that “thing” looks like and work to make it happen. While success is sweet, the true benefit is the journey – what I learn about myself and the people I meet along the way. Give yourself the gift of going after what you want. “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always “no”. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” ~ Nora Roberts.
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” ~ Brad Paisley
To get started you may want to try and describe 2016 in 3 words. Then write your 3 words for 2017.
If you, or anyone you care about, could use help in writing their 2017 play book, contact me at info@choicefulpath.com.
