The start of the New Year is a great time for reflection: What did I do a really good job at last year? What things can I do better? What needs to stop or go? Being very honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses can help you create a life you love. So if you’re ready to make the bold but much-needed claim that “This is My Year,†check out a few tips below.
1. Master habits that cultivate success. When it comes to success, many people are consumed with the outcome, and not the process. Success can be found in what you do daily: Plan your activities the night before. Be ruthless with your time. Break your goals down into manageable steps. Prioritize and schedule activities and monitor your progress. And most importantly, don’t let mistakes get you down; learn from them and embrace it as part of the process.
[RELATED: Are You Prepared For Success in 2016? Ask Yourself These 8 Questions]
2. Stop consuming and start creating. What’s really holding you back from turning your ideas into action? Nowadays, it’s too easy to get caught up reading the latest news and scrolling through everyone’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feeds. This year, unplug from social media regularly and get insanely focused on making your dream project a reality.
3. Stop living your life for someone else. You’ll never reach your full potential living someone else’s definition of success. Authenticity is the new black. It sells, attracts like-minded people, and creates community. Create a vision board, write down your goals, and clearly identify what success looks like for you. Then create a plan on how to make it happen and enlist the support of a few accountability partners.
4. Embrace uncertainty. The need for clarity and certainty stops most of us before we even start–it leaves most people paralyzed. But the reality is no one has it all figured out. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or employee, most successful people will agree–”Stress and uncertainty are a part of the process.” Read more about the traits of a successful entrepreneur here.
5. Learn how to say “no.” While on your journey to living your best life, you’ll have to disappoint some people by saying no. Be unapologetically selfish about your time. Learning to say no can certainly get you ahead. Fortune.com has a great article on tips to saying no.
6. Be unapologetic about wanting more out of life. “Every next level of your life will require a different you.†Be confident and trust your journey. When someone becomes successful, it’s a popular sentiment that a lot of people will say, “they’ve changed.†But Jay-Z said it best: Everybody look at you strange, say you changed. Ugh! Like you work that hard to stay the same. Take note: You’re not required to be the same person you were last week, last year, or even yesterday. Be the author of your own story.
7. Cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. You don’t have to own a business to apply entrepreneurial skills in the workplace. Regardless of whether you’re working for an employer or volunteering for a non-profit organization, go beyond your job description. Be resourceful and flexible. Make connections far beyond your workplace. And most importantly, be proactive and turn ideas into action. Remember, it’s your career. Own it.
8. Assess your relationships. Not everyone deserves a front-row seat in your life. Whether it’s spending time gossiping, listening to complainers at work, or being in a toxic relationship, every now then re-evaluate who you’re spending time with and make adjustments. Negative relationships prevent personal growth and development.
9. Take control of your finances. From creating a plan to pay down debt and monitoring your credit score to making smart investments, look for ways to save, shop smart, and create generational wealth. Tiffany Aliche, the founder of Budgetnista and Black Enterprise Finance Expert Stacey Tisdale are rock stars at providing great advice about finances.
10. Learn effective ways to share your work and promote your expertise. Stop marketing like it’s 2012. From asking for Likes or retweets to leaving the desktop-first mentality behind, social media powerhouse Gary Vaynerchuk created an incredibly insightful list of outdated marketing tactics. Check out another great article about 2016 marketing trends from Master Brand Coach Jai Stone.