Originally Published Dec. 12, 2016
Are you stuck working on the same New Year’s goals you’ve had for the past few years?
Don’t get stuck with the same goals—it becomes a repetitive process that stops inspiring you to do more. If you want to achieve something different, you have to try something different.
Be cautious: this list of goals will require you to get outside of your head, and conquer those demons you’ve been avoiding the majority of your life. Here are three nontraditional New Year’s goals that probably weren’t on your list last year, but if you try them this year, they are guaranteed to take your career and business in unexpected directions.
Attend a Summit or Conference in Another State
You may have stretched your relationship-building goals by attending more networking events this year. Now, it’s time to spice up your professional life with a couple of multi-day conferences.
Attending workshops, meeting industry leaders, and networking with fellow attendees can have a positive impact on your business. Go online and identify 10 potential conferences that you are willing to attend. Search keyword terms, such as “women in business conferences.”
If you haven’t already registered, check out the BLACK ENTERPRISE Women of Power Summit. This is your chance to connect with the most influential women in the world.
You might find your “possibility posse”—high-achieving leaders who give you feedback and recommendations. They help you to be more purposeful and profitable in your business. It has often been said that you are a combination of the company you keep. Guard your social circle wisely, and place yourself in environments with people who inspire you to dream bigger.
Add a Competition to Your New Year’s Goals
If you’ve ever thought about competing in a pageant, it was probably during your teenage or young-adult years, when you were fascinated by those beautiful girls that flaunted their perfectly sculpted bodies in dazzling, four-inch heels across the stage.
On the other hand, maybe you have always deemed pageants to be sexist and irrelevant to modern day progress.
All pageants are not created equal. If you are a career-driven professional or entrepreneurial-focused individual, you’ve probably never thought about tapping into the pageantry circuit in order to develop your brand.
For example, have you heard about the Ms./Mrs Corporate America (MCA) pageant? It’s a pageant that celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding businesswomen, between the ages of 21 and 55. This pageant acknowledges your progress as a businesswoman, and provides you a platform to empower other women. Many career experiences result in women tearing each other down in order for them to climb higher, but MCA focuses on women coming together to advance the ambitions of women all over the world.
What makes this an especially huge, brand-boosting opportunity is the series of events that take place before the pageant. Contestants showcase why they should be the next titleholder through a host of appearances, sponsor support, and video contests. These are the same activities you should partake in to grow your business—even if you are afraid of the spotlight. There is somebody who needs exactly what you have. It’s important that you present your gifts to the world, so that you can share them.
Travel Around the World
What you know is limited to how far you go. If you never step outside of your country, you limit the relationships and impact that you could have as a leader.
When you are staring at a pile of papers and a growing list of action items, traveling to a different country may not appear to be the most feasible activity to undertake. But what if I told you that traveling would increase your clients, profits, and confidence? There are many traveling opportunities that you can explore no matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey.
If you are a business leader between the ages of 17 to 29, consider Up with People. This 6-month, multi-continent tour gives you a chance to increase your cross-cultural competencies and hone your leadership skills.
Another travel opportunity for those seeking to connect, create, and collaborate in world-renowned destinations is Unsettled
. Unsettled travel community gives you the opportunity to connect with other creative entrepreneurs on a 30-day retreat.Finally, those who want to increase their language competencies can participate in a language immersion course in another country. Don Quijote offers over 25 short- and long-term Spanish courses of all different levels.
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