Happy New Year, Now What?

I’m obsessed with the New Year and planning what I want to do in 2011 – more specifically, the goals I want to meet, not resolutions.  Resolutions usually come from a place of negativity – need to get in shape, lose weight or quit smoking – changing bad habits into good ones.  I suggest we should be using this time to think thoughtfully about things we want to accomplish in the New Year and set goals to make it happen.  It’s time better spent: either concentrate on flaws and ways to put yourself down, or objectives you can actually make happen.

In all of our professional lives, there are ways we can improve ourselves, increase our value to our companies, and make our companies more successful.  I’m not necessarily talking winning large contracts and making our companies tons of money, though I’m sure no one would complain.  There are small, real world goals we can set to achieve.

For instance, if you have a specific interest, you can set your sites on becoming a subject matter expert (SME) in that arena.  This is a great opportunity to quench your thirst for knowledge and apply your knowledge to your field.  Show the people around you that you want to know more and contribute more.

Use the goals you set and achieve one year, guide you to the next year.  Each year, take the opportunity to set new goals for yourself and see where you go professionally and how you grow.

I know what my goals for 2011 are, do you know yours?