Resolutions Schmesolutions: 3 Steps to Attain Results

Okay. Everyone's talking about their New Year's resolutions...at the water cooler. At lunch. During cigarette breaks (yes, you're going to quit this year!), or during your commute. Ad nauseum. Still, you'd like to pitch in somehow and make some changes for yourself this year. Who doesn't? Maybe this year you want to finally kick your nicotine addiction or spend more time with your family. Awesome. Now, let's talk about your career. I'm guessing even if you're not actively looking for another position, you'd like to improve on some things. Maybe you want to take on more interesting projects, get more responsibility, or less responsibility and more flexibility so you can focus more on your private life. Or, perhaps this will be the year you'll give your life a multi-talented kick in the rear. Create a “Renaissance style” life. Maybe you are in job search mode. If so, I don't need to tell you you're basically holding down two jobs for the time being: your actual job and searching for one. So, let's keep this as simple as possible to really limit the amount of overwhelm. I'll show you how to go from vague, lofty resolution to attainable result - not goal. A goal is too vague. We're not playing for peanuts here.

First (Step 1)

Start with one "something" you'd like to have or a result you want to see happening this year. Visualize it and really imagine what having that or being in that situation would look or feel like to you. It has to be something you're truly excited about. Instead of "quit horrible job," try "land wonderful job." Subtle, but very important as you need something to move toward that is positive to you. If you have too many things you want to realize, pick one first. We'll get to the others later. It's not either/or, just one at a time. Got one? Great!

Next (Step 2)

Define the "thing" or situation from step one. Get clear on what you're talking about. In keeping with the same example; if you want to score a fantastic job this year, begin by defining this position for yourself. Write down what it needs to entail. Envision a typical day at work in this job. What are you doing? How do you feel? In what kind of environment are you? What types of colleagues do you work with? What are you wearing? (Is it a casual environment or very corporate-like?)

Then (Step 3)

Figure out what needs to happen for you to get that result. Do you need to update your resume? Contact your network? Get active profiles on social networking sites? Do research on the industries or companies you want to transition to? Whatever it is, see what you can start doing now. What is the first step you need to take to make this happen? If you don't know; what would it be if you did? If you are getting the hang of it, you can identify a bunch of in-between steps and reverse-engineer your way to your desired result. Don't get too detailed here. Stick to the major milestones and estimate how much time you'd need for them. Mind you: we're not being scientific about it. It's okay to get it wrong. You'll notice errors as soon as you get going. That's when you'll course correct. The biggest complaint I hear from people is they don't know how to get going - how to start. This can seem really daunting. Once you're moving, it's so much easier to keep going and make changes along the way. My goal (yes, this is a goal!) is to get you going! Doesn’t this sound doable? I've used this technique myself, and if I can do it, everyone else can too! (I'm not known for my organizational talents.) Give it a shot right now so you won't put it off until next year! Let me know how it worked for you, okay? I love hearing about your experiences.