The holiday season is a time to enjoy family and friends, decompress and lighten your workload. While you are away from the office and Zoom calls, you should reflect upon your life and career and start contemplating what you’d really love to do next.
The slower pace of the end season affords you the opportunity to express gratitude to loved ones and balance both appreciating all the wonderful people and things you have in your life, while also looking forward to what you want to achieve in 2023.
Self-Reflecting On What You Want To Do With Your Life And Work
Although you may feel overwhelmed with social engagements, shopping for presents, or packing for a much-earned vacation, allocate alone time to engage in self-reflection. The usual work grind, daily chores, and obligations leave precious few hours to think about your happiness.
Meditate on your feelings about your job, career, co-workers, and boss. Are you doing something that is meaningful and offers you a sense of purpose to get up and out of bed in the morning, or are you spinning your wheels in the real-world version of the movie Groundhog Day? Do you feel that you are the best version of yourself or is there room for personal and professional growth that has been untapped?
If you are not helping your future self live up to your potential, take assertive action. Map out a success plan. Write down a list of goals for what you want to achieve in the next year. Then, set up a daily system of actions that will help you succeed in the pursuit of your desires.
The simple process of writing something down or sharing it with a trusted person makes your mission real. The person with whom you shared your dreams will hold you accountable, and so will look at your wish list daily. The Japanese philosophy of Kaizen calls for starting out with small improvements. Focus on improving by 1% every day. This will lead to long-term growth.
Once you become serious and focused on change, you’ll notice a difference. Your self-esteem will improve. You’ll feel energized and emboldened to take chances. Over time, others will notice the vibe shift. Your new frequency will attract the right kind of people. The positive energy will lead toward advancement within your organization or doing well in job interviews.
Take Time To Improve Your Career
Put aside time to freshen up your résumé and LinkedIn profile. Seek out top headhunters in your field. Scope out “reach” positions on job boards and target companies’ careers sites. Don't be demure at Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years' parties. Reach out to strangers and friends alike and ask them if they know of any job openings or business opportunities that they could share with you.
Most people discard their job hunt in December and put it off until the new year. While they sit on the sidelines, you’ll be charged up and stand out in the hiring process, as there is substantially less competition.
You might decide to make a career pivot or reinvent yourself. This may require taking online courses to learn new skills or taking a step back to move forward in a new and different direction.
Improve Your Perspective
You can build a better future for yourself by cultivating a growth mindset. This way of thinking requires you to believe in your innate ability to better yourself through hard work and dedication. You are in charge of your own destiny and can overcome any obstacles put in your path.
Stop ruminating over failures. Close the door on the past, as it's over and can never be changed. The future is wide open. The new year is one of the best times to start your new adventure.
Trying to build a career isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would be a multi-millionaire CEO. To cope with hits to your mental health and emotional well-being in this competitively cutthroat economy, try practicing a little Zen.
Block out your micromanaging boss and co-workers who stab you in the back and spread unfounded rumors. Put aside time for meditation and deep breathing. This technique calls for taking in a deep breath through your nostrils, holding to a count of four, and slowly releasing it. Do this in a series until you feel calm and relaxed.
Now is always the time to act. By deferring gratification in the present and by putting in the time and effort, you’ll reap the rewards down the road. Your future self will appreciate everything you did in the past to provide for a better life 30 years from now.