Tips for Making the Most Out of the New Year
Here we are already six days into 2020 if you haven’t entirely found your new year motivation, you aren’t alone. I am still trying to figure out what day it is! But all jokes aside, I would like to see all the hard work and missed marks from 2019 pay off this year. And if you are reading this, you probably do too.
Ten Tips to Keep You Moving Forward
Have you already written out a list of goals for the new year? Are they eerily similar to last year? I know mine are. And instead of being upset that they are, I want to dig deeper and figure out what I can do better. Forbes offers the following tips to power through the negativity and stay on track for reaching your goals.
- Focus on the upside of a downside situation. “I have to pay half a million dollars in taxes” becomes “I made $5 million this year.”
- Pinpoint the opportunity contained in a difficult challenge. Ask, “How can I make this situation work to my advantage? Can I find something positive in it? What can I manage or overcome in this instance?”
- Frame a setback as a lesson to learn, not a failure to endure. Ask what you can learn from difficult outcomes and use them as stepping-stones, instead of roadblocks. Think of the situation as happening for you instead of to you.
- Broaden your scope. Put on your wide-angle lens. Look beyond the disappointment or failure, think of the big picture, and include all the people and things in your life that you’re grateful for and let that steer you beyond the gloom.
- Be chancy. Take small risks in new situations instead of predicting adverse outcomes before giving them a try. “If I go to the office party, I won’t know anyone” becomes “If I go to the party, I could meet a new friend or colleague.”
- Avoid blowing a situation out of proportion. Don’t let one negative experience rule your whole outlook: “I didn’t get the promotion; now I’ll never advance in my career” becomes “I didn’t get the promotion, but there are many pathways to success.”
- Focus on the solution, not the problem. You’ll feel more empowered to cope with career curveballs when you step away from the problem and brainstorm a wide range of possibilities. Your wide-angle lens will help you see them.
- Practice positive self-talk. After a big letdown, underscore your triumphs and high-five your “tallcomings” instead of bludgeoning yourself with your “shortcomings.” Affirm positive feedback instead of letting it roll over your head.
- Hang out with positive people. Optimism is contagious. When you surround yourself with optimistic people, positivity rubs off.
- Strive to see the fresh start contained in your loss. Every loss includes a win, but you have to look for it. Every time you get up just one more time than you fall, your perseverance increases the likelihood of propelling you up the career ladder. Baseball great Babe Ruth said, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
All of us here at the Minteer Real Estate Team are cheering you on in the New Year!