Yes, it’s the end of 2014…we can hardly believe that the year has flown so quickly! Wasn’t it just a few months ago that we were ushering in the end of 2013?
Time flies when you’re having fun, as the saying goes! Ok, so maybe not all of it was fun, but we like to keep a positive outlook on things ?
Yes friends, 2015 is a new year, brimming with opportunities and possibilities, so be sure to take the time to prepare yourself to get the very best out of the year.
“ But how to prepare?” I hear you ask.
Simple. You’ll just need to get hold of the brainstorming tool of your choice – IPad, Laptop or good old-fashioned pen and paper notebook or a blank piece of paper, pick a quiet spot and a time when you won’t be interrupted.
And then, focus. Turn off your handphone or put it on silent mode, disable your watsapp alerts. No distractions. Just focus your mind on the important things.
1. First, analyse the previous year and identify your successes and failures from the previous year. Take a long, hard, honest look at how 2014 went for you. What are the things you did well? What are the areas in which you achieved something or performed at an optimum level? What are you proud about having achieved? On the flip side, what about the things that went badly?
What are you not proud of, were there mistakes that you made, did you fail to achieve something that you planned to achieve? I should probably add here that there is no downside to these so-called failures. Every failure is an opportunity to learn, to grow and to improve.
Based on your list of successes and failures, make a comprehensive set of goals for 2015 relating to your performance in 2014. In the first column, include goals which you did not manage to achieve in 2014. They can simply be “carried forward” and added on to your other goals for 2015.
2. As for new goals for 2015, you could divide them into different categories such as health, fitness, career, spirituality, personal finance, family, leisure, professional development and personal development. Under each category, add a couple of bullet points to cover the things you are working towards, and the things that you hope to achieve in 2015. Once you’ve completed your own, you could even do a list of “family” goals for other members of your family too!
3. Also, from a professional perspective, do your own “performance appraisal” of how you have grown professionally in 2014. List out your achievements, your accomplishments, your successes. But don’t forget to also address your failures and the areas in which your professional profile requires improvement. You could divide your professional profile into categories such as interpersonal skills and communication, networking, technical skills updates, on-the-job knowledge, professional grooming & image, etc.
4. Another tip is to create a list of people with whom you would like to connect before the year ends. A very useful reason to do this is because it forges and fortifies links with people in a way that sets the stage for follow-on communications next year, which could lead to positive opportunities in the most exciting time of the year when job offers are at their most prolific.
5. Lastly, do schedule some time to take care of loose ends before year-end. There is nothing to beat the incredible feeling of knowing that your to-do list has been completed, before you go off to your new year’s eve celebration party! These loose ends could be annoying little errands and tasks that have been hanging around for weeks or months, as you keep putting them off and postponing them.
Or, they could be important things that you’ve been meaning to get around to, such as visiting an elderly or sick relative, or contributing your time or funds to a good cause. Make the effort, schedule the item into your to-do list and make sure you get it done! Your reward will be the knowledge that you have achieved something and/or made a difference.
To achieve self-mastery, constant planning, preparation and monitoring is key. Be encouraged to constantly strive to improve yourself so that you can help to improve things for others and contribute to making the world a better place. Connect with your purpose and put in the effort needed to achieve your goals. By taking the time to focus and plan for 2015, you will have a clear roadmap to guide you on your journey throughout the next 12 months.
Hopefully, you’ll find some of these tips useful and instrumental in helping you prepare for an amazing 2015 ahead. Here’s wishing you a happy new year and a wonderful holiday season too!
