HAPPY NEW YEAR - Some new year resolutions you can keep.

There is something very optimistic about the people who make New Year resolutions every year. Rather than focusing on the failures of the past, hopefully we look ahead once again, to ponder the many ways we can improve ourselves, lives and businesses.

This year, in addition to your usual list of personal resolutions, here are some professional new year resolutions you can keep in mind during 2017 and beyond.

Strive to learn something new every single day. It is easy to get stuck in the same awareness. Read an article, discuss a new approach with a colleague, research what other organizations are doing on the Web.The opportunities for learning are multiplying every day in this information age.

Make professional contacts and network. Look up colleagues with whom you have lost touch. Make sure you attend at least one professional meeting each month. You will benefit from the friendships and relationships you develop from active participation. It is not enough to join.

Be more organized. “Getting a head start on organization coming into the New Year is wonderful, however maintaining it is a little more difficult. Don’t overwhelm yourself into a whole new way of doing everything. Rather, focus your efforts on one or two key areas where you want to be more organized and maintain them throughout the entire year.

Expand Your Skill Set. Know what your strengths are but also look to develop areas which you perceive as weaknesses. A weakness can always be turned into strength! Keep your CV updated accordingly so it isn’t a headache when it comes to rewriting it for a new opportunity. Make sure your CV reflects development and strategic planning of the path you are taking towards a more fulfilled career.

Be Proactive. Attend all the possible training and professional development that is offered. Make a note of all areas you wish to progress in and jump at any chance to receive professional development in that area at work. Also, don’t just think of professional development as something that happens in the workplace. Take an interest outside of work and actively look for material and people that share your interest area and get involved.

Make a note of the goals you wish to achieve in 2017. Be accountable to yourself and keep track of how they are going. By the end of the year make sure that you have achieved or on the way to achieving what you set out to do professionally. Don’t wait for things to happen, make them happen and see everything as an opportunity.

                                             GOOD LUCK.......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!