It is that time of year again – Holiday Time!

For me, the end of the year and beginning of a new year is time to reflect upon what has been and plan for what might be.

I am not a great believer in New Year’s resolutions, per se.  I think you need more of a plan and then you need to implement the plan to have success in the coming year.

Without writing down your plan and looking at it all the time, the resolutions quickly disappear.  That’s why so many great ideas for the New Year are never achieved. (In some cases, they are not even remembered until the end of the next year when the same resolutions are made yet again!)

So, take some time to reflect upon 2019.  Look at the achievements you have accomplished, and congratulate yourself on reaching them. 

Yeah you!

Don’t stress about the goals you missed this year.  Instead, make a commitment to achieve them, as well as new goals, in 2020.

Remember, you have never failed unless you give up entirely!

Once you have congratulated yourself and enjoyed the remembrance of things achieved this year, start plotting some goals for next year.  They might be personal improvements, job oriented goals, or academic goals.

Of course, I am focused primarily on academics; but, having said this, all goals tend to run into one another.  Creating a better personal “you” will help you reach job and academic goals.  Looking for a better job might entail increasing your academic expertise, etc. Remember the network?  Well, it applies here as well.

Write them down.

Write down your goals (dare I say resolutions?) and keep them where you can see them frequently. You can even post a picture of your ultimate goal(s) somewhere near your workspace or even as wallpaper on your computer.   Writing down your goals is essential.  Without this step, your intended accomplishments will disappear like ghosts in the wind; or, at the very least, become weaker and weaker.

Once you have determined what goals you would like to achieve, plot out a pathway to get there.  Often, we have a big idea but no real plan to succeed in reaching it.  With a bit more of a roadmap, your success rate will soar.

Okay, okay, now I’m getting to instructive again. 

I want to end with a sincere wish that you enjoy your holiday time. Have fun with family, friends, and getting to renew yourself for the New Year.

Enjoy the festivities, food, gifts, and/or solitary contemplation.