How Can You Make Sure 2018 Finishes On A High?
How has the year gone by so fast? December is approaching and if you are like me you’ll be wondering how you are going to fit in everything that you want to do and achieve, before 2019 comes around.
Here are the 5 things I think you need to do to finish the year strongly:
1- Start noting what you have achieved this year
For example, I got to move to a new city I love, publish my first (short) fiction book, develop my business and meet lots of interesting new people.
Your list doesn’t have to be shared with anyone but it is important to take stock and realize how far you have come- before the New Year starts and you are sucked back into the day-to-day of being busy.
2- Decide what will give you satisfaction to have completed by the end of the year
Between now and the end of the year, you can’t realistically do everything. You do still have time to do quite a lot. What would make the greatest difference to your future life? What would make you feel proud? Prioritize those things (I’ll try to as well, I know it isn’t easy!) as much as you can.
3- Give yourself planning time for 2019 between now and early January
You could look at what you want to do with your career and how it might develop in the future. You could think about how you make opportunities come into your life. You could consider what makes you learn and grow.
Whatever you want to achieve in the next year, give yourself the space- in terms of diary time but also mentally- to be able to think about that.
4- Start some of the day to day improvements that you know will make a difference, right now
There are lots of little habits we could all try to start, right now, that would improve our lives and the lives of people around us. You don’t have to wait for a New Year’s Resolution, why not get a head start today?
For example, take some time, today, to commit to using LinkedIn more effectively. This article shows you how to make the most of LinkedIn.
5- Don’t be too hard on yourself!
Most of us have the tendency to be too hard on ourselves. It is one thing to strive hard and have high standards. It is another thing to beat ourselves up about things, especially as so much of the world is out of our control.
Whether you feel you’ve had a good 2018 or not, try to not be too hard on yourself about it and try to remember the positive moments.
If you are having a bad day, here are my tips for getting it back on track.
If you need some inspiration, find people you admire for different reasons and try to learn from them, while at the same time sharing their work with others- as I did here.
Hope the rest of your 2018 goes well!
Alex Swallow is The Influence Expert and author of ‘How To Become An Influencer’. A free copy of the book and many tips about growing your influence can be found at www.theinfluenceexpert.com. You can join his online course, ‘How To Network’ free here.
