As we navigate through these long Holidays it is a good time to reflect and plan ahead with a new perspective. Although one can do this at any time of the year, the Holiday period (November December, and ending in early January) seems most appropriate. There is something about its spirit at this time that influences us to introspect and then turn a new page in our life, as we move forward. All the major festivals: Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, among others take place during this time, too. So, regardless of your denomination or even if you are secular, this time of the year provides a good opportunity to reflect and to chart your course during the upcoming year and beyond.
So, here is my list of things to think about as we close out 2015 and get ready for 2016 and beyond!

1. Make Goals, Not Resolutions: Do not start your 2016 with yet another New Year’s resolution! Most such resolutions have a half-life of about a month at best. Instead, write down 2-3 major goals with an action plan and timelines. For example, do not start with: I want to lose 25 lbs. (~11Kg) next year. Instead, start with the changes you are going to make in your life and how you are going to implement them. In this case make a plan of regular exercise, eating right (list of what you eat, keeping a daily calorie count), and staying fit. A multi-prong approach is more likely to succeed than just doing a crash diet and then defeating yourself! Serious goals take thoughtful planning, execution, and diligence. It is also embracing a new habit in the way you live your life.
2. Audit Defeats and End Them: Make an audit of your “defeats” in the recent past. See if there is pattern that you are able to identify. For example, in company meetings where senior executives ignored your comments despite their import and then someone hijacked that idea in that very meeting and everyone rallied around it, right as you were watching, unable to clap or even smile at how your own idea got morphed in to a sensation for the person seating just next to you. Then your boss comes to you and mentions that you have a serious “marketing” problem in such meetings. If these or similar situations are becoming a norm for you, then develop a plan on how to overcome such defeats and implement it, starting with the next meeting. Get someone to coach you or find someone who can support you during such situations to ensure your success.
3. Focus on One Improvement: Identify one area of improvement in your professional life. In most cases I find that my clients’ communication skills are what holds them back. Their ability to form an idea, shape it to make it politically “bullet-proof,” articulating it in a “marketable” way, and then finding support before “selling” it are all at the heart of good communication (see #2, above). Part of the skill is also developing an ability write well. Both oral and written communication skills are the most underrated competencies. Yet, these skills are developed through diligent practice and vigilance. So, find avenues to improve your communication skills through commonly available resources (Toastmasters, writing clinics, workshops, posting regular blogs, among other such avenues).
4. Codify Success Drivers: Look back and congratulate yourself on all your accomplishments and review what factors and preparations led you to these successes. You want to codify your success drivers and find for yourself situations where you can repeat such successes time and again. This will boost your confidence and will give you the impetus to reach out to go further in your pursuits (see #10). Also, don’t just focus on building your résumé; learn how to build your own eulogy!
5. Be Grateful: Show your gratitude to others through your actions by showing interest in their causes, listening to their woes, and providing support. Be grateful for all the positive things you have and that have happened to you throughout the years. Do not complain or whine about those that did not happen the way you wanted them. Always maintain a positive attitude, too, which will attract positive energy in your endeavors. Remember, a positive attitude may not always get you what you are after, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
6. Thank those Angels: Make a list of every person that had a positive influence in your life, both personal and professional, not just during this year, but also any time in the past. Start with your spouse, kids, and close relationships. Such relationships are often taken for granted. Just showing your appreciation to each individual in specific terms and expressing your gratitude, both in-person orally and in writing can make a big difference to the other person. Merely saying, Thanks for you help during the year sounds hollow and contrived. But, if you say, “Jim, I want to thank you for your help and support during the Pilot-release project last summer. My team was struggling with the many deadlines, and, when the only supplier came back with a long ship date, we knew our project was doomed. But, you found out another source and went out of your way to line them up and made our release successful. Without you I would have been lost. So, thank you again!”
7. Promote Yourself: Start building relationships with “higher-ups.” This does not mean just with those in positions of power, but with those with whom your association will be seen as a positive factor in building your own brand. Do not be shy reaching out to well-connected people and “celebrities.” Make sure that you connect with them in a meaningful way and that you also provide them some meaning in your connection to them and to their network. Always choose people that are better than you and those who challenge you with their smarts and savvy. Always learn from them! Stay away from ingrate energy and emotional “vampires.”
8. Manage Your Image: Act and look powerful. It takes the same energy as it does when you have a furrowed brow and a scowl on your face! Sport a broad smile, no matter whom you are looking at, even strangers!
9. Manage Energy not Time: Learn how to manage your energy and not your time. Almost everyone who comes to me starts complaining about their inability to manage their time. Time cannot be managed as it flows at a constant speed and only in one direction. However, if you understand how your energy works for you throughout the day and its ebbs and flows, then you know what tasks to do during such cycles to maximize your productivity.
10. Challenge Yourself: Constantly challenging your own achievements improves your abilities and puts you on a path of winning. Set yourself a goal so big and audacious that you cannot achieve it until you grow into the person who can! And, finally, remember this:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are the child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. You are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” –Marianne Williamson.

Good luck in the New Year and Always!