Sticking to Your Career Goals

The January Blues, we all have them. We spent the better half of December eating, drinking and being merry! Then reality hits, we must go back to work, eat healthy (for some people) and at least attempt to stick to our New Year’s resolutions, all while attempting to make the money we did not spend over Christmas last us until pay day.

As we head into February, it gets harder to stick to the diets, Dry January finishes and everyone has disposable income again. Here are some tips on how to keep yourself motivated through to the end of the year, helping you to brag in December 2022 at your next Christmas Party that you achieved everything you wanted to accomplish this year!

Planing Ahead and Goal Setting

We tend to throw away all the plans we had as we enter February and say ‘oh, I will try again next year’. However, if you sit down and put pen to paper, you can create small achievable goals that will lead you towards your overall target.

For example, if your plan is to get a pay rise by the end of the year, what small things could you do to make that happen? Sign up to extra projects? Volunteer for pro-bono work at your firm? It could just be something as simple as staying late twice a week.

If you sit down and plan the steps it is going to take to get you to where you want to be, it will make your overall goals seem much more achievable. 

Positive Mindset

Some days you are not going to want to do it, you may want to give up because it is more work than you expected, or life gets in the way and takes you off plan.

Not everyday is going to be a walk in the park, depending on your resolution, some of your smaller goals maybe be harder to achieve than others. Having a positive mindset can really help you to overcome any obstacles that may be in your way. We are all human and sometimes we let other people’s plans get in the way of us reaching our full potential.

It’s ok on some days to take a break and put other priorities ahead but telling yourself you are going to reach your goals and staying positive throughout the process, will keep you on track for hitting your resolutions!

Patience

Not every day will go to plan, things may change and goals may need to be altered, or moved to a later date. It is not just going to fall at your feet, you must put the work in. As you hear people say time and time again, ‘good things come to those who wait’. Patience is key, if things are not happening in the timeframe you planned, then change the schedule, do not give up because the goal posts changed.

Life is unforeseen and we should always expect the unexpected, so stay patient, as long as you continue to move forward, it doesn’t matter what pace you go at, you will achieve everything that you want.

Track and Reward Your Progress

It is important that you are tracking your small targets and reward yourself for getting yourself one step closer to the main goal. This will help ensure you are constantly moving forward and working towards your resolution. That allows you to stay positive and see a broad scale of when you could hit the targets. Rewards can be small, for example, if the goal you set was that you were going to stay late 3 times a week for a month, maybe allow yourself a day or 2 extra to leave on time the following week. If you set the reward for each goal as you complete the tasks you have planned, then you have something to look forward to at the end of it, while also working towards your larger plan.

Let People In

Let your friends, family or colleague know your targets, it is something to be celebrated that you are working on yourself. When you are struggling to hit a goal, they can help you stay motivated and keep you feeling positive. When you do finally hit either a milestone or the end goal, you have someone to share that with. People are invested in people, don’t be afraid to share your successes or weaknesses.

Sticking to resolutions can be tricky and these are just a few ways that can help you stay on track this year and allow you to celebrate in December with friends and family on your achievements while planning your new resolution for 2023.