New Year, New Intentions: How to stay on course to achieving your career goals

The saying goes: New Year, New Me. But, for many, resolutions and intentions may seem like a colossal mountain impossible to conquer. However, there are subtle but effective methods you can practice to help tackle and fulfill your goals.

The new year is always a motivator to set lofty goals like starting your own business, becoming partner, landing that big client, making a career pivot, or going back to school – and 2022 is no exception. The pandemic and its aftermath have brought a couple of unsettling and rocky years riddled with layoffs, inflation, The Great Resignation and a declining global economy.

So, how do we stay on track and combat procrastination, self-doubt, imposter syndrome and other self-provoking insecurities? Here are a few tips on how to keep your eye on the prize.

Write it down, say it out loud and manifest.

This may be cliché but having a positive energy helps. Keeping your goals in mind and in sight can help you stay motivated and disciplined. Write down your goals and display them on your desk, smart phone or computer. Set aside time to acknowledge small and big wins.

Make an Action Plan and Take Action!

Having a strategy with tactics that maps out how you plan to achieve your goals can help you get organized. Schedule those one-on-one meetings with your network to let them know you are seeking a new role or jumping into a new industry, email your college professor to ask about graduate programs, reach out to a mentor or former boss to seek advice about how to negotiate a salary bump are all critical steps to help you level up.

Develop a brain trust.

High stakes decisions about your career can be overwhelming and difficult to figure out without guidance. Engaging with a group of trusted friends and collogues that can serve as a sounding board can add value when it's time to make tough decisions like whether you should relocate for a new role, take a pay cut to start a passion project or make that lateral move for a better work, life balance. Surrounding yourself with a likeminded community can help you be honest with yourself and figure out what's important.

Discipline is key.

Self-discipline can be the differentiation marker that will make you stand out from the rest. Start by putting your phone away and using social media blockers like Freedom, StayFocusd, and RescueTime to help you stay focused. Another way to improve your self-discipline is to create a daily to-do list that you tackle and come back to frequently – make sure to cross off tasks as they are completed!

It’s a marathon not a sprint.

Like fad diets, fast results can lead to short-term and unsustainable outcomes, which is why you get the best, long-term results are achieved when you are focused, disciplined and honing your skills at a steady pace. Set realistic deadlines and hold yourself accountable to them – celebrate reaching specific goals and milestones. Remember you are building yourself in your respective industry and that takes time.