Finding Your New Year Momentum

New year, new you?  As always, it depends.

We are three weeks into the New Year, and it’s time to shake off that Holiday lull. Maybe resolutions are already fading, perhaps the weather is making you lazy, or you simply stopped wasting time on lofty New Year’s Resolutions years ago.  This week is the perfect time to reconnect with passion and purpose for 2015.  Make a mark on the new year with these simple tips:

1. Just Do It: You’ve been thinking about that new route to take for a while, take it.

Too often we wait for the perfect moment and miss the opportunity.  Big decisions should be the easiest ones: follow your gut and be decisive.  Having trouble ‘hearing’ your gut?  Refresh your mind by experiencing the present.  I’m not recommending incense (unless you like it!) simply stop talking, texting, and thinking for 10 minutes.  Try it.

2. Communicate with Less: You need to be fully heard in an attention-deficit affected world.

Trying to make plans with a friend?  Need a response from a busy boss?  Help cut through the distractions and the information overload.  Make your message shorter.  Think first, be direct, and get right to the important stuff!  Pick the most efficient mode: email, phone, text, perhaps even face-to-face.

3. Set Small Goals: Small goals keep you on task and help track real progress.

Unmet lofty goals are discouraging.  Tracking small achievements builds momentum and increases motivation.  Appreciating small wins boosts your sense of competence and can result in increased drive.  Which ‘wins’ should you tackle first?  The easiest ones!  Knock goals off one-by-one and gain metal momentum as you see the list dwindle.

Remember, “What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year” – Vern McLellan

– Natalie Cummins
Senior Analyst, Quantitative Research