Yes, I love standing on the precipice of a New Year. It feels as though I’m perched atop a steep mountain gazing at a majestic vista all mine to explore. The creative juices start flowing every time during this last stretch of the year.

Many feel this sense of expectation, too, with 71 percent of Americans hopeful about 2022, according to a CBS News Poll. 

One wonders how many of those Americans will review their 2022 at the end of the year, actualizing their wished-for outcome. I know the ones who will be celebrating their great year will be those who make it happen by using their time to bring what they want into existence instead of following a well-worn pathway not designed with your desires in mind.

Let’s explore mind-switching tips that will up the probability of you fist-pumping in joy at the end of the year.

Imagining Your Year: Isn’t it time to strategize the life and career you intend for yourself? You know the ones pictured from the breathless hidden dreams of your heart—not limited by the perception of others. No one else has the same skin in the game as you do. What is buried in your dreams and your aspirations never brought to the light of day? At the end of the year, what would you be doing if you’ve achieved or experienced, or developed this career aspiration?

It isn’t easy to realize anything worth having if you haven’t identified your destination.

Don’t forget two attributes that will aid in you achieving your successful, fulfilling career.

  1. Be Accountable: Most at your level of career achievement are rather good at completing tasks assigned to them by others—only the rare few are good at keeping promises to themselves. Such a priority is the determining factor of anyone interested in designing a satisfying career. You see, you accomplish little in life without working on your plan as you take systematic action to reach your envisioned future.
  2. Be Open: On the other hand, which may be surprising to hear from me, there are often unexpected, serendipitous occurrences that lead to rewarding work. You see many experience amazing, unforeseen opportunities scattered along their career path that lights up possibilities never conceived before. Interestingly, these golden interruptions rarely occur to executives who are not moving forward nor are flexible enough to shift directions.

Contemplating Your Bellybutton: I recommend that whenever you’re moving into a new space, such as the New Year or progressing to another job or receiving a promotion that you take time to ask yourself three questions. And don’t simply inquire. You need to probe deeply to appreciate your heart’s desires!

  • What should I continue performing that is critical to my success formula? Make sure you understand inside-and-out the attitudes, behaviors, and skills that accounted for my career advancement. And make sure they’re in your areas of passion and strength. You’ll be more engaged, not to mention you’ll accomplish more in less time by leaning into them.
  • What did I do in the past that wasn’t my finest hour that I want to change and take on as part of my revised success formula moving forward? Okay, as brilliant as you are, you probably haven’t executed everything as well as you hoped. So, what steps do you intend to learn as your next improvement project?
  • What do I need to give up or take on for the next stage in my career? Make sure you’re persisting in areas relevant to your next career chapter—not merely those necessary for success today. You see, executives often hold onto comfort assignments while resisting the tough stretch ones. Yet such an attitude doesn’t move you to the next stage of your career. So, what do you need to give up, and what do you need to groom so you aren’t slowing down your career progress?

Is your future worth a bit of effort on your part or not? Those who have committed to counting their career as worth spending time on moving forward are glad they did.

If you’re hoping your career will be more satisfying, make the decision to join the Thrive@Work Mastermind program. It’s a community of other like-minded professional women committed to growing and learning. Check it out at:.https://www.thrivewithnancy.com/thrive/