8 Keys to Your Success in 2019

How was 2018 for you? Did you accomplish all or most of your goals? Did things start going sideways at some point this past year?

Chances are you’ve had some successes, along with a few things you wish you could have done better. The good thing is that, as humans, we always want to improve ourselves from one year to the next. There’s always more to accomplish, room for advancement, and new ideas to try.

So, for 2019, I’ve put together these eight keys for a successful year.

1.     Eliminate ‘failure’ from your vocabulary. You may make a mistake that sends you or your business down the wrong path, but it’s not failure. Not even close. In fact, there’s no such thing as failure. That’s because in everything that goes wrong, there’s always a life lesson waiting for you. Take a deep breath. It’s OK. The sooner you take a step back to discover the life lesson, then the quicker you’ll be able to move forward with that knowledge in hand to make a better decision next time. It sometimes takes many setbacks before you win. And in the meantime, you will grow, learn, and be stronger.

2.     Adapt, change or get out of the way. Let’s face it, we live in an ever-changing, fast-paced world. And in a social media-dominant society, the pace is further compounded. Stay up to date—even ahead of the game—in your industry. Anticipate the needs of your consumer, and be ready to meet and exceed their needs. Don’t wait for someone else to do it first because they most certainly will. It’s survival of the fittest out there!

3.     Do the hard things first. Start every day by getting that big task out of the way. There should be three essential things on your to-do list daily. Check them off in the morning when you are the most refreshed and have the most energy. Then see what else comes up for the day… or take the rest of the day off. Then you can start with another three essential tasks tomorrow.

4.     Challenge yourself. Let 2019 be a year of fun beginnings and new explorations. Study a new subject matter, take up a new sport or try a new hobby. The choice is yours. And chances are when you expose yourself to something new and different, you’ll meet new people, have new experiences, and learn something new about yourself that you never knew before.

5.     Learn more, and learn every day. Many times, the reason why we don’t move forward in life is because we stop learning and stretching our life experiences. So, ask questions and truly listen to the answers. Get to know the people around you better. And let them get to know you better too. Learn a new skill or change your life in a small way. Change takes practice and repetition. So, if you want to lose weight, learn a new language or take flying lessons, start at step one. Master that, then move to step two, and so on and so on. As you continue learning, your neurons in your brain keep firing and making signals… and connections are made.

6.     Say good-bye to time wasters. Take a good, critical look at your life. What habits, activities or people in your life are wasting your time? You only have one life to live. So, why let meaningless things or unhelpful relationships take up your time, thoughts, emotions, and energy? Clean house and develop a better focus. You’ll find yourself being more productive and feeling more confident with every decision you make.

7.     Build your team. We can all do better about building our community, or tribe. The mark of a good leader is one who surrounds himself or herself with the right team—people who are not only smart but smarter than them. Why? Because we can’t all be great at everything. We all have our own personal strengths, as well as tasks that we are better cut out to handle. Not being good at something is not a sign of weakness. In fact, knowing the right person to put in a job—especially if they’re better than you—is a sign of great strength. As unemployment continues to drop, it will become more challenging to find top talent. So, building the right team is crucial for 2019!

8.     Have gratitude. Be mindful of others and use your voice and your influence to give back. Taking the time to give back is good for you, your staff, your business, and your community. Truly great leaders earn gratitude by being grateful for everything their teams do for them. In turn, your teams are grateful for everything you give them and everything they have learned from you as a leader. Embrace gratitude today. It will make someone smile!

If all else fails... go to Abaco, The Bahamas or your favorite vacation spot and regroup!

What are your success tips for the new year? And what will you tackle first?