How to Have a Successful and Fulfilling Year for the Busy, Stressed Professional Woman

The countdown to 2016 has begun and women across the globe are reflecting on the year that has passed and planning for the year ahead.  Some are happy with what they have achieved, others are disappointed. This week I had a conversation with a woman who was talking about the lack of progress she had made.  She kept coming up with all kinds of reasons why things weren't working out. 

It all sounded very negative and I could tell that she was overwhelmed by her situation, not enough time, too much work, too much to do, what should she do....  I had to stop her in her midst and say, 'I've heard you go on and on about what's not working, but what CAN you do to make it happen?'

Rather than letting that happen to you and entering 2016 feeling like a failure, this guide will help you to set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling 2016.

Define what success means for you

Success doesn’t need to be defined by what car you drive, how much money you have in the bank or by your position.  Success can be whatever you define it to be. The meaning of the word success as per the Cambridge Dictionary is ‘the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for’.

Too often we define success by what others say it should be or what the media or social media say it should be.  Or we think that if we go along with what everyone else is doing we will be accepted and we will feel that we belong.

We try to live up to ideals that others say we should which may not be what we want, or may be too unrealistic for us to attain.

Define your own personal measure of what success means to you based on your values and the things that really matter to you.  Living and working in a way that aligns with your values will help you to feel satisfied and fulfilled.

Be grateful

Be grateful for what you have, as opposed to being consumed by what you don’t have.  It’s easy to get so caught up with the hustle and bustle of life, always striving for more, that we lose sight of what we do have and our many achievements. 

Yesterday my friend’s son was moaning because she asked him to do something (very simple) for her.  Because he had to get up from the TV show he was watching, it was as if he was being done an injustice.

I asked him who went out to work to earn the money for the TV he was watching, who provided the clothes he was wearing, the food that he was eating, the Christmas presents he had received, the nice warm house that he lived in etc. This made him stop and think.  He realised that he was being ungrateful and he apologised to his mum.

Often us adults are just like that, we focus on what we don’t have or moan about life and what we have to do, failing to take time to appreciate all the wonderful things we have got going on.

Regularly take the time out to appreciate what you do have, what you have achieved and express your gratitude. You will feel so much better for it.

Remember, it’s work, rest and play NOT work, work, work

Over the years, we have come to accept a 24/7 work culture.  Many women think that if they’re not continually slogging away at work, they won’t achieve success.  It is actually counterproductive to work nonstop.  In fact, research shows that predictable, required time off makes you more productive.

Make time to rest, relax and get the correct amount of sleep that your body needs.  We often sacrifice our sleep because of the demands of our work, but if you have a demanding job, getting adequate sleep is essential.  A lack of sleep has a detrimental effect on performance.

Remember, it’s work, rest and play NOT work, work work!

Play to your strengths

We all have our own unique natural strengths, the things we are good at, that put a smile on our face and give us a nice, warm fuzzy feeling when we utilise them.

There has been a lot of research into the benefits of focusing on our strengths. Psychologist Robert Biswas-Diener says that strengths are where our greatest success happens. Where we experience enormous growth and where we enjoy a burst of energy and happiness.

So if you're feeling demotivated because you're not achieving the success that you want, think back to a time in your life, career or business when you were at your best. What was it about you that enabled this to happen? What were the strengths you used to achieve it?

Now, how can you utilise those strengths to improve your current situation and get the success you want?

Be kind to others

When we are under pressure, feeling stressed and heavy burdened, doing things for others may be far from our mind.  However, carrying out acts of kindness for others has a significant positive impact on our emotional and mental wellbeing.

When we are stressed we can become emotional wrecks.  Many of us are ruled by our emotions and when our emotions are negative, it can have an adverse effect on the way we act and behave. Researchers found that people who carry out acts of kindness throughout the day are less likely to have negative emotions

We receive more pleasure out of giving than receiving. Carrying out 5 different random acts of kindness in one day will give you a happiness boost.  These can be very simple things and don’t have to cost money, such as opening the door for someone or giving someone a hand up the stairs with their heavy bags.

Be solution focused

When we focus too much on the problem, that is all that we come to see, problem after problem. We end up becoming so consumed by the problem or what's gone wrong (or not worked) in the past that it leaves us feeling overwhelmed.

If you didn't get the results you wanted to achieve in 2015, don't focus on the problem and start having a New Year pity party, instead celebrate the arrival of 2016 and focus on what you can do to make things happen. Focus on the solutions.

By being solution focused rather than problem focused, it will lift your energy and with a more positive mindset and energy, it is easier to see the solutions and make things happen.

We have a lot of control over how things turn out in our lives and have the ability to create success and fulfilment on our own terms. A lot of it boils down to the choices and decisions we make and as Abraham Lincoln said, ‘And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years’.  What are you going to do to put life in your years and make 2016 a successful and fulfilling year for you?

Happy New Year!

ABOUT ME:

I am a Personal Development, Career, Business Coach, UK top 50 Business Adviser and the founder of Abounding Solutions. I am also the founder of the Ladies Business Brainstorming Club, a place for women to come together and support each other with their personal, career and business aspirations, whilst developing friendships and forming collaborations.

I write here on LinkedIn, on my website and on Huffington Post on subjects to help women achieve optimal potential in their careers and businesses.