Rethink New Year's Resolutions: Try This Unique Approach to Achieve More in 2024!

There will be many posts and newsletters this week about resolutions, making and sticking to to-do lists, ‘crushing it’ in the new year, and similar topics. This is not one of those newsletters.

Of course, any day can be a restart day, a day to assess your progress and make new goals, so we didn’t need to wait until the new year. I must admit that I do like that all of us humans have decided to reset on the same day.

What is your experience with resolutions? Most people have a long list of changes they want to make and by February they are out the window.

A wise person once said to me, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” I took it to heart because we often set goals that are too large or set too many goals at once.

So, I ask you, are you open to looking at this new start in a different way?

Could it be possible that we would feel more successful if we made a not-to-do list or a list of things to stop doing? I encourage you to try it.

Here are my first items on mine:

• Stop comparing myself to others. We are all on our own journeys. As Phil M Jones (founder of the Exactly What to Say movement) said on a webinar last week, and I’m paraphrasing: “If comparing yourself to others, compare the whole of you to the whole of them. That’s hard to do with the unknowns about their life. You can be inspired by someone but don’t know if they are happy or what is going on behind the scenes.”
• Stop negative self-talk. I wouldn’t speak to someone else the way I speak to myself. I’m sure you’re a bit like me in this way too.
• Stop taking on more than I can or want to do. It’s ok not to attend every event, volunteer for every organization, or take on every new project or idea.
• Stop feeling guilty for making time for myself. I have this “head trash” where I think I need to be working all the time and that I don’t have time to take a walk or exercise. Guess what… today, after I send this newsletter, I will be going on a walk.

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By stopping the behaviors I listed, I will be more likely to be able to DO the things I want to do and achieve the goals I set for myself.

When it comes to how I advise people on their use of LinkedIn, networking, or their critical conversations, there are also things to stop doing, or not do:

• Stop spending too much time on social, by being strategic when you are there, or as I like to say, “Stop the random acts of social.” When I work with people on their LinkedIn behavior, I share ways to focus and not be distracted by the feed. Do you wish you knew where to begin on LinkedIn so you can spend just the time that is necessary? I’m actually holding a six-session jumpstart program, starting soon. Learn more here .
• Stop going to every new networking group you are invited to attend. It is likely you can get your needs met from your existing network. I invite you to watch a replay of a webinar I did about this topic called “Finding Diamonds in Your Database.”
• Stop asking for a sale before being able to say, “Because you said X, Y, Z, I recommend…” You don’t want to be known as pushy or salesy or non-referrable, do you? We have all received the annoying connect-and-pitch on LinkedIn and hate it! If you’re looking to master sales conversations this year, the good news is that Exactly What to Say Certified Guide colleague Laurie Savino and I are hosting a workshop on January 10th. Attendees will learn strategies for starting strong and staying in the game. Learn more here . ??
• Stop thinking AI will be a magic cure-all and that you won’t have to do any work to build relationships or make a sale. AI is an amazing tool, but you cannot automate relationships. I’ll share more about this in future posts or newsletters.

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Just imagine if not doing some things made room for the things you really want or need to do? What would you like look like?

What will you add to your not-to-do list this year? Let me know in the comments.

Ps. I send my email newsletter more frequently than writing one here on LinkedIn. If you want to be kept current on changes to LinkedIn or opportunities to learn more, you are invited to sign up for my email newsletter here: https://bethgranger.live/mail

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