Why you should not set career-related New Year’s resolutions and what you can do instead.?

The New Year is almost here, which means it's time to start thinking about career resolutions.?

?So what will it be this year: a career change, a promotion, a pay rise or even a sideways move away from a toxic boss.?

?The truth is, most of us will do the same thing we always do: set some goals that will be forgotten about by approximately the 10th January, or thereabouts.

So this year I'm proposing something different. And the career goal-setting gurus will hate me for it.

You’ll have heard it a million times before; the reason we don't stick to our resolutions and don't fulfill our goals is because they're not SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

?And while there is a lot of truth in that, for me it's only half the story.

?So this year, I'm throwing the rulebook out the window and offering you an alternative solution.

?Do nothing. Don't set any career-related?resolutions.

?And if you have to set a goal, set a goal to set no resolutions.

?“What! But it's New Year. A time to restart the clock, to set about achieving all that's possible and to fulfill my potential!”

?Yeah, yeah… Forget it. If you don't want to find yourself in exactly the same position this time next year, thinking the same thoughts and feeling the same feelings, do this instead:

?Rather than rushing forward in a panic to set resolutions or a list of goals you can start on New Year's day, forget all that and enter the New Year in a mode of being absolutely present, and absolutely positive about how great it's going to be.

?If you do this, and endeavour to maintain this approach, you'll end up doing everything you're supposed to as and when it's supposed to be done.

?Stop the “I must” thought mill turning over all the things you should have done this year that you'll “definitely do next year”.

?Enter the New Year with zero pressure on your back to do anything other than remain open to the possibility of your potential, receptive to change and ready to show compassion to yourself for your shortcomings.

?Out of the state of being will arise all the doing, and achievements you never planned for but will be amazed to see unfold.

?The reality is that there's no point in setting the same resolutions you've been setting for years on end, only to feel disappointed and down on yourself.

?Remember what Albert Einstein said:

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

?This cycle only exacerbates feelings of failure and inadequacy, which is wholly negative and certainly not conducive to achieving goals.

?Consider for a moment why you haven't changed that job or committed to achieving a better work life balance.?

?Maybe you didn't really want to, or maybe you were busy prioritising other things because you didn’t know where to start.

?Maybe you thought so hard about doing positive things that you didn't get around to actually putting them in motion.

?Now there's a thought. Why is it that for all the motivation you have before the 1st January, you get more unproductive as the year goes on?

?I'm willing to bet that it's because for the last x amount of years, you've been setting career related New Year's resolutions without really knowing what you really want out of your career.?

?You are not doing what your heart is yearning for.

?Perhaps your career-related resolutions and goals are based on the expectations of others.

?Perhaps you are being driven by a false need to conform to societal norms.

?So this year, it's time to make a real change.?

?It's time to take stock of where you are in your career and what you want out of your career, not to continue doing what others expect you to do or what you think might make you seem or feel more successful or more appealing

?How about, for this New Year, you just allow you to be you

?It doesn't seem like a big resolution, but in fact this is absolutely massive.

?Try it.

?It doesn't matter how many resolutions you set, the moment you stop piling pressure on yourself to undertake resolutions that you aren't wholly committed to, or don't even really want, is the moment you give yourself a chance to breath – to be present enough to see the wood for the trees.

?That breathing space allows us to see and feel what we truly want to achieve.?

?New Year or not, once we turn the search inwards and start truly understanding?“ourselves”, the person on the inside, we aren't just given a chance to start again; it's more than that. We are reborn, and most importantly, set free.

?And this is the feeling a New Year should bring.?

?A feeling of release. A feeling of newness. A feeling of being free.

?Of course there's always room for improvement in our careers and lives, and yes, goal-setting can be a positive activity.

?But if you always feel short-changed by your efforts and rewards, then perhaps it's time you stopped forcing yourself, stopped making empty promises to the universe, stopped living through the expectations of others and instead made friends with yourself and the wonderful career person that you are.

?Empty your glass and step into this New Year without baggage from the last. If it feeds your soul, do it. If it makes you want to get out of bed in the morning with a smile, carry o

?Spring board into the New Year and let your positive energy synchronise with the earth and give you the clarity to move forward and be comfortable and contented with who you are and where you’re going.?

?Let go of the expectations of others and, for once, let your intuition take the lead in guiding you through your career and the new year.

I guarantee when you look inwards and you stop worrying or wondering what anyone else thinks you will attract an abundance of positive opportunities into your life.

Will you be accepting the invitation to go into the new year with zero pressure?

If you are looking to take your job search seriously in 2023, set some achievable goals and finally get out of the career rut that is getting you down. Drop me a message here on LinkedIn and I will send the details of how we can work together, starting today!!

Alternatively, if you want to dive straight in here is the link to my December offer (just a couple of spaces left https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hu2kmnV0egp6aUPtvqZvsn3JbR5WBa0-UeRbtbitxxs/edit?usp=sharing