Resolve to Make This Your Best Year Yet

The New Year is always a time of renewal, excitement and possibility. As I started to think about the many things I hope to accomplish this year, my list began to morph into something more global, and I thought I’d share it with you with the hope that you will join me in my resolve to really make a difference in 2007.

Here’s the list:

Resolve to raise the bar. Expect more and deliver more. Speak up! Dress up! Raise your own personal standards. Don’t settle for the status quo and do not accept mediocrity.

Resolve to contribute. Pitch in. Give back. Write a check – a big one. Donate items you no longer use. Give a homeless person or an ex-offender a chance to change their life. Help others in need - they’re all around us.

Resolve to get involved. Make the effort to make a difference. Volunteer, spearhead a campaign, lobby, be someone’s champion. Get behind a cause and go for it and don’t worry about what other people think. The important thing is to do something and not just watch from the sidelines.

Resolve to get connected. Reach out. Meet people. Invite someone to lunch. We’re so caught up in e-mail, voice mail and telephones, that we’re forgetting the value of “face time.” Get out of the office, turn off the Blackberry and spend quality time with people, face to face.

Resolve to live your values. What’s really important to you? Are your actions and communication in keeping with your core values? Clarity of purpose and intention catapult individuals to the pinnacle of their success. If you’re not clear about your personal value system, contact me and I’ll send you a complimentary values worksheet.

Resolve to mentor someone. There is little else that gives as much joy as supporting and guiding someone in their pursuits. The best mentors have a sincere desire to see their protégés become more successful than they are, whatever that definition of success might be. Reach out to a student, a budding entrepreneur, a new employee or a new resident and support their efforts. You’ll not only be impacting the life of an individual, you will be impacting our community as a whole.

Resolve to ask for help when you need it. Cull an advisory board, get a mentor, work with a coach and/or hire a consultant. The most successful business people are surrounded by the best and brightest. Find them and bring them into your circle.

Resolve to take care of yourself. Good health is essential to our functioning. “Use it or lose it” is absolutely true. Making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle is tough, but the payoff is in vitality, stamina, focus, energy, well being and longevity. You can’t climb the mountain to your personal pinnacle if you’re out of shape, so resolve to get healthy so you can enjoy the journey as well as your ultimate destination.

Resolve to go green. Do something to help the environment. Change at least one bad habit (letting the water run while you brush your teeth, for example). Switch to low-use shower heads and environmentally friendly light bulbs. Re-use office paper and buy recycled materials. Recycle, replenish, restore. Don’t waste, don’t litter and don’t pollute.

Resolve to learn. Expand your mind, skills and capabilities by taking a class, getting a degree or simply reading up on topics of interest. Every time you learn, you create new neural pathways in the brain. Not bad for just reading a book.

Resolve to get passionate. Get fired up about something – a cause, a project, a new business venture, a political issue. Let’s banish complacency in 2007.

Resolve to innovate. If you’re stuck in the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality, there’s no better time to get out of the quagmire and change your thinking. Try something new, even if it’s just a new route to work.

Resolve to assess your career. Do you love what you do? Would you do it for free? If you can’t wholeheartedly answer “YES!” to both questions, perhaps it’s time for a change.

Resolve to contribute to the life of a child. Is there anything better than that?

Resolve to help the animal population. Have your pets spayed and neutered. Adopt a pet in need and support our local animal shelters and organizations. Theirs is hard, heart-wrenching work and they deserve our help.

Resolve to show appreciation to our military service people. Send a “care” package, a note of appreciation, or make a telephone call. Our troops, both here and stationed around the world, need us.

Here’s to your success in 2007!
Dr. Debra