31 Days 2 Get You Started! January 2: Make a Plan.
Hanging up, in a corner of my lair, is a ginormous 2014 calendar, already penciled in with dates, goals and other manifestations of my Type-A personality. That calendar is a testament; a continual reminder that if I want to keep moving forward, I have to build today what I want to experience tomorrow. I have to make a plan and stick with it. Right about now, a lot of people are cursing the past year and their lives, saying, “Well, things can only get better.” Ahh, famous last words. No. No, in reality, it’s much more likely that things will remain the same and suddenly it’s January 1, 2015 and these same people will still miserable.
Things don’t just “happen,” you cause them to happen tomorrow by the actions you take today. Want a better tomorrow? Take action right now! For example, instead of morosely whining about how much your life sucks, write out a concrete list of exactly which aspects of your life make you unhappy. This will allow you to get a handle on things, instead of feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Think about why you’ve decided that certain aspects suck. Do they really not fulfill you, or are you holding yourself up to unrealistic standards?
Hate your job? Okay, resolve to improve your resume and LinkedIn profile, to work on your networking skills, and step-by-step start the process of changing your career. You’re right: you won’t wake up tomorrow to a shiny new job you adore, but eventually, if you commit to the process, you will start waking up to interviews that will eventually lead you to a job that makes you think,”Whoa. I did this, I created this.” #itsallyou
Continue committing to yourself and , hopefully, next January you could actually be writing a list of all the things you (wow) love about your life, thinking, “Hey, I made it this far, I guess I could keep going.” #damnright