New Year, New You – Even in the Workplace

Eat better, exercise more, spend less, look after yourself, read more books – all made it to the top 10 new year’s resolutions for 2018 (according to a YouGov poll). Another, survey ran by http://www.slatergordon.co.uk/ revealed 44% of people picked New Year’s resolutions relating to diet and fitness. These results got us thinking about career goals and resolutions for this upcoming working year.

Many people do not push themselves enough when it comes to speaking out or facing their fears, which leads to our first potential resolution – Build Your Confidence.

Building Your Confidence

There are several ways you can build your confidence, both in and out of work, and several of these scenarios you will be faced with daily – but are you making the most of them? Probably not. Every day you will walk past people in the street or see a co-worker you have never spoken to before, force yourself to make some form of communication, wave, smile or just say hi, this is a small step to breaking down your confidence barriers.

When in the workplace, attending meetings can feel like a chore or sometimes you may even feel a little anxious. Beat these feelings by making a list of key points, know what you want to say and prepare well. If you’re not yet confident to take the lead, try to end the meeting by ensuring there is an action plan. Knowing you have a structure may help you to relax and listen to the others, giving you chance to maybe learn something new, which coincidently is our second point.

Learn Something New

Number six on the top ten New Year’s resolutions; this is a popular choice that can be positive for both working and home life. From online courses to taking up a hobby, learning something new can be fun.

Taking a course and gaining a qualification can be pricey, so if you don’t have the funding, ask your employer if they’d contribute, especially if it will benefit them too. Just ensure you have all the course details before asking, and a solid reason that they should fund you, this will put you in a much better position. Failing that, you could go all out and start your own business.

Starting Your Own Business

It is never too late to start your own business, whether a sole trader or independent business this may be your year. Of course, you will need a business plan and some form of income but even if you start laying the foundations it is better than standing still.

Not sure you are up to it? Then check out our blog post ‘16 entrepreneurial traits to be developed by aspiring entrepreneurs’ and  see if you’re up for the challenge.