Wow, 2016, you are retiring today !!!
You were an interesting year. I would say it’s been one of the most successful but difficult years I’ve had in a long time in terms of my professional life, and it seems a lot of people agree (and I feel somewhat reassured knowing I’m not the only one).
Some negative things have happened, and many positive things have happened. It’s a lot easier to let the negatives outweigh the positives, and I feel like I let myself focus on the positive more often than not this year. I say let myself because I do believe it’s a choice. Sometimes we let ourselves take the easy route, even though it’s the one that hinders us from finding contentment in life.
Here’s to say bye bye to 2016 and welcome a brighter 2017!
Ask if you actually believe your thoughts. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in 2016 (and I only learned this at the very end of the year, of course), is to differentiate thoughts from fact.
I encourage you to ask yourself whether you truly believe your thoughts or whether you’re just creating fictional stories in your head. Don’t believe everything you think. Sometimes we create our own pain through assumptions.
- Focus on what you’re doing.
One of the greatest lessons I learned this year was the importance of focusing on myself. I know that may sound a little selfish, but I mean it in terms of focusing on my own goals, values, and needs. Rather than worrying about what other people are doing, focus instead on what you’re doing. What are you doing to get you closer to your goals, to improve your health, to create more joy in your life?
- Always listen to your intuition.
Your gut instinct is way more powerful than you can imagine. If you really listen to what your intuition is telling you, you’ll realize that so many answers to difficult questions are already within you. More often than not, we let our ego cloud our perceptions of people, situations, and decisions. We try to rationalize people’s behaviour and put up with crappy situations because we hope things will get better. Listen to what your inner voice is telling you to do. Trust that you know what is right for you, despite what anyone else says. Once I finally learned this lesson, life become a whole lot easier.
- Forgive yourself.
We’ve all made choices we regret. Sometimes they nag at us in the back of our heads for much longer than they should, and it’s easy to think back and wonder how life could have been different had we not made that choice. Truth be told, we’ll never be able to revisit the moments before the decision was made.
- Embrace who you are and follow your passions.
- I learned that as long as you don’t let fear hold you back, you can make an impact using technology and social media.
Personal Development
- Build, foster, and cherish your relationships — they will be the key to your professional success and feeling of fulfilment.
- Work through any symptoms of imposter syndrome you may have. Imposter syndrome is difficult, but you can overcome it.
- Amidst the chaos and drive to succeed, don’t forget to slow down and take care of yourself.
- Being a lawyer doesn’t mean you should stop being who you are or having fun!
- Take responsibility for your actions, but never let your mistakes guide you. This is a critical lesson to remember at every point in your career.
Career Growth
- Make sure you get out of your comfort zone and expand your viewpoint. We also learned how to adopt the bold communication strategies commonly used by politicians.
- While many of us become managers, becoming a true leader takes a focused approach, patience, and dedication to mastering the requisite skills.
- You should approach your career the way you would approach structuring a business. You can even borrow from standard business principles and create a personal business plan.
- Stay on top of current market developments in your industry, and start thinking about how they will impact your company.
Let us Grow Together 