New year, new and improved you! Leave your bad habits behind in 2013, and start out 2014 on the right foot with these personal development resolutions.
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Contributing Author: Michelle Rebecca
Whether you’re a working mom or a working woman, life can get chaotic, stressful and downright messy. Nevertheless, a new year brings a promise of change and with it comes the opportunity to look at things from a different perspective. Here are five personal development resolutions that will help you make 2014 the best it can be.
1. Leave Work At Work
When your to-do list is spanning multiple pages and you feel like you can’t get ahead, it’s easy to let work seep into your personal life. Suddenly, you find yourself answering emails at the dinner table and missing important events. For some, this is a way of life by choice, but for others who don’t want it to be, it’s time to reevaluate what’s important — and how you’re going to make it more of a priority.
Habits can be tough to break, so start small by leaving your phone in your purse during meals and declining unnecessary meetings that fall outside normal work hours. This can help set a precedent that can continue through the year.
2. Do the Best You Can
Everyone wants to be proud of their work — so focus your energy on the task or project at hand, and make it the best it can be. This applies to parenting, too; when you’re with the kids, be present and put more emphasis on the “quality” in “quality time.” However, there’s a flipside here, too, and that’s to be kind to yourself when things don’t go as originally planned.
When you’re trying your best, it’s all you can do — and it’s important to remember that sometimes, you just have to roll with the punches.
3. Ditch the Excuses
When you think about it, there’s an excuse for everything. “I didn’t speak up in that meeting because I thought someone else would. I didn’t switch from a military to federal career because I didn’t think they’d hire me. I didn’t make it to that soccer game, but there’s always another.” Sound familiar? We're all guilty of it.
Creating excuses for yourself and your goals means that you're holding you back. Why would you want to do that? Commit to making a change in 2014 by sticking to your commitments.
4. Improve Relationships
Whether it’s with your significant other, your children, your friends or your coworkers, looking at your relationships through a new lens can be enlightening. As a rule, everyone wants to feel loved, appreciated and important. Do you make others feel that way?
Stop focusing so much on how you feel in situations and consider the feelings of others. See every interaction as an opportunity to build others up with your words and you’re sure to see improvement that makes everyone come out a winner.
5. Learn Something New
It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day, but when’s the last time you did something for yourself? Learning something new gives you the chance to grow as a person, exciting your mind and perhaps introducing you to a new-found passion.
Have you always envied people who can play the piano? Sign up for lessons. Want to learn another language? Make it happen. It really is as simple as that to get on the path to feeling more fulfilled
So consider these tips as you plan your resolutions for 2014 and no matter where you land, do all you can to ensure it’s a year full of happiness, love and self-growth.
Image credits: Ed Donahue, Ryan Block, Dave Dugdale, Live Life Happy, eSpos.de, Mark Brannan
About the Contributing Author:
In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs. Follow her onTwitter: @Mich_Rebecca and Google+.
Awesome Posts by Michelle Rebecca on the Woman in Leadership Blog:
- W.A.H.M. Advice: Want to Keep Creativity Flowing in Your Home Office? Read This!
- Personal Development: 4 Ways to Avoid Burning Out at Work
- W.A.H.M. Advice: 5 "Mom Skills" You Can Use In Your Professional Life
