Taking Time for Personal Development This Holiday Season

The holiday season and the New Year are right around the corner, and many of us are gearing up for a busy few weeks of fun, family, and hopefully some delicious food.

While the holidays provide a great opportunity for some rest and relaxation, the time away from our daily work grinds and our weekday to-dos can also offer a great opportunity for some self-reflection and personal development, too.

We spend our days working with business leaders just like you to develop their skills and increase their capabilities, and wanted to share some of our top tips we share with our clients to help you make the most of this holiday season:

Take Time to Express Gratitude

One of the easiest ways to work on bettering ourselves is to act with intentionality in our day-to-day lives, and there’s no easier way to act with kindness than to show others that we care.

If you work in an office setting, take time before the holiday break to share a moment of personal reflection with your coworkers. If you can, share a memory with them of a time when they helped you, or when you were impressed by their dedication and drive.

Sharing gratitude not only helps build empathy and trust between you and your coworkers, but it shows them that you were paying attention to their efforts, which helps them feel seen, heard, and appreciated at work.

If you run a company, take a moment to share how much you appreciate your employees and team members who keep your company growing and successful.

If your business has customers or clients (as most do) find a unique way to say “thank you” to them as well – this can be as simple as an e-blast to your newsletter subscribers or a short, personal video shared to your social media channels.

Expressing gratitude not only helps others feel good, but it provides a terrific opportunity to remember and appreciate everyone who helped you get to where you are today.
 

Take Time to Relax

If you’re like most busy professionals then you probably have a list of to-dos that’s as long as your arm, if not longer, and the holiday season often presents a great opportunity to catch up on some extra work.

However, it’s important to use your time away from the office to take care of your body and your mind by forcing yourself to relax and unwind.

• Turn off your alarm. Take advantage of those days off and sleep in as often as you can.
   
• Limit screen time. It’s easy to get sucked back into working if you’re always tied to a screen. Spend some time reading a book, playing cards, or going for a walk instead.
   
• Be social. The holidays leave many of us feeling burned-out, but scheduling some “low key” time to watch a movie or play board games with loved ones is a perfect way to unwind.

Take Time to Think About The Future

With New Year’s Eve on the horizon, the holiday break offers a perfect opportunity to reflect on the year behind us, and refocus our attention on the coming year ahead.

Most people make New Year’s Resolutions around this time, but with only 8% of people reporting that they achieve their resolutions, we suggest taking this approach instead:

Decide What Your 2019 Goals Will Be

Consider these to be ‘macro-level goals’ which you will achieve over the course of the year. These can be as specific or as abstract as you’d like, but the more focused you can be in your goal-setting, the easier the next step will be.

Some examples include:

• Be promoted or find a new job at a managerial level.
• Develop a daily mindfulness habit.
• Develop my leadership abilities.

Break Goals Down Into Smaller Goals

The primary reason that people fail at achieving their New Year’s Resolutions is that they are often too broad and vague. As a result, people don’t develop the habits needed to make these goals a part of their day-to-day life.

Some examples include:

• Be promoted or find a new job at a managerial level.
   
  • List key roles and responsibilities I’d like to have at work.
  • Discuss promotional opportunities with my work HR department.
  • Begin researching businesses with appealing roles in my industry.
     
• Develop a daily mindfulness habit.
   
  • Download a medication or mindfulness app like Headspace.
  • Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
  • Spend 5 – 10 minutes a day practicing mindful meditation.
     
• Develop my leadership abilities.
   
  • Take an EQ-i Assessment to identify my strengths and weaknesses.
  • Work with a coach or mentor to develop key areas needed for success.
  • Map out a personal success chart to stay on-track.

Cheers to a Productive 2019

We believe that every day is a new opportunity to continue to develop our abilities and enhance our professional skills, and there’s no better time to start planning for productivity than the New Year.

Are you looking for ways to enhance your abilities as a leader? Contest us about receiving your Change Style Indicator® and Change Navigator® Certification or EQ-i2.0 & EQ360 Certification.

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