A dear friend and colleague of mine, sent me this article last week as we prepare for 2011. Bull and Bear Essentials offers inventive food for thought!
My top four from their list of ‘Top 10 Things To Do” as we embark on this new year are denoted below. All are worthy – and easy to do!
1. Buy a Manila Folder
This is for your taxes. They didn’t put ‘tax’ in the title, as they didn’t want to scare us right off the bat.
(Bull & Bear then links to this checklist from TurboTax of documents to gather). Mailing in our taxes before they are due is a great feeling.
2. Buy another Manila Folder
This is for our work items. Start a 2011 Work Journal. Who the heck wants to write about work? No one does.
This is not a writing exercise, but a means of collecting important data. Print out complimentary emails from clients and colleagues, accomplishments, and milestones over the course of 2011. This way you are not scratching your head in November trying to remember exactly what you’ve done.
This can mean the difference between a good bonus and a great one. I have done this for years – and it has never failed me.
3. Update your Resume, Personal Bio and Social Networking Sites
We never know when we will need an updated resume and bio. I am working with clients on a regular basis on just this!
On the career oriented networking sites, make sure that your information is up to date. This is how employers will find you. On the social side, a good rule of thumb is to remove any photos of you that you wouldn’t want on the front page of your local paper. Easy to do and now is the time. Not when you are under the gun.
4. Review your Investments — in the financial world and in yourself
Invest in what you want to become. On the financial side, consider where you are in life (buying a home, retiring etc.) and where the market is. Make any revisions necessary to your financial plan.
On the personal side, consider self-improvement activities such as public speaking courses, yoga classes, Pilates, hiring an executive coach, or booking a spiritual or other sort of retreat for mid-Spring. It will give you something to look forward to and insure that ‘you’ are not pushed onto the back burner.
Another way to invest in yourself is to subscribe to Alignment’s new offering Aspire to Fly.
Lets make it a great year!
Remember, my daily ‘A Fine Line’ will become part of the Aspire to Fly subscription service beginning 1/11/11. To prevent being taken off distribution, purchase your membership now – just $125!
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