I have never been one to make resolutions because I do not believe that January 1 is a day unlike any other. Sure, it is the beginning of a new year but every day is the beginning of SOMETHING new, right? I think that resolutions can be made on any day and that, ideally, we should strive every day to be our best self. On some days it is easy and on some days it is harder. I do not fault anyone for having bad days and for letting their “resolutions” slide a bit. It happens to all of us.
Rather than resolutions, I like to think about entering each new year with a set of guidelines. They are different from rules in the sense that rules are stricter and less flexible. Guidelines are more along the lines of general suggestions. They can change and evolve as needed. Rules are rules. Period. End of story.
As I sit here now thinking about 2012, I am thinking about the guidelines by which I would like to live during the next year. The following list comes to mind. I hope that you enjoy them and even apply some of them to your own life.
- I will chase my dreams. Sometimes they can outrun me but, as long as I commit to chasing, I will catch them!
- I will live my passion. How many entrepreneurs have negative people telling them to change their path or to pursue something else? I recently received negativity from someone and texted my Mom about it. Her texted response was, “He’s very negative…where’s your shell?” This is true. I have to put on my shell and, as my Mom says, “become bullet-proof.”
- I will take time to make my life full. I tend to live vicariously through people and that is not enough. I need to wholeheartedly commit to my own life.
- I will remove the negative. I believe in forgiveness and second chances. Heck, I believe in third chances. However, as they say, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Some people are not meant to be in our lives for the long haul. This is okay. It is something that I accept now and I know that my life will be easier and happy for understanding this.
- I will seek out the positive. I will do this with my family, my clients, my business partners and in my social media relationships. There is positivity all around and there is no reason that I should not feel surrounded by this
each and every day. I will use this positivity to perfect my best self. - I will devote myself to my Social Media Lifestylist brand. I absolutely love my brand, if I do say so myself, and sometimes wonder if I am focusing hard enough. I enjoy my niche market (lifestyle brands) and will further define and establish this in the upcoming year.
- I will be mindful of time. I often get wrapped up in volunteer consulting because it is so hard for me to say, “No.” to people. However, time IS money and I have to realize that there is only so much that I can do for particular brands unless I sign them on as clients.
- I will continue to provide valuable content. My fan page, Twitter account and LinkedIn profiles will be full of useful social media and branding information. I will plunge forward in being a source of top news and social media tips. For those of you who are starting your brand, free content draws in people. Never be skimpy on this and always stay on top of the hottest news in your niche. People come to you for a reason; give them a reason to stay!
All of these are achievable for me. I am not setting myself up for failure but, rather, I am being realistic. I am pushing myself to do even better at the things that I love to do. Sure, I will face challenges. However, I will look back at this list and remember my “Why.” Why do I want to do this? Why am I working so hard? Why is this important? All of those questions will help me stay the course.
I hope that these tips will help you as you enter 2012. Plow ahead. Live without regret. Build your brand with passion. Live with love. Be your best self!
Cheers!- LH
