Take stock of the past year and consider all you are grateful for and then plan out what you will hope for in 2023. If you want to grow leadership skills consider our upcoming 60 Day Leadership Challenge.

Hopeful and Grateful
This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It’s the time of year to feel a combination of gratitude and hope. On one hand, you can look back over the previous year and be grateful. On the other hand, you can look forward to the coming year and be hopeful. It’s a double dose of good stuff. Let’s be more specific.

Take a moment to consider all that you’re grateful for from last year. Even if your year had some tough spots, seek out the goodness and relish it. Maybe it’s the growing normalcy after COVID, enjoyable work friendships, completion of a big project, or the birth of a baby. Whatever it is, pause to take stock and be grateful.

Now, turn your sights on next year and be hopeful. Think about it. What do you hope for? A new job, growing your network, focusing your network, finding a new challenging role at work, growing your technical skills, growing your management skills. Whatever it is for you, focus your thoughts and bring a handful of items to mind for next year.

Good for you! Being specific about your hopes for next year should feel good. But here’s the thing though: hope is not a strategy. It’s a good place to start but hope alone won’t get you there. While you’re feeling hopeful, take it one step further. Identify up to three action steps that move you one step closer to one (or several) of the hopeful items for next year. If you want more punch, write down the hoped-for items and the action steps. For even more punch, put the list where you will see it daily.

Lastly, if your hoped-for items or action steps pertain to growing your skills, carve out a few quiet moments over the remainder of the holiday season to research ways to develop that skill. If it’s a technical skill, see if your organization or a professional association has training that meets your needs. If it’s management skills, do the same. You might also consider the 60-Day Leadership Challenge that we’ll be offering in January. The 60-Day Leadership Challenge is an online, self-paced program to enhance your management and leadership skills. We’ll release more about the program in the coming weeks. If you want to be on our contact list, click here. For now, be specific about steps to achieve your hoped-for list. Specificity makes all the difference.

It’s the time of year to be grateful and hopeful. I’m grateful for you as a reader and supporter. And I’m hopeful that you will continue your growth next year either with Blue Fjord Leaders or elsewhere. The best any of us can do is to bring our full talents into this world. At Blue Fjord Leaders, we’re here to support you on your journey.