SkillPath SkillTips: Six Tips for Becoming More Proactive in Your Life and Career in 2020

Welp … guess what? In a matter of days, it’ll be 2020 and not only will many workers wonder what the heck happened to 2019 flying by, some of us will wonder what the heck happened to the 2010’s and how did an entire decade fly by that fast?

So, where did the time go? What happened to all those plans you made last January that were going to make 2019 your great year?

Relax. There’s nothing you can do about those 2019 plans (or 2010 plans) that got sidetracked, except changing your mindset to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Maybe you’re a procrastinator? Or, you’re just terrible at prioritizing? Maybe you let the fear of the unknown keep you quiet in the corner instead of sticking your neck out?

Or, maybe you’re one of those people who say, “YES” to everything and you’ve gotten yourself overloaded to the Nth degree?  Whatever the reason, most of the time when you’re not where you want to be, it’s because that pesky brain in your head is holding you back. What you need to do is make some mental changes—some brain hacks—to change your behavior.

Make today the day you start to be a difference-maker (in your own life)     

Unless you work retail, this is often that weird time at work where not a lot gets done. If so, use this time for some serious self-reflection about your professional life. It’s a great time to look at yourself and figure out if you’re the biggest reason you haven’t reached a level that you’ve hoped for in your life.    

Use these six brain hacks to get out of your own way and make 2020 and beyond your best years ever:     

1. Don’t compare yourself to others… only compare yourself to you.      

We look at people’s lives on Facebook or Instagram and see all the cool places they go and people they hang with and it makes us depressed and surly that our lives aren’t that awesome. The same thing happens at work when you focus too much on a co-worker that seemingly can do no wrong.

Stop it. Don’t worry about other people because they’re not you and secretly, they may be more screwed up on their best day than you are on your worst. Instead, think about where you were six months ago… a year ago … or even when you started in your current position. How much more knowledge do you have now than you did then? How much more do you have to offer your current employer—or maybe a different potential employer? Chances are, you can offer a lot.     

2. Don’t be hung up on doing what you’re passionate about, be passionate about what you do.

Hey, we’d all love to get paid for doing something we’re passionate about, but in my case, there are only 32 starting quarterback jobs in the NFL and I’m about 30 years past my prime. The truth is that most of us have jobs to pay the rent and we don’t get to save the whales from our Accounts Receivables job at Cogs International, Inc. 

However, every single one of us can be passionate about what we do at work. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, look for learning opportunities, chances to cross-train in another department, or openings on work committees. Any of these will give your brain something new to learn and will stimulate you. Push yourself to not accept the status quo. If you run into resistance from management, or there aren’t any learning opportunities, perhaps it’s time to start looking around for a new place to work?

3. Try to take one step towards your goal/dream every day.

Wanna own a home? Bring your lunch and cut your daily morning latte to two days a week. Wanna lose weight? Instead of the elevator, walk up one flight of stairs this week and try two flights next week. Want a new job? Print out your resume and work on it sitting outside on a bench eating the lunch you brought from home.

The point is, don’t expect to achieve your goals immediately. If you’re a procrastinator, or maybe afraid of making a move, start with small goals and congratulate yourself every time you achieve one. Also, forgive yourself if you blow it one day. But start again immediately.

4. Nobody starts off being great… it takes accumulating knowledge, skill, and value over time.  

Don’t be hard on yourself if it’s taking time to master a job responsibility, but don’t just sit back and accept it, either. Swallow your pride and ask for help, extra training, or find a mentor to help you learn quicker. And if you’re a Baby Boomer or Generation Xer, reach out to your Millennial co-workers for help. They won’t bite. (I really hope the same is true for Millennials and Gen Z’s reaching out to veteran workers as well.)

Add value to your company, your boss, your co-workers and even your community by networking (don’t worry … they won’t bite either) and the recognition you want will come. Continuously improving your skills while doing it will give you a sterling reputation that translates to being great someday.

5. Never sell your knowledge or abilities short.

I used to be the Editor-in-Chief of a successful fantasy football site. Every year, I’d write a pre-season article about how to be successful in fantasy sports. One year, I was talking to some co-workers at another job about it and one told me that she liked my articles, but I missed maybe the most important part of being successful. She said the FIRST thing you must do is to know the scoring rules of your league.

I laughed and said, “Yeah, that kind of goes without saying,” to which she replied, “Not to someone who has never played.”

Boom. Mic drop in my brain. I had been playing for so long that I forgot what it was like to not have a clue what to do first. I skipped ahead three steps to get in-depth into draft strategies and such. From then on, every year my article’s first rule was to know how to get points in your league. And I would get emails from subscribers every year thanking me for the advice.

At your work, share what you know with the people who can use it. Picture what you would want to know if you were starting all over again and never assume that something is too basic.  

 6. Success is about putting in the work you know you should do. 

Not to climb too high on the soapbox, but our society today tends to look for quick fixes that cut out the work that we know we must do. Things such as the diet pill that magically melts off 50 pounds while still eating cheeseburgers and pizza. (Calm down… that doesn’t really exist!)

It’s the same with our careers. Instead of doing the things that we know will eventually lead to more happiness and success, we convince ourselves that there’s a magic career pill that gives us what we want without working towards it. (And, unless you’re the owner’s son or daughter, that pill doesn’t exist either!)  The truth is, do the things that you know you need to do every day, put in the effort, then market yourself in a professional way and it will come.

Be proactive in your career and your life

Would you like to get a head start on 2020 today by just doing one task? If you can’t remember the last time you looked at your resume, update it. Give yourself a deadline of four days to have it done. Even if you’re not actively looking for a job, updating your resume accomplishes two things:  

1. It gives you the chance to put into writing all your skills and talents, plus any accomplishments you’ve had. If nothing else, it helps you see your strengths as well as identify any gaps in your skillset that you need to shore up. If you have any money left over from grandma's holiday present to you, have your resume professionally looked over. They'll be able to format it to get you through the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software that most employers use today. 

2. It’s NEVER a bad idea to have an updated resume that you can whip out at a moment’s notice. Because when it comes to your job and career in 2020, things are going to happen, and they will happen quickly ... if you don't sit there on your butt until 2021.  

Finally, here are a couple of tips from yours truly (blush) on getting your resume and cover letter read by an actual human being if you decide a change of scenery is in order this year. This is our latest SkillPath SkillTip which you can see on our SkillPath YouTube channel: