Instead of regrets, focus on ways to execute your plans better this time around. As US author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said: “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts.”
STUDYING FURTHER
If studying further was your goal, but things such as money, time, or not being accepted for the course you wanted stood in your way, try and approach it from a different angle. Maryke Groenewald from Life Purpose Coaching gives tips on how to ensure you study this year:
• Firstly, ask yourself why you want to study? Perhaps it didn’t happen because you need to relook at the career that you’d like to pursue. If you didn’t qualify for the course that you wanted to do, find out if a bridging course is available or other courses that can give you credits towards your preferred degree or diploma.
• Ask different institutions, and check which one will be the best fit. Never give up on your dreams just because one door was shut. There is always a way, even if the journey turns out to be longer than planned.
Life coach Thembi Hama also stresses that you stay focused on your goals. “Don’t take your eye off your passion and what you want to do. Keep a vision board to remind you. For instance, if you want to lose weight, pin up pictures of women with your ideal figure. It reflects what you want to achieve and you’ll see these pictures daily. It serves as a motivator.
“Keep focused on your goal and don’t be hard on yourself because the way you react to your failure can make or break your success in the future,” she says.
GETTING A PROMOTION
Groenewald says: “Analyse the skills you have. Perhaps you can work on your delegation or organisational skills. Once you change yourself from the inside, your outer circumstances will change with you. You don’t have to be in a management position to be a leader. A leader inspires people before the title. Become the position, and the title will follow.”
In his book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? Author Seth Godin writes about linchpins, defined as people vital to an organisation. He outlines how you can learn to be a linchpin and become an innovator whom your company can’t live without. It’s a way to lead without having the title or waiting to be instructed.
In a chapter on developing indispensability, he writes: “You weren’t born a cog in a machine. You were trained to become a cog. There’s an alternative available to you. Becoming a linchpin is a step-wise process, a path in which you develop the attributes that make you indispensable.
“Everyone has a little voice inside their head that’s angry and afraid. That voice is the resistance, and it wants you to be average and safe.”
To stop being safe and average, start doing simple things, says life coach Hama. “Examples of simple things include being more involved with your colleagues and being immersed in the company’s culture, going the extra mile and making sure you excel at your projects, meeting deadlines and being task-orientated – all these can count in your favour when there’s a promotion up for grabs.”
FINDING A NEW JOB
The job market is tough. When job hunting, ensure that you’re using all available avenues and putting your best self forward when it comes to what the recruiter requires, says Hama. “Do a self assessment and ask yourself:
• ‘Is it me or the environment that’s problematic?
• Do I put in too much or not enough effort?
• Do I need to change my CV or cast my net wider?’
Don’t forget that our economy is currently depressed, so it may be the environment that’s problematic. “Be honest with yourself. Get a professional CV done, contact an employment agency, update your social profiles so they represent who you want your future employers to see. Keep your online footprint clean and professional as prospective employers can check what you post, and the groups you’re part of can tell them what kind of person you are. Networking can also help you find a new job.”
Learn from your mistakes and stay determined, says Groenewald: “If you take daily action, there’s no way that you cannot reach your goals. The only way to fail is to give up, so if you don’t give up, you cannot fail.”
