2014!  Another new year has arrived and I’ve been thinking about what I want to do this year.  As a matter of fact, as I wrote this, I was on hold waiting for help from my vacation planner, listening to some steel drum music. SWEET!!! The music made me think of warm sand, sounds of the surf and summer fun. It was quite a nice place for my mind to be, given that the weather forecasters were calling for a “major winter event”.  (That came to fruition, btw, and a little white stuff is always fun for a few days)!

A vacation can’t happen unless you have money, which requires a job or work. If you are in a job search, now is the time to focus and seize the day to make things happen. “Decades of research on achievement would suggest that “successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.”

I’ve written previously about setting specific goals, so I encourage you to go back and check out those ideas. Today, I found an article on “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently” by Heidi Grant Halvorson and the last suggestion I felt would be very helpful for all of us, even if you aren’t in a job search.

“Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., “Don’t think about white bears!”) has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

If you want to change your ways, ask yourself, “What will I do instead?” For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like “If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down.” By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.”

It’s time to focus on the top things you will do to find that perfect job versus thinking “I don’t have a job”.  Do:

1. Check out a job site daily and apply for positions that interest you (Don’t forget to tailor your resume to meet the job specifications)
2. Set up meetings with friends, previous co-workers and acquaintances, asking them to review your resume and provide you with suggestions, ultimately asking them to take a resume and share with others
3. Build a LinkedIn profile and explore opportunities on this website

Do what you love to do and the money will follow (Great name for a book, eh?  Oh, wait, it is a book). Happy New Year!!!