10 Things You Can Do to Finish The Year Strong

Shockingly, it will be 2018 in just a few months. In this week’s “Ten-to-Win,” Kim shares 10 things you can do to finish 2017 strong! Enjoy!

1. Keep God first. Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God. Let Him into every area of your life. As we live to please God, He promises to bless our lives and make us prosper. (See Matthew 6:33)

2. Zap the tolerations. A toleration is anything that annoys you, that you have the immediate power to change. Make a list of at least 25 things that you are “tolerating” and do what it takes to handle them.

3. Improve your habits. Are you constantly late to work and can't be counted on to get anything done on time? Take a good, close look at your work habits and think about how you could improve them now so you can really start the new year with a fresh approach.

Have you been eating a ton of junk food, even though you promised yourself to adapt a healthy diet? Are you staying up way too late on a regular basis? What habits can you change to help yourself feel better and be more productive at work and in the rest of your life.

4. Set goals. When you saw the calendar change to September, did you get a feeling of dread because you haven't accomplished most of the goals you set out to achieve in 2017? Or, are you like many people: did you forget to set any goals at all? Decide where you want to end up, and now is the time to identify some plans so you won't be in this position next year at this time.

5. Improve productivity. How can you get your work done faster? If you can accomplish more in less time, you'll free up hours for projects or interests you don't think you have time to consider. Some key time wasters include: excessive email checking, not prioritizing projects and spending a lot of time gossiping around the water cooler or on the Internet. Track your time and you may be surprised by how many hours you can recover from your day.

6. Learn something new. When you have knowledge, you have the power to achieve many things. You gain something important. One of the most crucial reasons to learn something new daily is that you gain power when you do.

7. Identify a mentor. If you have new goals for 2017, you may decide it's a good idea to find a mentor or two who may be willing to help support you as you try to accomplish them. Actively seek someone to mentor you in areas in which you’d like to grow.

8. Extend your relationships. Is there someone you would love to get to know better, but you've never made the effort? Maybe it's a colleague at work, or a someone in your professional organization. Invite him or her to join you for coffee or lunch, or attend an industry networking event together. Never forget that in-person relationships are key to your professional success.

9. Improve your digital footprint. There's no time like the present to ramp up your digital presence. People are turning to social media to learn more about you and what you do. What will they find? It's up to you to feed content to Google so a search of your name online results in information you want people to know about you.

10. Take some risks. You don’t achieve your dreams by playing it safe. Risk-taking opens you up to a world of possibilities you have yet to consider. It’s time to leave our comfort zone; time to go after what we’re passionate about; and time to achieve our dreams.