Time for a Pre-New Year’s Resolution

Sean Sheehan of MkM Direct Talks about taking risks and making a commitment to change.
 
Dec. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- While December quietly slips, we are drawing ever closer to "that time of year" - that's right folks, the Holiday Season is upon us. Personally, that usually means thinking about presents and trees and great dinners with Turkey and cakes, but what does it mean for us as business owners?

Whether or not the calendar year corresponds with your fiscal year, it still brings a general feeling of winding things down and reflecting on the year gone by and begin planning for the year to come, and perhaps even setting those oh so dreaded New Year's Resolutions. However, Sean Sheehan, Managing Director of MkM Direct ltd., cautions that what he call the 'New Year's Resolution mentality' can be a dangerous one, especially when adopted in a business setting.

As we all know based on personal experience, even resolutions made with the best of intentions are often doomed to fail before they've even been made. According to the Opinion Corporation of Princeton New Jersey, of all the people who make resolutions in the United States, 49% hardly ever succeed, and 24% never succeed and have failed every year - this translates to a success rate of only 25%! As an individual and a business owner, this is disastrous - so how do we avoid it?

Sheehan says there are three main areas to focus on: attitude, approach, and timing.

Attitude
"If you go into something thinking you’re going to fail, you're going to fail; plain and simple," says Sheehan. We may even fall into that 38% of people who don't make New Year resolutions because we figure 'what's the point?' The important thing to remember is, if you don't take a risk it's true you can't fail, but it also means you rob yourself of the opportunity to grow and to succeed. In business you have to do the same. Decide that you are looking for change, and assume that you will be successful. This will hugely increase the chance that things will go your way because you've taken away failure as an option. Take the right approach and apply a little old fashioned hard work and you should be well on your way.

Approach
Most people think the only way to succeed is to work your hardest and keep pushing hard, but this is exhausting and is more likely to cause you to burn out before you accomplish anything. While hard work is a necessary ingredient, Sheehan advises to work smarter, not harder. Make a plan with specific, measurable targets – even perseverance has to be practiced and learned over time. Always focus on what you are going to do instead of what you’re going to try not to do. Continue to take risks, but don’t jump at every crazy opportunity that comes your way just for the sake of embracing change. Try to take smart risks, and keep your ego in check so you can objectively look at if an action plan is working or if you need to edit it or even walk away.Accomplishing a goal is always going to take brains and brawn.
Timing
If there’s something you want to do, do it now! ‘I’ll do it later’ or ‘I’ll set out a plan in January’ a lot of times end up meaning you’re not going to do it. If you allow yourself to procrastinate when it comes to setting your goals, you will probably make excuses and procrastinate again when carrying them out – especially in January. Things get busy as the year gets going and goals/planning easily get forgotten. Spend December planning and be ready to hit the ground running that first day back in the New Year, or, even better, create evaluation points throughout the year. Look at the general pattern of your life or your business – when does it make sense for you to close off one project and start a new one? This then allows you to integrate goal setting and evaluation as a natural part of your routine instead of forcing it when the calendar changes. It will be easier for you to maintain and will allow you to make slow consistent changes over time instead of trying to push too much at once at a time that may not be suitable for you.


The moral of the story? Don't make New Year’s resolutions because personally or professionally you’re setting yourself up to fail by setting unmanageably large, general goals at a time when you're probably overwhelmed anyway. Evaluate where you are and make a plan - set smart, measurable goals at a time of year that makes sense, and commit yourself to long term, ongoing change and success.

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MkM Direct Ltd. is a leading outsourced direct sales and marketing company
with operations in Ireland. Key business areas are face to face sales and marketing through business to business, business to consumer and event campaigns.
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