6 New Years Resolutions for a Better Personal and Professional Life in 2018

6 New Years Resolutions for a Better Personal and Professional Life in 2018 6 New Years Resolutions for a Better Personal and Professional Life in 2018 You returned to work bright and early on January 2nd, and I bet the first person you encountered in the break room turned to you, perky and upbeat, and asked So, what are your New Years resolutions for 2018?Did you have an answer ready?What inclines us toward making New Years resolutions, anyway? In attorney-speak,were dealing with what is called a bright-line point (derived from the bright-line rule), which means a definite cutoff point - an exact moment in time, if you will - that distinguishes the past from the future. January 1st is probably the most widely celebrated bright-line point in menschenwrdig existence. We can practically feel the cosmic shift as the calendar transitions from old year to new, inspiring us toward self-reflection and personal improvement.But no matter how sincere and committed you may be about your res olutions, the statistical fact is youll abandon them by mid-February.What goes wrong? Why do so many of our resolutions fail? Most likely, there are several factors at work. Its important to think of resolutions in the same way we think of goals. In order to succeed in achieving any goal, the goal itself must have several vital characteristics.It must be behaviorally describable, reasonable, quantifiable, measurable, and set within a definite time frame. Oftentimes, our New Years resolutions are the exact opposite amorphous, unaccomplishable, and structureless.If you want yourresolutions to take root and flourish this year, start by wording them in a way that conelendes both action and consequence. For instance, instead of saying, Im going to lose weight, say, Im going to practice healthful eating habits that include choosing lower-calorie options, and in so doing, I will reach my target weight by mid-April. Instead of saying, Im going to organize my office, say, On January 8th, I w ill begin the practice of always placing my most important files in a special folder on my laptop where they will be instantly available when needed.Next, make sure you truly buy into your resolution. If you dont really care about your resolution, it will be very difficult to find the energy toachieve it. Sticking to New Years resolutions can be tough work If you halfheartedly say, I need to clean out my filing cabinet, but your filing cabinet doesnt actually bug you to the point of taking action, it probably isnt going to happen.Theres nothing wrong with doing some soul-searching and realizing that you really dont mind your messy desk, or that youve actually become friends with that pile of old trade journals in the corner of your office. Theyre your resolutions and no one elses, and if you are honest with yourself, you wont waste valuable time and energy pretending to care about things that dont really matter to you.Finally, be sure to have a little fun along the way Think of a fe w resolutions that will make you healthier, happier, and mora satisfied with your life. We all toss a few of the old standbys into the mix, like promptly returning all phone calls or cleaning out my inbox each Friday, but my personal favorites - and the ones that make me feel most triumphant when I accomplish them - are the ones that make me a better person, both mentally and physically. Trust me When youre feeling great about yourself, the most amazing things seem to just happen in your life. Your work performance improves, your energy increases, youre more pleasant to be around, youre more likely to be noticed for promotion, and your self-esteem soars.I assume that youre going to come up with some of those typical resolutions on your own, so to add to your list of usual suspects, here are six out-of-the-box New Years resolution that are quantifiable, readily doable, and downright awesome Perhaps you should give them a try?1. Get Some Quality SleepYes, you, the busy person who do esnt have time for such nonsense. Let me tell you the honest truth about sleep You, just like every other mammal, need a certain amount of sleep in each 24-hour period.Kitty cats - and possibly my college-age sons - need 15-18 hours a day. Horses need about 2.5-3 hours. For humans, its8-9 hours. Its a biological programming thing, and you cant cheat Mother Nature. You need all of your sleep, every night, for a continuous 8-9 hours.Sleep allows all sorts of good things to happen. Your body repairs itself, big time, when youre sleeping. You grow new white blood cells to fight off infections. Your heart rate decreases, giving your hardworking heart muscles a tiny break. Your eyeballs relax and rehydrate. You dream, which is essential to your mental health. Your brain decides what to send to long-term memory and what to discard from the days activities. The research is extensive on this topic, and its indisputable You must have your sleep.To gain the optimum benefit from your sleep, d o your best to go to bed at the same time and sleep the same amount of time each night.2. Make Sure Youre Properly FueledTheres so much information out there these days about what we should and shouldnt eat. Its no wonder so many of us throw in the towel (or the kale) and head for the Cheetos. However, if you think logically and listen to reason - and to your body - then youll know almost intuitively how to navigate through the grocery store or buffet line. Its not so difficult Each and every day, you need to eat some protein, carbohydrates, and, yes, fats. Theyre all essential to your health.Here are three super simple rules of thumbStick to lean proteins and low-glycemic carbs as much as possible, and avoid all trans fats.Weight gain, loss, or maintenance is a simple formula that you already know. To gain weight, you must eat more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than you burn. To maintain your weight, you must eat the exact number of calories that you burn. We like to pretend its not that simple, but believe me, thats how it works.In your heart of hearts, you know that if you cant pronounce the stuff that goes into your frozen TV dinner or your QuickTrip microwave burrito, its probably not really a food, and you probably shouldnt be eating it.Calm down about all the wacky diets and just eat sensibly. You already know how.3. Get Some ExerciseAgain, its easy to be overwhelmed by all the conflicting information about exercise, but just like diet, exercise doesnt have to be that complicated.If you cant do anything else, just move Take a walk. Do some stretching. Lift some weights- and carrying small children and groceries does count. Before you tell me that you dont like to get sweaty, or you dont have the time, or work is more important than exercise, let me simplify things. Yes, there are recommendations for how much and what type of exercise you should get, butlets start with two uncomplicated guidelinesGet some aerobic exercise and some weight-bearing exercise each and every week. Five days a week is a nice goal.Any amount of physical activity is better than noneJust get out there and do something. Youll feel better, youll have more energy, youll sleep better, youll reduce your chances of developing a myriad of nasty diseases, and youll be more productive, to name just a few proven benefits of exercise.4. Calm Your intern ChatterboxYou dont have to be the Dalai Lama to meditate. You dont even have to learn formal meditation methods to benefit from quieting your mind. Much like exercise, doing some amount of mind-calming practice in some form is better than doing nothing at all.Some people will tell you it must be done in the morning. Others will tell you that 15 minutes per day is optimal. I worry that these rules are simply easy excuses for not trying - e.g., Im way too busy in the morning or I simply dont have 15 minutes to devote to meditating.Instead, heres what I suggestFind a quiet place, i f possible, although you can also do this in Grand Central Station if you have no other choice. Sit down - on the floor, in a chair dont worry about where. Close your eyes, if you wish.Commit to 2-3 minutes of mind-calming per session. Dont even call it meditation unless you want to. You dont want to get all hung up on the name and then decide you dont have the skills to pull it off.As you relax, rather than thinking thoughts, put your mind in neutral. To do this, you can repeat a word (either silently or aloud) like love or peace. You can also say a calming phrase like I am bathed in a beautiful light, or you can slowly count from one to ten over and over. Counting, or using a word or phrase, is sometimes called your mantra.Know ahead of time that your mind will wander around and cook up all sorts of interesting things to think about - and thats perfectly okay Itll happen, but that doesnt mean youre not reaping the benefits. It simply means that you have a human brain, programmed to stay active until you allow it to take a breather. When you notice that youvestarted thinking thoughts again, simply return to neutral by going back to your mantra.Tryto practice mind-calming every day. If you miss a day, or a week, or even a year, you know what to do Love yourself and start again. The benefits of this practice are amazing Among them are lower blood pressure, better focus, and mood improvement.5. HydrateTalk about conflicting research. That old eight glasses per day standard is pretty much out the window. Dont even bother to look up whats replaced it youll only walk away confused. So let me shed some light on the subject and untangle a few things.Your body is made up of 60 percent water. Literally every system in your body needs water to function. If you become dehydrated, all sorts of bad things can happen, from headaches and constipation to impaired thinkingand kidney stones. Water helps regulate your body temperature, it improves your cognitive functioning, a nd it lubricates your joints. You need to increase your water intake when you exercise, if youre in a hot climate, or if youre at an altitude ofhigher than approximately 8,000 feet.But how much water should you be drinking?Current guidelines recommendwomen drink approximately 72 ounces/9 cups per day for men, its approximately 104 ounces/13 cups per day.The keyword is approximate. Were all different shapes, sizes, and ages, and the guidelines varyfor children, older adults, and pregnant or breastfeeding women, so check with your health care practitioner if you fall into one of those categories.Now, are you ready for some good news? You may have heard the alarming warning from a well-meaning newscaster that if youre thirsty, youre already seriously dehydrated. Well, thats not quite true. Our bodies are smart. They know when we need water - and they tell us by becoming thirsty So the next time you realize that you really need a drink of water, dont panic. Just find some water and hav e a nice long drink. Youll be just fine, I promise.When someone - a receptionist, your coworker, your grandmother, whoever - offers you water,accept it. By simply making a commitment to drink all the water youre offered during the course of a day, youll increase your intake substantially.6. SmileIve saved the best for last. Not only is this my favorite resolution on the list, it is possibly also the most important for both you and everyone around you. Whats more, its easy, fun, and completely within your grasp. In essence, its the perfect resolution.Smiling, like laughing, is simply one of those things our bodies love to do. When you smile, a cascade of wonderful chemical fireworks goes off in your brain and your body. It doesnt even have to be areal smile to get the effects. Your brain doesnt distinguish between whether youre playing with a puppy or faking a smile at your annoying coworker. When your brain senses your facial muscles moving into smile position, it releases endorph ins, which trigger a positive feeling in your body.The more you smile, the more endorphins are released, and the happier you feel. Endorphins are also stress reducers and natural painkillers. Some studies show that endorphins work better than ibuprofen and acetaminophen.If all this good news isnt enough to make you smile, studies show that smiling people appear more attractive, approachable, and anspruchsvoll Studies also show that its nearly physically impossible for people to look at a smiling person and not smile themselves, so smiling is quite literally contagious.- If you can manage to nail just one or two of these resolutions, you will improve your quality of life, your energy levels, and your ability to tackle challenges - I guarantee it. Once youre feeling like the superhero you are, you can always add resolutions like leaping tall buildings in a single bound or seeing through walls with X-ray vision to your list.But maybe wait until next year for that.Denise Dudleyis the a uthor ofWork It Get In, Get Noticed, Get Promoted. Connect with Dudley onFacebook.

Americans find meaning in family, not careers, surveys find

Americans find meaning in family, not careers, surveys findAmericans find meaning in family, not careers, surveys findAs the holiday season descends upon us, we should all be grateful for the family visits and three-hur dinners headed our way. According to two new surveys, our family is how most of us derive meaning from this crazy world.After trying to pinpoint what Americans use as a source of fulfillment, Pew Research Center found that we overwhelmingly attribute our sense of purpose to our families. 69% of respondents to an open-ended survey question mentioned family when asked what gives them a sense of meaning, and even in closed-ended questions, the same number said spending time with family provides a great deal of meaning and fulfillment in their lives.Comparatively, a much smaller group of people looked to their jobs or careers for meaning. 34% of respondents said their work provides a great deal of meaning for them, and only 4% said it was their most important source of me aning.Financial wellbeing, something jobs, and careers tend to provide, also ranked. 23% of people mentioned money as something that gave them a sense of meaning.Here are a few more takeaways from the recent Pew report.Do-gooders be damnedThough Americans may pride ourselves on our charity and desire to give back, our generosity doesnt tend to spring to mind when we think about meaning.According to the report, topics such as doing good and belonging to a group or community were mentioned in open-ended answers, but these were not as common as responses about hobbies, friendships or even living in a nice place.Which brings us toLeisureIn closed-ended questions, more people reported getting a great deal of meaning or fulfillment from being outdoors, reading or listening to music than from their jobs or careers. 11% of respondents with a college degree also mentioned travel as a source of meaning.But what about faith?Given that we live in a country based on a Protestant work ethic, one might expect that a good number of Americans would report their source of meaning as faith or religion. But only 20% of respondents mentioned spirituality and faith. Even in closed-ended questions, only 36% of people said their religious faith gave them a great deal of meaning.By this measure, religious faith ranks lower, the report reads. But among those who do find a great deal of meaning in their religious faith, more than half say it is thesingle most importantsource of meaning in their lives.So what does this all mean? Well, no matter how much our families drive us crazy this holiday season, we have to remember how much they mean to us. And when we need a break, we can always listen to some music or pick up a book.

How sharing credit can boost your career and company

How sharing leistungspunkt can boost your career and companyHow sharing leistungspunkt can boost your career and companyNot long ago, I bought a business subscription that required a bit of training to learn. The account manager who walked me through the product on the phone did a phenomenal job. So good, in fact, that I wished others on my team had been around to see how she went above and beyond on the call.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThis was the kind of person I would have loved to hire. On a whim, I decided to send her boss an email telling him as much. She embodied the two attributes I screen for when hiring formy companyOWN ITBE A GIVERHer boss thanked me for the feedback. The next time I interacted with the account manager, it was clear that the praise had filtered down to her as well. I now had an advocate for life, and she had gotten well-deserved credit in front o f her boss and peers.Screening for problem solvers and givers has helped us build an office full of 80-some-odd obnoxiously kind people.But the real lesson I learned from this account manager is that being a giver- and specifically giving credit- isnt just good for building a happy company its also one of the easiest ways we can battle inequality.Researchindicatesthat women often tend to take less credit for their achievements than they deserve (typically a sign of a giver), and men are more likely to toot their horn (typically a good strategy for climbing the ladder). It turns out that we often do these things unconsciously.What results, however, is a world where women earn less, get fewer promotions, and have more of their ideas ignored. This is schwimmbad for society, of course, and its bad for business on two levelsInnovation happens when we look at problems from different perspectives.Gender inequality robs us of valuable perspective at every level of a business (andthorough re searchbacks this up).When women succeed more at work,men succeed more, too. Inequality pulls everyone down.Im going to be honest when I talk about inequality, I get self-conscious. Decades of studies show that I have things easier at work, on balance than my female and minority colleagues. I- and doubtless other capable people in my shoes- often dont think about this because Im focusing on my own work.But focusing on myself and the wayIfeel is shooting myself in the foot. Aside from being the ethical thing to do, it turns out that its in my own interest to speak up about workplace inequality.Recent studies show, unambiguously, that by helping others succeed, we make our own jobs easier. And research also shows that companies with successful womenmake more progressand more profitthan homogenous teams.In other words,everyone benefits from leaning in, elend just women.I hadnt realized when I sent that note to my account managers boss that the woman whod done such a fantastic job was le ss likely to receive full credit in the workplace than a man doing a similar job. I sent the compliment because I was in a good mood. Now I realize that these simple acts of giving credit to people- to their bosses and peers- are part of how I can help end workplace inequality.We have plenty of habits to change when it comes to gender and work. One of the easiest ways for men and women to get started- toleanintogether- is to give generous credit to our colleagues. We all need to build each other up and let others see our collective good work. As we look for ways to do this, well build work cultures filled with obnoxiously kind people. Well build the kind of business world where powerful women lead and are heard.And we just might get more work done, too.This article first appeared on Linkedin.Shane Snow is the bestselling author of Dream Teams and a global keynote speaker on innovation, teamwork, and human behavior.