The Ghosts of Christmases Past and Future

Christmas, as we all know, is a common time of year for reflection. With the New Year fast approaching we often consider where we are in life, what we want and the next steps we feel we should take. No matter how gimmicky the New Year, New Start is, many of us do it. And as the title suggests, you need to not only think about the future, but also your past, however short term that may be.

Whilst we often consider what we want to achieve, it can be difficult to remember what we have achieved, it’s important to break it all down. For example, imagine you started a new job early that year, and although you love that job, you still want to keep moving forward, that doesn’t necessarily mean leaving that role. So, what have you learnt, what have you improved on and what value will that ultimately add to your CV when the time comes to give it an update? By doing this you can compare where you are now to where you were a year prior.

The next step is to consider what you want to achieve over the next 12 months. This could very well include a new job, buying a house, traveling, getting married, the list is endless. But what do you need to do to achieve your goals?

Well, at this point it would be a good idea to discuss your goals with your current employer to find out what they can do to help facilitate your goals. Find out whether advancement opportunities such as training or any additional responsibilities are available that could potentially lead to a pay rise. A promotion may also be available for the right candidate with the drive to climb the ladder, or perhaps a role within another department?

Hopefully this exercise can put your goals and achievements into better perspective and help you to visualize your future, based on your previous experiences and progress.