Saying So Long: 3 Habits To Ditch This Year

The calendar turns to January and suddenly everyone’s talking about their New Year’s resolutions. Usually, these goals involve adding something: start working out, eat more vegetables, get more sleep, etc. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But this year, why not take a different approach? 

Instead of weighing yourself down with more to do, try letting something go. When I reflected on what I wanted to leave behind, three habits came to mind. 

No matter what you do for work or how much authority you have, these practices won’t serve you. Wave farewell to these unhelpful habits with me this year.

Going It Alone 

Raise your hand if you also have a bit of a superhero complex sneak its way into your work. You know, that “I can do anything and everything all at once” attitude? I’m all about confidence, but this year, let’s embrace the people around us. No more going it alone! 

While I’m technically the only full-time employee at McMillion Consulting, I lean so much on my team of contractors and partners. We’re there for each other to toss around new ideas. We’re in the trenches together, figuratively speaking, to serve our clients as well as we possibly can. I got tired figuring it out all by myself many years ago and yet, I still fall into the trap on occasion. Here’s to more teamwork, more tapping into my network, and more asking for help this year. 

Expecting Certainty 

Here’s a lesson I keep learning and re-learning: You can’t possibly know all the facts before you make a business decision. Oof, let that sink in. In life and at work, we’re going to have to take a few risks. Instead of expecting certainty, we’ve got to get comfortable with a little ambiguity.

As I reflected on last year, I made some big bets on new products and tools, this idea finally sunk in for me. I can weigh my odds and do my research, but there’s no secret hack that can give me complete clarity on what the future holds. My investments in the business could pay off big time. Or, they could be a total flop. I’m done trying to trick myself into thinking I can control every outcome. I hope that gives you some freedom too.

Projecting Perfection 

Vulnerability is one of those words people love to throw around. Finding the right balance of transparency at work is probably a topic for another article. But, I’ll tell you this, it’s time to put the days of projecting perfection behind us. Faking it all the time isn’t just unhelpful, it’s exhausting. Oh and also, it’s boring! 

Just the other day, I connected with a colleague to chat business. Midway through our conversation, we ended up swapping notes on therapy, burnout, and entrepreneur life. It ended up being such a life-giving conversation. I think we both left feeling like we had taken a big, deep breath. And it was only possible because we both chose not to act like we had it all together. More of that this year, please! 

I’m going to go ahead and claim it right now — this is our year to let go of the things that are holding us back. Let’s shed these old ways of working and embrace a healthier, more honest rhythm this year. 

Speaking of habits, a good one to add to your to do list is reviewing your LinkedIn profile. You want to make sure it is an accurate representation of your professional story. If not, it's time to do something about it! Explore The Profile Transformer™ as the done-for-you engagement to catapult your online presence.