Remember those resolutions you made 6 months ago? Remember January 1, 2008? Remember how fresh and new that day, that new year was? Remember feeling like reinventing yourself or your career? So how are you doing with those?
Thought I’d forget about them, didn’t you? Not a chance. See, I don’t do resolutions per se. I do reassessments of how I’ve done in the past 6 months, where I want to be in the coming 6 months, and how I plan to get there. It happens every 6 months or sooner, if necessary. I look at my previous workload, my present workload, and what I’ll need to secure in order to reach my financial or other career goals.
But you, you made resolutions. And now I’m calling you on them. Do you even remember what they were? Yes? Great! It’s time to assess how well you’re doing. Did you set earnings goals? Did you resolve to market more often? Have you expanded your business, gotten a handle on your accounting/invoicing, developed a better collection process, searched for more client opportunities, or called on regular clients more often? Yes? No? If you said yes, you’re probably too busy to continue reading this post. If you said no, read on.
If you haven’t thought about those New Year’s Resolutions since January 1st, it’s not too late. Dig them up (hopefully you wrote them down). Start applying your efforts to them now. As we head into summer, a lean time for some writers, you need to look into different approaches or new areas in order to keep continuity in your work (and in your checks).
If you’re in the habit of making resolutions and not bothering to follow through, you might want to rethink that approach. Inertia is your biggest enemy right now. So go on – do something. Any movement toward your goals is a move in the right direction. Plus, I’ll be asking again in 6 months. It’s my way of helping – by making you accountable to someone other than yourself (even l’il ol’ me).