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All the unpredictability around COVID over the last two years has resulted in change becoming the norm, though that hasn’t made it any easier to deal with! Change is difficult to manage. As we inch closer to 2022 with a little more consistency in hotel operations, but still a lot of lingering uncertainty, this is a great time to focus on what we are in control of… our happiness.
Instead of making resolutions this year, how about focusing on solutions? Having a roadmap for change softens the process, or at least this is what I have found personally and with my clients. Here are tactics that can be applied now, or at any time of year:
Reassess - identify something that isn’t working for you and choose a new way to manage it. Pick some aspect of your life that you aren’t happy with and do not wish to continue to support. Something significant enough that you know in your heart that unless you make a change, things could get worse. What you’re not changing, you’re choosing. Your life is up to you, so don’t compare it to anyone else and pick something that you really want to change, for you, no one else.
Realign – pick what will work and commit to it. Don’t try to change everything at once, give yourself some grace. What is your goal? What is it going to take to reach that goal? Be very detailed and write it down. Share this goal with a friend to help to hold you accountable for your progress and talk you off the ledge when your commitment to make the change wavers. Set a realistic goal and don’t beat yourself up if you take a temporary detour.
Reignite – celebrate your successes. Once you have identified your goal and begin taking the steps to embrace the changes, you will feel the momentum. Celebrate each step! Celebrate the fact that you were courageous enough to take the first step and made the choice to change. Document your small successes and when you have days where you don’t feel like you are making progress, pull out that paper with your progress and get excited about how far you’ve come. Every day is a new day to make progress on your journey. Make sure that you have a list of things you will be able to do once you’ve met your goal, so you don’t go back to old habits.
Bonus thought: your goals and changes may impact others around you. The people you surround yourself with, what media you read and listen to, all have a major influence on your overall happiness and success. Choose wisely.
Leeanne Gardner is the best-selling author of “Unbridle IT! Buck Up and Create Your Happy!,” she offers businesses and individuals tools to learn how to create positive changes to balance their lives and become more productive employees.