January 10, 2012

THREE WAYS TO START THE YEAR WITH THE WIND IN YOUR SAILS

Get the wind in your sailsIf you want your year to go well, start strong. Here are three ways to kick the year into gear:
  1. Celebrate last year
  2. Be your own guide
  3. Show courage in public
Let’s explore each.

Celebrate Last Year

Make a list of what you shipped last year. Are you surprised at how much you got done?

Since we’re busy, we may not notice or celebrate our accomplishments. Don’t expect anyone else to notice or remember either. Gently remind them by putting your highlights someplace they can see and send to others.

If you’re gutsy, you can include selected failures and personal elements too. Just remember you're in marketing not therapy.
Example
This is part of my email signature:
SHIPPED IN 2011: Interviewed in The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. Spoke about building trust at CALU and Word11. Elected President of Goodyear Toastmasters. Celebrated Dad's 75th birthday and my 50th. Published 103 blog posts about risk and marketing. Nominated for a Business Excellence Award from the Toronto Board of Trade (lost, but the sole candidate from financial services out of 49 nominees in 8 categories). How was your year?
The same details are on my personal website in bullet format.

Be Your Own Guide

Resolutions sound so serious — easier to break than keep. There’s a simpler way to achieve your goals:
  1. choose three words with meaning to you (mine are health, harvest, advocate)
  2. think of them daily
  3. act accordingly
This approach works better than you might expect. It’s based on ideas from Chris Brogan.

Show Courage In Public

Write one honest testimonial on LinkedIn each week for (at least) three weeks. Here “honest” means there’s no perceived self-interest or hidden business dealings with the people you praise.

Giving recognition is free but priceless. Spotlighting linchpins rewards them. They may not realize the impact they’ve had on you. They may be questioning whether they are making a difference. Your words could be the boost they need.

Praise in private has very little marketing value for the recipient. Besides, you show courage when you take a stand in public. When you see that nothing bad happens, you can be even more courageous going forward.
Giving testimonials has an important “free prize”. Seeking the treasure in others helps you unearth the diamonds hidden within you. You become what Zig Zigar calls a “good finder”. The world needs more positive people.

Momentum gives a great start to the year. Get set, go!

Links

PS What will you ship this year?

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