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7 Best Year End Rituals to Welcome Success in 2017

Here's to all the best in the New Year!

 

As we head into 2017... why not try these 7 rituals of successful leaders...

From www.Inc.com Published on Dec. 5, 2016

1. Give thanks, in writing.

Gratitude is one of the best studied and most powerful happiness boosters out there. Counting your blessings strengthens your positivity muscles, putting you on a more optimistic footing for the year ahead. My Inc.com colleague John Boitnott has suggested one powerful way leaders (or anyone really) could put that insight to use this time of year: Take some time to send your customers or team hand-written thank-you notes.

2. Declutter your space, and your brain.

Changing your physical environment can have a surprisingly profound effect on your mentality, so one way to convince your brain it's time to turn a new page and leave the burdens of the past behind is to physically chuck some stuff. You could opt for this comprehensive holiday clean-out plan or simply designate an area of your home, office, or life to ruthlessly declutter.

3. Counteract any lingering suckage.

For many folks, 2016 was a pretty rough year. If you're among those struggling to regain your mental balance after taking a beating in the past 12 months, entrepreneur and financial coach Denise Duffield-Thomas suggests this straightforward ritual to combat the suckage and reclaims your positivity.
Grab a partner, she instructs, and then sit down with a piece of paper and start completing this sentence: "This year, I'm proud of ... " If you run out of steam, your partner can gently prod you with "What else?" Keep going until you have thought of 30 to 50 brags, big or small, business or personal.
Suddenly, 2016 won't seem so uniformly awful after all, and you'll be reminded that even in bad times, you managed to salvage some good. Now imagine what you can do in 2017.

4. Remind yourself how much you've learned.

Just like you probably accomplished more this year than you remember, you also probably learned more than you realize. But the key to getting the most out of that new knowledge is actually putting it to use. This ritual from coach Christi Heisted can help.
"Cull your notes from the conferences, classes, and webinars you've attended throughout the year, as well as the books you've read. Summarize your key learnings and set your top 3-5 action steps. Knowledge is great, but knowledge plus implementation makes you unstoppable," she writes.

5. Make peace with your failures (and your enemies).

While counting your blessings in various ways is a powerful way to end the year, it also helps to put to bed any conflicts and regrets you've racked up too. Thought Catalog offers several good suggestions on how to do this.
For instance, try forgiving an enemy. "Forgiveness doesn't mean welcoming someone back into your life. It doesn't even necessarily mean contacting them again. It just means making the conscious decision to let go of any anger, resentment and blame that you've been holding onto. It means accepting that we're all fallible people, and allowing ourselves to head into the new year with peace in relation to that fact," explains the blog. Science suggests this will do wonders for your own mental health.
Another idea from Thought Catalog is to face your own failures from the previous year head on. "It's tough to make it through the year without a single failure. But rather than dragging that beaten horse into the New Year alongside you, have the strength and the audacity before this year ends to let it go. To accept that you have failed. To let disappointment sink in, but also to revel in the freedom it allows you," the post suggests.

6. Learn to expect the unexpected.

It's easy after something happens to feel that it was inevitable, but it's only hindsight that's 20/20. Remind yourself of that fact and make space in your life for surprises with one more cool ritual from Thought Catalog. "Make a concrete list of all the places life has taken you in the past year that you didn't expect -- and let it serve as a reminder that the coming year will likely be full of surprises, too," the site advises.

7. Light a (literal) fire.

In many parts of the country, a New Year's fire is a good idea simply to keep away the cold, but you could also use that cozy fireplace for ritualistic purposes. Why not write down your fears and burn them to cinders before the clock strikes midnight?
You can even make it a family affair (with proper safety supervision), suggests Mindbodygreen. "You can buy fly wish paper. Have your kids write down on one piece of paper what they want to let go of, and on another piece of paper what they want to manifest (for themselves, for others, and for the planet). Burn the paper and watch it fly into the universe," notes the post. A fireplace works perfectly well too, it adds.

Small Steps Forward

Job Searchers, the journey can seem overwhelming at times.  Right?!  Try breaking it down.  What is one thing you can do today?  Here are some ideas; create you LinkedIn profile, work on your resume, upload your resume to Indeed, write out your perfect job description, spend some time visualizing yourself in a supportive work environment, search LinkedIn and find someone doing what you want to do- ask if they will give you some tips, go to the library and hang out in the career building section- see what you can do differently today.  Do anything!  Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you WILL reach your destination. 

Labor Law Conference Recap

Recently I attended PASCO's 32nd Annual HR and Employment Law Conference.  There were 4 sessions and 2 keynote speakers.  As usual it was a great full day of learning, connecting with colleagues, and seeing what local vendors and service providers have to offer.

Here are a few highlights from the day. Sara Hamilton,  of  Hirschfeld, Kraemer, LLP gave us a great overview of Employment Law Trends.

Overview of Major Bills from 2015

• AB 2053, the "anti bullying bill" states that mandatory sexual harassment prevention training for supervisors must also include training related to abusive conduct.  Applies to employers with 50+ employees.  Supervisors must be trained within 6 months of being hired or promoted and every 2 years after that.
• AB 1443, states that harassment protection is also extended to unpaid interns.
• AB 1522, Health Workplace, Healthy Families Act.  Introduces mandatory paid sick leave.
• AB 1897, Increases employers liability for contracted workers.  Applies to CA employers wtih 25+ employees who use 6+ employees from a labor contractor.  This has prompted employers to more closely monitor the activities of the staffing firms they use.

EEOC Update

 Since 2012, the EEOC has shifted its litigation strategy to focus on fewer, higher-impact cases related to systemic discrimination.

 Having solid policies is very important and can avoid litigation.  Special areas to pay close attention to include pregnancy discrimination and religious discrimination.  

3 Ways To Have A More Compassionate Career

Have you ever thought about the true meaning of the work you do? One way to leave a positive mark on the world is by choosing to have a compassionate career. Here are three ways you can do that: 

 

1. Consider working in the non-profit sector. The name non-profit does not sound so appealing… let’s call it the for-cause sector! Many professionals have a skill-set that could be put to use for just about any type of organization. Choosing to work for a for-cause organization means choosing to put your skills to use for the greater good.

2. Change professions. Follow your heart. Did you somehow end up as an Administrative Assistant because you are organized and good with people, but what you really want to do is be a Pre-school Teacher? What is it that you have always wanted to do? Making this change may require going back to school. The investment in yourself to follow your heart will not only make you happier, but could make the world a better place.

3. Make your workplace more peaceful. This one you can do today! It starts with you. Maybe if you show yourself some loving kindness, it will transfer throughout your day to your co-workers and customers. What if you started your day with some meditation, or positive affirmations? Do you think it might improve your daily interactions? Small intentional actions do have the power to bring more compassion into our careers.

I hope these three ideas have you thinking about how you can infuse your career with compassion. We are all in this together! For some more ideas I highly recommend two thought provoking books; Compassionate Careers, by Jeffrey W. Pryor and Alexandra Mitchell and Real Happiness at Work, by Sharon Salzberg. Here’s to bringing more compassion to your career… TODAY!

This post was also shared on Nicole Smartt's Staffing Queen blog, check it out for more great career tips!  

 

Same Sex Marriage Employee Benefits

There are certain historical events that happen during our lifetime, that we will never forget. For me June 26, 2015 will always be one of those days. I remember waking up to the news that in the Obergfell v. Hodges case the Supreme Court ruled that the Defense Of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and that:

• Same sex marriage is legal in all US jurisdictions
• States must recognize same sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions
• Equal treatment for ALL married couples in relation to:
• State taxation
• Employee benefit plans
• Pension and retirement plans
• Health and welfare plans

Today... about 3 months after the ruling I found myself sitting at a HR training all about same sex marriage rights as they relate to benefits. I had to smile to myself, knowing that in my own small way I will get to carry forward this historic civil rights event in the course of my everyday work.

Thank you to the Insurance Services Firm, Woodruff, Sawyer, & Co for the great presentation today at PASCO, HR!

Real Happiness at Work

As often happens, I found myself in a bookstore (I was taking my son's to pick out something with the gift cards they received for their birthday's) and I thought "well I'll just have a look around". And as often happens, I found myself in the Self Help, and Career Development area of the bookstore. I love it when a book finds me. That is exactly happened with Real Happiness at Work by Sharon Salzberg.

I guess in a way this is the next logical book I would reading. My latest read was, Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin. Kind of funny... I didn't actually put this together until I brought home my new book! I don't think I'm alone in my quest to be happy both at home and work. Both of these books point to a simple in theory, but harder in practice concept: mindfulness. Salzberg explains it like this,

Mindfulness is a relational quality, in that is does not depend on what is happening, but it is also about how we are relating to what is happening.

and

Mindfulness refines or clarifies our attention so that we can connect more fully and directly with whatever is happening.

It is not realistic to think that we will always have smooth and peaceful interactions at work. It is useful to have some tools to help the workplace be a more peaceful place, and I think that is exactly what this book provides.