Renewing excitement after holidays are behind us and the new year begins is challenging. I remembered when I read Stephen Covey’s or Tony Robbins’ daily reflections to help jump start the day.

Self-motivation works best when looking at the upside of life and being grateful for the things we have going for us. Always staying in a hard driving mode gets old after a while. We must break and take some time to enjoy what we have. The length of the break needed depends on what works best for each person.

Holidays can be overwhelming with additional events added to an already full work and social life. Businesses rush to end the year on a good note, individuals work diligently to ensure all the festivities and related activities are completed.

Recently, a client who is a also a friend, took his wife away for a long weekend. I thought, what a great move. When they returned refreshed, they might find the holiday stress a bit easier to handle. So, take a pause, go away, and just chill to ease the stress.

For those who cannot get away, outsource gift giving. Amazon is great for gifts, especially if you include the gift wrap and delivery in the purchase. Harry and David, with their wonderful pears and other goodies also make gift giving a fun task, not a stressful one.

In working with clients negotiating compensation, the question becomes what is more important, money, time, or title? The answer depends on where the client is in their life. For example, do they have family, are they self-supporting, and will the package provide staff support and travel flexibility?

Also, other than compensation, does this career move offer a long view of the career path? These answers are not easily answered but need to be addressed for a good work and life balance. Without that balance, the compensation will ultimately feel unsatisfactory.

In today’s work and personal environments, to accomplish all that is needed, we can easily become overwhelmed. This sometimes lead to anxiety. Harnessing the anxiety to shift it into motivation, is the best way change the emotion needed to move toward accomplishment. Taking note of the anxiety triggers will help turn the it into motivation to achieve the goal.

The fashion industry is trying shake up and rouse interest in clothing by introducing a new way of using prints and patterns in clothing for men and women. Blouses, dresses, and menswear are being designed with several different prints on one item.

Ted Baker started this by introducing collars and cuffs with patterns and shirt bodies in another pattern. Fashion savvy men began to wear them. And now, even conservative men wear multi-colors, multi-prints for business casual. DVF dresses are now loaded with several prints and patterns on the same dress. Just remember, the clothing should enhance the person wearing it as opposed to the clothing wearing the person.

Recently, my office had new vents installed to accommodate a separate heating zone for the space. This means bookcases no longer rest against walls lest they block the vents. I decided that this was also the perfect time to purge my hundreds of books that included writings on leadership, speaking, color, fashion, etiquette, and communication.

It turns out it was not difficult even though I am a book junkie, retaining some tomes for more than 30 years! The ones that stayed included books by Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, Dale Carnegie, and from a favorite, Steven Covey.

I also kept books on first impressions and favorite inspirational and organizational quotes. Gone were books that didn’t stand the test of time. Gone were old tapes from conferences, manuals, and hundreds of badges and keepsakes. After sorting it all out, I took 15 bags of books to a new home at the hospital thrift shop!

The beginning of a new year makes it easy to go down the rabbit hole of: what did I accomplish last year? That’s because we tend to look at the things we did not achieve instead of the things we did do.

So, how do we stop ourselves and look at the future? First is to recognize the signs or triggers that start you down that rabbit hole. Once recognized, use three tools: talk to someone, write down your feelings and three distract yourself.

• Talk to someone – Call your go to person to help walk through this feeling
• Write it down – Journaling can also halt the downward spiral
• Distract – Do something that will instigate feelings of control and joy

Each of these different methods will help prevent the journey down the rabbit hole and bring long term benefits.

Many companies have gyms in their buildings for employees to conveniently work out during lunch or before / after work. While this is your private time, it does not mean that you should wear clothes that look like you are ready to clean your garage. You never know who you will bump into!

In fact, you can use working out as an informal way to network. You don’t have to wear the latest matching workout clothes and shoes (which I find a bit contrived but I do like the fun shoes men are wearing!).  Just look clean and smart. Also, make sure the clothing is not too small. I recently saw women wearing leggings that left nothing to the imagination – not an appealing sight.

Ben Wechsler writes a newsletter on success and has developed The Wechsler Leadership Program, Creative Problem Solving, and Strategy & Innovation. I recently interviewed him on what experiences led him to develop his coaching and leadership tenets.
Besides Ben being certified in all the above areas, he used his thirty years of technology and life experiences to craft the programs.

What I found refreshing, because, often we don’t appreciate our own steps towards achievement, is that he feels completing one goal can be a significant success. Sometimes, we expect to be the next Steve Jobs or the Oprah’s of the world which can be so defeating. He firmly believes success is when you achieve any measureable goal. Benhttp://benwechsler.com/success-network-how-aware-are-you-of-your-own-success.

Recently in workshop for a Fortune 100 client, the questions came up on how people stay engaged when working from a home office, especially for months on end.

1.Dress as if you are going to the office in business casual attire. Not in pajamas or clothes you would clean the garage in. Dressing up will make you feel professional especially in an isolated setting. Ugly is working in your pajamas. It starts out feeling good but ends up making you feel unaccountable.

2.Do not eat lunch in your home office. Dining out keeps your socialization skills active.

3.Talk to folks in the office. Use FaceTime or Skype so you are on decision makers minds for any projects that may be good for your career mobility.

4.Take on special projects that will keep you visible with leadership.