Time is your most important resource. Relative to your ‘employment,’ how you spend your time determines how much money you have and much more. How you spend your time impacts everything in your life including your finances, career, family, and health. Time is also a more limited resource.

As you begin the New Year, take a few minutes to reflect on how you spent your time last year and how you might better spend your time this year. Ask yourself if you really think working harder or more hours is the best solution for you.

For some, working harder may be the solution. The simple addition of practice time, devoted to developing your verbal skills may produce strong dividends.  Another gift to your career would be a commitment to regular—but, REGULATED—time spent developing your network through LinkedIn… a “painless plus” to the net worth of your network.

Some clearly need to put more effort into their work, but for most to reach a higher level of performance, they need to get out of the comfort of doing the same thing they’ve been doing. They need to elevate their skills and knowledge. They need to change their approach. They need to change their mindset, get out of their own way, and employ new practices if they truly expect to be more productive and effective.

If you remain unconvinced, consider this simple test. How many people in your circle of influence would pick you to be on their “dream team” of top performers based on your proven performance? Who would you pick to be on your dream team? Would you or others be first-round draft picks based on what you’ve been doing? If so, congratulations. Keep doing it.

If not, let this be your wake-up call to focus on your personal and professional development in the New Year.   Many find it useful to have a partner in this process… an ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER who can “hold your feet to the fire…” and be willing to tickle their toes in the flames as well.

CRITICAL is the development of your personal sense of accountability to accomplishing your goals!

As a career consultant who is privileged to work with many terrific professionals, leaders in their chosen field of endeavor, and other successful people, I find few people who simply need to do more of what they’ve been doing in order to improve their performance. For most people, they need to step out of their current habits, adopt a new way of thinking, increase their knowledge in new areas, and develop their skills. They need to be more strategic and invest more time in themselves.

TIME, my friends, marches on…

Will you be joining in the parade or viewing from the sidelines?  Accountability facilitates success.  YOUR choice.  Happy New Year.