New Year, New You

Hand-in-hand with renewal is the idea of reinvention. And there’s no better time to get started than right now–especially as we kick off the first month of the new year! The tips and tricks we’ve highlighted today offer up ways to bring a new you to the workplace in ways that take into account your co-workers while also allowing you to independently focus on yourself. 

Our favorite of John Boitnott at Entrepreneur’s “12 Scientifically Proven Ways to Reinvent Yourself” is “Stop envying others. Learn that your own thoughts are responsible for creating these feelings and find more productive ways to think. Challenging and controlling the thoughts you think may feel like riding a bull at first, but it’s something you can get better at with time.” Instead of wasting your time and energy on being jealous of others, focus that attention inwards. What steps can you take towards self-improvement? While we encourage you to consider options that will serve you throughout the new year, this first week back at work post-holidays is a wonderful time to channel the bursts of brightness you’ve just experienced into your own reinvention gameplan.

If you can’t help but focus on others, you can at least focus that energy towards a collaborative effort towards reinvention rather than wallowing in jealousy. Our next tip comes from Marlen Komar at Bustle, who’s provided insights on both reinventing yourself at work and staying inspired while doing so: “Understand How People View You. If you ask those close to you to describe you in three words, you can pull out what people notice about you and use it to your advantage. Those are your strengths; the things people count on you for. Now go buff them.” By doing this, your colleagues will also appreciate the fact that you are turning to them as experts! They might even want you to do the same thing for them–asking for your co-workers takes on your work strengths can then turn into a bonding experience, strengthening everyone’s approach to their work.

Finally, Rose Caiola at Rewire Me provides this excellent suggestion: “Your appearance matters. While we know that your job skills are the most important thing, it’s human nature for people to notice your appearance. The way you look determines how people see you. If you want a different position than the one you currently have or want your boss or coworkers to see you in a particular way, it’s time to dress the part…However, you don’t need to make a drastic change. Instead, consider ways that you can make yourself feel more confident, whether it’s the clothes that you’re wearing or the knowledge that you possess. When you’re confident, this feeling tends to extend to the way that you present yourself, making others feel assured about your abilities.” Think of your outfit as a great opportunity to let your outer image reflect your inner strengths! Start small; this would be a great time to put any fancy socks you may have received over the holidays to good use.

The important thing to remember in reinventing yourself is that you’re building up from a foundation that you’ve already established. Rather than starting from scratch, keep your strong suits in mind while formulating a game plan for moving forward. With these tips in mind, we know you’ll both look and feel fabulous at work in the year to come.

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