As the New Year dawns on us, how are you planning ahead for the future? Are you going to work through another year of economic uncertainty or will you plan to make some adjustment to your personal and working life for the challenges ahead? Success in your work depends on your attitude and here, we are talking about lots of positive thinking and even, the ability to dream big and strive out to do the things differently from the rest. It may take conviction and faith, even audacity. As news of layoffs, VSS and mergers, even amongst big conglomerates seem to fill the spaces in your daily newspaper every now and then, one can’t seem to ignore the fact that we have to change our working lifestyle to assimilate the added workload.

The question now is, do you work harder or work smarter? The answer is both. I believe at the back of your mind, you want to be successful in your career, whether it is motivated by wealth, fame or simply, aspiration for a better life. But in times of trials, you need to strive harder and stretch to reach your full potential by putting one foot just a little in front of the other and say to yourself, "I can do it with the right attitude, achieve even higher goals in life by working harder and keeping my mind on my objectives and striving for it in faith."

The process of achieving your goals starts inside you with a few small steps which you need to take to push yourself to the next level of being a productive worker in your workplace.

Establish goals
What do you wish to accomplish in the New Year? To be successful in your work, you need to set goals and this will help to focus your time, energy, talents and skills towards the goals. You will be motivated to get the job done. Clearly established goals will help you to plan what you wish to accomplish and what you want out of life without wasting too much time.

Make right your attitude>
When things get rough and bumpy in our daily grind of life, it is easy for us to let ourselves down by feeding our mind with negative thoughts. Your work may even seem meaningless.

Start your new year by assessing your current situation and list out those areas which concerns you and saps your energy. If you have been feeling unhappy and disgruntled towards your boss or work, seek out the reasons and explore alternative ways to work happily.

Desire to improve your attitude about yourself. Attitudes are formed through your experiences and your degree of success hinges on your attitude in life. So, get a positive attitude about all things as this will help to decide the next level, i.e. self-motivation towards your career goals. Negative vibes destroy your morale, creativity and outlook in life; positive attitude improves and enhances them!

Motivate yourself
In order to achieve your goals, your mind needs to be filled with enthusiasm, creativity and willingness to learn. Motivation will power your mind to realise those attributes and make things happen.

Honestly, if you are told to take over your colleagues’ workload due to the restructuring exercise arising from cost cutback, you would probably flinch at the thought of longer working hours, more responsibilities and no pay increase! This is a natural reaction but if you have the right attitude to motivate you to work things out for your organisation, you may go a long way towards greater work empowerment. Work smart by planning to discuss with your boss regarding the job enlargement and seek a better remuneration package for yourself.

Change and growth
Change occurs around us everyday. It affects the way we work, communicate and live. Change presents an unknown factor in our lives and activities. Most people resist change and prefer to maintain the status quo rather than to venture into the unknown. Where does that lead us? We cocoon ourselves in our own little familiar space and deny ourselves the experience of changes in life. In order to grow, we need to allow ourselves to 'morph' into the being, to embrace change even though it may be difficult at times.

Aside from seeking the future through gazing at the crystal ball, the New Year may turn out to be good or otherwise. But that should not change our goals. We have to be flexible to accommodate ourselves to change even though there may be problems ahead. Growth in the face of difficulties and uncertainties strengthens us eventually. The very nature of living is all about change, which leads to growth. Working smart would incorporate this virtue.

Manage your time
As the latest innovations allow us to be more efficient and productive, the pace of work gets faster and faster. When you have more workload on your plate, you tend to stretch yourself more to accomplish your assignments within the eight hours or more per working day. The following tips may help you increase your time:

• Be punctual. Unfortunately, it seems to be a perpetual habit of people to be late for appointments. Learn to manage your time and leave early for your appointment.

• Write short memos, right to the point.

• Meetings should be convened on time, with specific agenda. This will help to keep you focused on the issues and not be deviated to other topics.

• Delegate work. This is a good way to allow your staff to learn and empower them to take responsibility for the work.

Your life is a journey only you can take if you want to become the better person than you can be. So, set your goals now and go for them with all the enthusiasm that you can muster. Whatever hindrances or setbacks along the way, remember, that the right attitude will inspire you to take action and realise your dream. Blessed New Year!