New Year, New Habits: 4 Behaviors to Banish for a Successful 2019

Whether you’re working toward a professional or personal goal, a new year offers the opportunity to start fresh with enhanced commitment and revamped strategies.

As you begin tackling your tactics full-force, don't forget to make room for a little self-reflection too.

By gaining consciousness of your self-limiting behaviors and taking steps to work through them, you can prevent potential speed bumps down the road.

While self-limiting behaviors will vary per person and specific objective, several bad habits can be detrimental to all goal-setters.

Here are 4 behaviors to eliminate this year, so you can dodge setbacks and conquer your 2019 goals with confidence.

1. Being a “yes” person.

By nature, I’m a people pleaser. I’ve over-committed myself like crazy, and put my mental health in jeopardy to meet unrealistic expectations.

Slowly but surely, I’ve begun to learn the power of saying no. While I remain a hard-working employee that my co-workers can count on, I’ve also stopped being scared to say no.

When asked by a supervisor if I’m feeling overwhelmed, I no longer silence my concerns. If a deadline is unmanageable, I vocalize this.

Along with benefiting a traditional 9-5 role, ditching the “yes girl” mentality can be especially valuable for side hustlers and creative entrepreneurs.

Jenna Kutcher often touches on this topic, and I love the way she preaches the importance of “protecting your best yes’s.”

She reminds us that we don’t have to feel obligated to say “yes” to every opportunity thrown our way.

Especially when first starting out in the entrepreneur or influencer space, it’s tempting to want to “do all the things” and jump on every initiative.

However, it’s important to keep bringing your energy back to the big picture. Be selective with your time and attention, and approach every opportunity with rationality.

If an initiative doesn’t contribute to your overarching objective, it’s okay to respectfully decline.

So instead of defaulting to “yes” this year, don’t be afraid of getting choosy.

By remaining strategic and realistic with your responses, you can eliminate added stress and regain control of your outcome.

2. Placing your happiness in other people’s hands.

If you’ve rolled your eyes at the phrase “you’re in control of your own happiness,” I get it. However, a little self-empowerment can go a long way.

Often times, we unconsciously base our success off of what others think. It could your boss, your parents, your significant other, or a combination of all three.

The truth is, your journey is unique to you. You can strive to gain others’ support, but you shouldn't be handing them the power. 

Your parents might never understand your passion project, and it's not theirs to understand. Your boyfriend might be baffled by the idea of swapping a corporate job for freelance work, and that's okay.

This year, stay committed to the passion that lights a fire in you. Measure success based on what YOU decide it should be.

Because at the end of the day, achievement isn’t always about hitting a certain milestone or generating a desired income.

It’s about doing what you love, at a speed that fits you just right.

3. Feeling guilty about taking time for yourself.

I’ve always been an introvert, and sufficient “me” time is especially crucial for my sanity.

Despite this natural tendency to regularly enjoy healthy alone time, I’ve still experienced guilt for skipping out.

Whether it’s declining an invite to go out with friends or saying “thanks but no thanks” to an office happy hour, I can't help worrying about appearing uninterested or anti-social.

If this sounds familiar, it’s important to remind yourself that self-care isn’t selfish. Along with improving overall self-awareness, alone time can provide a much-needed breather from the daily hustle.

So stop pressuring yourself into plans out of guilt this year. If you need a break from the world for a day (or even a week,) go ahead and take it.

“Me” time is an important part of mental health, and the right people will understand that.

4. Failing to advocate for yourself.

Let 2019 be the year that you finally acknowledge the bullshit. Stop feeling shy about honoring your worth, and let it be known that you deserve better. 

I've had to train myself to speak up about unfair treatment, both in professional and personal relationships. It takes practice to gain comfort and confidence in advocating for yourself, but the end game is well worth it.

So instead of settling for “good enough” in your business or personal life this year, start recognizing your unique value.

We often over-complicate the process of taking the next step in our life, but sometimes it's as simple as a little self-support.