When establishing a partnership with a media buyer, starting off on the right foot is essential. The best way to set your partnership up for success is to establish parameters, timelines, and deliverables first. While it might seem overly formal, clearly defined written expectations take the guesswork out of your relationship.  Documenting detailed expectations maintains accountability and builds trust. Building this solid foundation from the start leads to strong campaigns with successful outcomes.

Set clear expectations with your media buyer using these four steps:

Step 1: Determine and Agree on KPIs

Start with an open conversation about your big-picture goals. What change do you want to see in your business? Do you want to book more appointments with new clients, increase the average sale amount, or even build a following on social media? Be specific. For example, sharing that you want to increase sales is too broad of a goal.  Stating that you want to increase traffic to your website to result in increased sales is more specific.

Once you’ve shared what you want, it’s time to choose key performance indicators (KPIs). These are the metrics that will show whether you’re on track to achieving your big picture goal. Avoid making vanity metrics your KPIs. Choose actionable or ROI-based metrics instead.

You may need to track multiple KPIs to track campaign success, but be sure to narrow down the truly important metrics. Just because you can follow a dozen KPIs doesn’t mean you should.

Step 2: Create SMART Goals

Now that you’ve chosen KPIs get specific by creating SMART goals. Craft SMART goals with your KPIs at the center.

SMART goals are:

• Specific
  • Your goal should not have vague language.
• Measurable
  • Your goal should be trackable. This is where your KPIs come in.
• Attainable
  • Goals are meant to be a challenge but not impossible. Be realistic about time and especially budget!
• Relevant
  • Ensure that your goal contributes and aligns with your overall business objectives.
• Time-bound
  • There should be a start date and deadline.

You must create these SMART goals collaboratively with your media buyer. This keeps both parties on the same page.

Be sure to write down your SMART goals and make them accessible to all parties. Did you know that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals when you write them down?
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Now that you have a clear destination, it’s time to determine how you’ll get there and who will be responsible

Step 3: Build a Roadmap Together

The third step to setting clear expectations with your media buyer is to create a detailed plan for achieving your SMART goals. This chronological document should contain details about each task, such as:

• Responsible parties
• Deadlines
• Budgets
• Deliverables

We’ve all experienced miscommunication that results in a delay or errors in the campaign. This document aims to prevent realizations like “oh, I thought you were taking care of that.” Note you’re your roadmap should not be set in stone. When things change, you’ll need to pivot. Stay agile by revising your roadmap regularly and sharing edits with both teams.

Step 4: Talk Fine Print

Lastly, don’t forget to review the finer points. Be sure to discuss:

• Frequency of communication
  • How often will the client hear from their media buying partner?
• Billing and invoicing schedule
  • When will invoices be sent? When are invoices due? What method of payment is preferred?
• Reporting frequency and depth
  • When will reports be sent? What metrics will the report contain? Will reports we received with the media buyer be in person or on a video call?
• Turnaround times
  • How quickly will work be completed? Do holidays and weekends affect turnaround times?
• Cancellation policy
  • Should the client or media buyer choose to terminate the partnership, what is the length of notice?
• Non-disclosure agreements
  • Both parties should sign non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary information.

Along with open communication, these four steps are sure to set you and your media buyer up for success. If you are looking for a media buyer who won’t leave you in the dark, a partner who’ll provide transparency and meet your expectations? Contact us today for a free quote.

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R.E.D. Shirt Friday is TOMORROW, and we, at KeyMedia Solutions are excited to participate! Join us in showing support for all service members deployed by participating in R.E.D. (Remember Everyone Deployed) Shirt Friday on February 26^th.  Wearing red is a small way to remind those serving and their families that they are in our thoughts and we are grateful for their service.

R.E.D. Shirt Day is Personal for KeyMedia Solutions

KeyMedia feels a strong connection to R.E.D. Shirt day. For us, wearing red not only means supporting our service members but supporting our fellow teammate, Jake Stingley. We are deeply grateful for the sacrifice he and his family are making to protect our nation. We miss Jake every day but know his lightheartedness and good-humored conversations are brightening the lives of those around him. Jake is currently on a one-year deployment overseas, and we cannot wait until he returns home. We will honor his selflessness by wearing red this Friday and by finding ways to support service members in our communities throughout the year.

Additional ways to celebrate R.E.D. Shirt Friday

If you feel inclined to participate and would like to show your support for those deployed and their families, here are a few suggestions provided to us by the South Dakota Office of the Adjunct General.

• Encourage your coworkers, friends, family, and classmates to wear red on Friday, February 26^th.
• Send a card or letter to an entire unit.
• Create a banner or video from your organization to send to the unit.
• Check-in with the family of a deployed service member.
• Provide a meal or care package for the family of a deployed service member.
• Use the hashtag #RememberEveryoneDeployed when posting your pictures to social media sites.
• Send a picture of your company to southdakota@gmail.com, and they may share your photo on their social media platforms.
• Support the South Dakota Veteran’s Home in Hot Springs or a veteran service organization in your community.

For more information and additional ways to participate contact, Maj. Lona Christensen, S.D. ESGR program director, at (605) 737-6540 or lona.m.christensen.mil@mail.mil.

Two years ago, I began my professional journey at KeyMedia Solutions as a Digital Media Coordinator. Just a year out of college, I was eager and excited to step foot into the corporate world.  Although young, I felt unsettled with my overall direction in life.  I participated in a random variety of extracurricular activities; I did video production for the University of Sioux Falls football team, spent time in the gym, played softball, and yet with all of that, I felt as if something was still missing.

Throughout my life, I have fought my way through some very challenging personal trials at quite a young age.  Unfortunately, in November of 2018, I found myself in a familiar difficulty once again. This time, however, thanks to my amazing coworkers, supportive family, and conveniently timed expiring lease, I had an opportunity to move back across the country to my hometown of Tallahassee, FL. This personal battle was far from over and something I am still managing.  Thanks to the flexibility of KeyMedia Solutions along with a multitude of other factors, I can successfully manage it at a higher level.

As a 23-year-old, working roughly 1,200 miles from the main office, one would imagine I could easily get distracted, or not be an effective remote employee. It was even a thought that ran past my mind from time to time during the 2-day haul back home to Florida. However, growing up in a house with a widowed single father who was a remote salesman for over 20 years, it was something I adjusted to easily and actually prefer it. I found myself being more efficient, forcing myself to learn more because of some of the obstacles that come with remote communication, and just happier. We can credit that last one to the beautiful warm weather of the Sunshine State! While things in my life were once again stable and on the upswing, l still felt as though something was missing.

Adjusting to being back home and working remotely took a little time. There were hits and misses along the way with things like establishing a consistent routine, separating my personal and work life, and learning to communicate the given digital channels. As those who regularly work from home know, you must establish a dedicated workspace. A place that is not “home” within your home. This was the most challenging part for me.  If I was behind on a project or wanted to get ahead, it was just five steps away for me to work.  After many conversations with my inner circle, I established a balanced lifestyle with boundaries and learned to turn the office off.

My work life was conforming and falling into place and my personal life was beginning to settle in too. I was reconnecting with family and old friends. I was stunned to discover all the changes to my hometown over my six-year absence. I even started getting back to the gym!  It felt good to obtain a level of normalcy. Yet, something felt off and I was trying to figure it out.

Shortly after my return a close friend recommended that I read Simon Sinek’s, Start With Why. I am an avid reader and since she wanted to read the book together, I thought, why not? If you have ever read this book, you understand what I am about to say. If you haven’t, add it to your list and read it next! As I read through the book, Sinek’s words struck a chord with me. I started to think about why I woke up each morning, why I was motivated, and why I make the choices I make.

After college was over, I was no longer playing football. I had graduated from a sport that I had dedicated 16 years of my life and now it was just done.  I felt lost and could not fill the void left by football. I finally realized it was the reason I felt like something was missing in my life.  I longed for everything football gave me, being part of a team, the value of hard work, and the opportunities I would not have had otherwise. As I kept reading Sinek’s book and applied it to my life,  I was able to define my “why” – I want to give people opportunities they’ve never had before. This is my reason for getting out of bed each morning.  Suddenly that feeling of something missing started to fade (a little).

I began to apply this “why” to my professional life and saw a fundamental change in my work. I got excited about taking on new clients, I connected more with my current clients, and the KMS team felt closer than ever, even though they were physically halfway across the country. But as I felt increasingly fulfilled in my professional life, I was still feeling that emptiness in my personal life.

Time marched on and in late February of 2019, I visited a good family friend and the man responsible for my meathead lifestyle – Coach Al. Al coached at Maclay School, a private prep school in Tallahassee, for nearly 20 years as their strength and conditioning coach. He and I spent hours catching up and talking. Near the end of our conversation, he asked me if I had ever considered coaching football. Interestingly, one would think that after playing the sport at a high level for 16 years, coaching would have been at least a thought- It wasn’t.  He then introduced me to the Head Football Coach, Lance Ramer. We had an instantaneous connection.

After going through the formal interview and hiring process, speaking with my leadership team at KeyMedia Solutions in Sioux Falls, and some prayer, I accepted the position of Offensive and Defensive Line Coach at Maclay School for their Varsity Football Program. I would also be assisting with strength and conditioning.  The missing piece was back in place. Now as a coach instead of a player, I can demonstrate to the next generation all the opportunities football has to offer.  I am now fulfilling my “Why”, giving people opportunities they haven’t had before.

Next came the tedious challenge of logistics!  How was I going to take on a coaching position while working remotely full-time? I was living in the Eastern Time Zone, working for a company in the Central Time Zone, and now I accepted a position that would further disrupt my normal 8-5 work schedule!  When Spring football rolled around in 2019, I had worked with my team at KeyMedia Solutions to establish an adjusted work day to accommodate my clients, coworkers, and coaching schedule. Since practices began at 3:30 pm EST or 2:30 pm CST, we ultimately decided to move my schedule to 6 am – 3 pm EST. This in and of itself presented several challenges. But it didn’t really matter, I would’ve gotten up at any time to make this work.  I had never felt so fulfilled or happy.

I began the 7-month journey of an extremely adjusted schedule, (including assisting with summer workouts). I was nervous about how everything would fall into place. What happens when I have questions and no one is in the office? What about client meetings, internal meetings, and my recurrent visits to the Sioux Falls office? How was all of this going to work together?

Communication has been key. I had to learn how to effectively communicate my thoughts through emails, chats, and short phone calls. Some would think that the personal touch would be lost through digital means. In my case, it has not been at all. I personally believe this is a testament to the KeyMedia Solutions team and the values set by the company.  KMS doesn’t just talk-the-talk about work-life balance, they walk-the-walk!  KeyMedia Solutions is truly committed to supporting employees in living their best lives while producing their best work.

Because we are a team that truly wants the best for one another, everyone at KMS was flexible with my schedule. When it came to meetings with clients or coworkers, they knew I had a short window of shared office time, so we maximized these opportunities. Traveling back to the office meant I had to communicate with my football staff that I would be missing practice time and the occasional game. To date, this has not presented a problem. For the first 7 months, we had almost zero problems, slips in communication, and never missed a meeting. The biggest thing for me was keeping my cell phone on during practice, so if something pressing or urgent came up while I was out, I was able to answer and act quickly.

Before I knew it, both marketing and football were working like a well-oiled machine.  Whether it is a sports team or a corporate office, culture is what makes it thrive. As I enter my third year with KeyMedia Solutions, I am still amazed at their willingness to work with my unpredictable schedule. Considering the challenges my situation presented almost from the start of my employment, some employers would think this to be impossible and move on.  Because of the values and company culture at KeyMedia Solutions, I am living “my why” in every aspect of my life.

This supportive working environment has given me an immense sense of gratitude for my amazing coworkers and especially for CEO, Korena Keys. Thank you for offering me opportunities and options through all the challenges and curve-balls I have thrown. Thank you for your guidance and genuine concern about what was best for me as a person, not just an employee.  I am also deeply grateful for the players and coaches of Maclay for returning football to my life.  Without all of you, I would not be able to write this blog.

During this time of uncertainty, businesses are struggling on a variety of fronts and under circumstances beyond their control.  While this unprecedented economic shutdown has been devastating to many, there are opportunities to come out of this crisis – not only intact but improved and positioned for better days ahead!  Survival marketing is the process of assessing and shifting your business to meet the needs of your customers right now.  Marketing experts, Korena Keys (CEO of KeyMedia Solutions), and Courtney Davidson (VP of Matt Jensen Marketing), recently joined together with Small Business Owners and Executives for an online interactive discussion on what actionable steps businesses can take today.

Get started now by conducting a comprehensive audit of your current marketing strategy.  Is your message still relevant in light of what’s happening? Revise your messaging to be reflective of the moment and informative to your patrons.  For example, if your retail location is currently closed, but you use a CRM to send automated emails, make sure the email messages do not invite customers to your physical locations.  It is also imperative to update your Google My Business information to reflect any changes to your hours or services.  Your customers are still your customers and they want to find you!

Look closely at your paid and non-paid media. If your company’s marketing budget is currently frozen, that doesn’t mean your marketing efforts should be!  Google is offering $10k in Google Ad Grants to nonprofit organizations and Google Ad Credits to businesses that have been consistent advertisers.  Facebook is also offering assistance options.  Increase your social media posts and email campaigns to keep customers engaged.  Change up your paid media mix to stretch your budget.  With the world online, your ad dollars may go further with OTT or streaming platforms over traditional broadcast television or over-the-air radio. Make sure your paid search keywords are relevant and updated.

Next, perform a thorough inspection of your website.  Use the site to communicate your current situation, changes in hours, and ways to shop or connect with your business.  State your company’s response to the current crisis and your commitment to your customers.  Confirm that your content is current and applicable to the present climate.  Is your website user friendly? How about optimized for mobile devices? Perhaps your site needs new landing pages? Make the necessary updates to your website and refresh your content.

Finally, evaluate your business operations. Use the extra time on your hands to improve your customer experience.  Map the customer journey and review every touchpoint, from the initial site visit to after the sale. Have you put off training initiatives because you’ve been too busy?  Utilize this downtime to train your employees and streamline internal processes to prepare for tomorrow.

Remember, while this crisis is difficult, it is also temporary. Stay calm and focus on what you can do for your customers and employees today.  Seize every opportunity available to sustain or advance your business.  At KeyMedia Solutions, we are dedicated to helping businesses through this challenging time and we would be honored to discuss your current needs and help you with strategies to write your success story!

Let me start by saying, no this is not a collection of recipes, so you can relax. For those of you who grew up watching the Twilight Zone, you probably got that reference and for those who didn’t, you should really watch the show. The Twilight Zone was the best TV series ever!

The word “serve” has three forms – two verb forms and a noun. “To perform duties or services for” and “to present (food or drink) to someone.” The noun form refers to an act of hitting a ball like in tennis or volleyball.  For this article, I’ll be focusing on the first verb form and how we can serve others with a cheerful intent.

What Is It

The phrase “to serve” brings to mind many different forms of serving. When I mention “to serve” you may have thought of military service or community service or serving in a religious sense. We often think of service in terms of a big act or long-term commitment, but I also think of what a lot of people call “Random Acts of Kindness.”

We call them random acts of kindness, but what if we stopped making them so random and tried to incorporate some form of service in our daily lives. They don’t have to be grand gestures or monitory gifts, but they should be done with the intention help others in some way. What if the acts were of cheer or the giving of time, or a helping hand? I know we think we never have spare time, but if we look, I bet we can find some.

As a husband, father, son, friend, and colleague, I have a lot of opportunities to serve my fellow man. I have opportunities through my place of employment. Our CEO Korena Keys also believes that service to others is an important part of life and we have opportunities to express that value.

Finding Opportunities

 So where should you begin? First, be open to the idea that serving can take on many forms. As a company, we have delivered supplies to the Humane Society and visited a local retirement center, we even did a food drive. In the rest of this article, I want to point out a couple examples of little situations where I was able to spread cheer in a simple way.

As I mentioned earlier, service can be anything. There are two instances I still reflect on because of the reaction of the individuals I encountered. Both were at a local grocery store. As we all know, waiting in line can test a person’s patience, but don’t forget there’s a person on the other side of that conveyor belt trying to do their job.

In my first story, I noticed a young man having a rather tough time checking items out. The line was long and he was doing everything he could to keep things moving. I thought it might be nice to try and cheer him up by having a little fun.

If you’ve seen Super Troopers you know the “Meow” skit and it was hilarious! As the young man was finishing up checking out the items in my cart he asked, “did you find everything you needed today?”

I replied, “Yea, I think I found everything MEOW.”

The young man stopped what he was doing and with a perplexed look asks, “Did you just ‘meow’ at me?”

To which I replied, “I may have MEOW.”

Between the laughs and with a smile on his face the said, “Dude, I can’t wait to get home and tell my girlfriend that someone ‘meowed’ at me today!” Obviously, he was a fan of Supper Troopers as well.

My second story takes place yet again at a grocery store. I noticed that another young man behind the register was obviously having a typical Monday. I saw this as another opportunity to spread some cheer and have a little fun.

I noticed that while he was checking out he had some coupons that he was trying to get rid of. The young man asked me, “Would you like a coupon for dish soap?”

“No thanks,” I said politely.

As if rehearsed, he asked again, “Would you like a coupon for some Banana milk?”

With a smirk on my face I replied, “No thanks, milking a banana is hard.”

The young man stopped scanning and his look on his faced told me that my last answered needed more explaining, so I elaborated, “You know because they have such small teats.”

I think his eyes were watering by the time he finished laughing. He then thanked me for making his day and that he really needed that today.

These are examples of small things making a big difference. Being a big guy with a large beard, people tend to be stand offish and not sure how to interact with me. Those of you who know me know I am more like a teddy bear than some big scary biker dude. This is exactly why I enjoy these little moments of cheer. Catching people off guard and having a little fun can brighten someone’s day. You never know who may need it.

Just Do It

As I mentioned “service” can be expressed many ways. I shared a few of my favorites and encourage you to find yours. Life is complicated sometimes, serving others doesn’t have to be. Go out and have some fun, make someone smile, or share a laugh with a new friend.

So, remember “To Serve Man,” it’s more than just a cook book.

As a business owner or leader within an organization, growth projections, goals, and sales are often high on the priority list. Numbers and statics are among the usual suspects in determining success and the common denominators in finding areas of improvement. However, within those dollar figures and customer counts are the people who make the everyday operations possible.

Creating a Team

A lot of moving parts have to come together just right to meet revenue goals and make a company successful. From the sales manager who contracts a client or the accounts department that runs billing and makes sure the electricity bill gets paid, all the way to the janitor who sweeps the floors and shines the sink. Each of these positions come together to create a team.

While an effective team consists of all the necessary positions to accomplish the day-to-day operations, it all comes down to the people chosen to fill those positions that determine the success of your team. This is why employers will talk about their need to hire “go-getters’, “self-motivators”, and even “do-it-your-self-ers”. A lot of thought goes into the hiring process. Increasingly, the personality and culture compatibility are in just as high regard next to experience and knowledge.

The question then isn’t if business leaders are customizing their hiring process to attract the movers and shakers, but rather what are they doing to keep these people once they’ve got them.

Evolving your Culture

In the words of my friend Vaney Hariri, Co-Founder of Think 3D – The Culture Consultants, business owners and leaders need to customize their business. Find what works for the people within your organization and do it.

In various speaking events, workshops, and direct business consulting, Vaney and Think 3D work to change a business’s culture to create environments that foster leadership and engagement. People demand to be a part of a culture. A long time ago we as humans decided life as a community was better than on our own. We decided that our individual quality of life should go beyond our own abilities, and we therefore care about what others might be able to provide for us.

One of my favorite examples of how leaders in an organization can customize their business to optimize for the individuals they value is from HubSpot’s Direct of Marketing Operations. Featured on Medium.com, Melissa shares her story of balancing life and how HubSpot helped her make the most of where she was in life while at the same time sending an overwhelming message of support and encouragement to the rest of the team.

Establishing a work culture isn’t a new concept, in fact, Entreprenuer.com continues to post lists of how to create a winning or strong company culture. The 8 Essential Steps to Building a Winning Company Culture and 6 Steps for Creating a Strong Company Culture are among the most popular even with publication dates going back a couple years.

When living and working with others demands a culture, we have the opportunity to customize that culture, to make it one in which to thrive in or allow it to be acidic and destructive. One might argue that work cultures should establish themselves or that leaders within an organization don’t have enough time to worry about the atmosphere in which their employees function. But with 51% of U.S. workforce admitting to feeling disengaged in their job, and another 51% looking to leave their current position, decision makers may want to reevaluate their priority list.

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Simply put, there isn’t one. Every leader is different, and leadership is required in a lot of different situations. There’s no perfect formula for leadership because becoming a good leader depends on a lot of different factors. The qualities of a leader depend on the group you’re leading, what goal that group is trying to achieve, and the expectations of that group.

In my life, I have many different leadership roles and each one of them is very different from the other. As the Digital Media Supervisor, the group that I lead is very different than workout classes I’m an instructor for. Each position requires leadership, but the group, their goal, and their expectations are very different.

As a workout instructor, my students come to class expecting me to be direct and motivating. They’ll follow my directions without hesitation because they have the expectation that I’m going to give them a good workout. As a supervisor in the office I can’t shout out directions the same way I do in the gym because the expectations are different. I’d get confused stink eyes from my coworkers if I yelled, “ANSWER THAT EMAIL!” with upbeat techno music bumping from my computer.

No matter what type of situation you’re in, the toughest part about any leadership role is trying to understand the group’s goals and expectations and how you can lead the group to achieve them both. This is why it’s important to continuously strive to be a better leader and why our CEO, Korena Keys, and I attended Leadercast a few weeks ago. Leadercast is a one day conference where people come together to listen to a wide range of entrepreneurs, coaches, and celebrities talk about their own experience about becoming a successful leader.

During a day full of inspirational speakers, a few nuggets of wisdom stick with you for the days and weeks after the event. They stir your brain and really push you to evaluate your lifestyle. Today, I’m sharing the nuggets that stuck with me and the reasons why I think each and every leader can learn from them.

“Be the guide, not the hero.”

 – Donald Miller

This quote stuck with me the most throughout the entire day. Most people’s first instinct is to look out for themselves. We also have the tendency to hold back from leadership roles until we feel comfortable or until they’re an expert in that industry. But holding back and waiting like this can prevent us from taking the first step to become a leader.

Leadership is about guiding others to success. We don’t need all the answers, we just have to help find those answers when the questions come about. We help guide others to the answers that lead the group to success.

“Those that devote themselves to themselves will ultimately

have nothing but themselves to show for themselves.”

– Andy Stanley

Read the quote again and let it sink in for a second.

And if that didn’t ruffle a few feathers think about it again. Think about how the quote questions our lifestyle. If we focus on nothing but ourselves, we limit our capabilities to help others. As a leader, our first thought should be about the people who are relying on us. What can we do to push ourselves out of the “myself” way of thinking and instead start helping others achieve their goals?

“Don’t seek for opportunities, seek for solutions.”

– Jim Mckelvey

What are the pain points in your life? How can you fix them? Seek for those answers. Don’t go out looking to create the next million-dollar product. Look inside your daily life and think about how you can enhance or elevate it to be better for yourself and others.

We’re going to tell ourselves a new story.

– Molly Fletcher

I’m a huge fan of the Law of Attraction. The energy you put out into the world is the energy you attract.

Molly gave a quick story during her presentation about an Olympic track star who wanted to decrease his time in the 100-meter sprint. His coach told him to write down “I love the 100m” and write down the time he wanted to hit. The track star replied saying, “But I don’t love the 100, I hate it!” To which his coach responded, “We’re going to start to tell ourselves a new story.”

Changing your mindset might not seem like it will make a huge impact on your goals at first, but you could be surprised how a positive attitude can affect your life. If you tell yourself that you’re going to get a promotion, your subconscious immediately starts to work toward that goal. If you’re going into an interview thinking “I’m not going to get this job,” then your actions will follow suit and you’ll perform worse during the interview. If you start off each Monday thinking “I hate Mondays” then your day is going to be worse than if you had the mindset “New week, new opportunities!”

Your mindset creates the tone for your life. We all know that are lives are not going to go exactly the way we expect them to, but forming our mindset to see the positive in every situation will ultimately propel us into greater joy and happiness.

So, if you’re working towards a goal, then start focusing on the outcome you WANT and not the challenges that might stand in your way while you’re working for that goal.

“Lean into the moments each and every day.”

– Molly Fletcher

Similar to “Live every day to the fullest.”  And why not? How about we challenge ourselves to take every opportunity that comes our way that’s going to improve our life, happiness, and wellbeing and just say “heck yes!” to it.

Fear and failure hold us back, but what’s worse is having the regret of not living your life to its fullest potential.

Now Start Leading

Implementing these five quotes into your daily life will not only affect the overall quality of your life, but the lives of those around you. And that is what we want as leaders; to impact the lives of others and improve their quality of life. So, choose to be optimistic, choose to take full advantage of the opportunities life gives us. Choose to be the guide and start leading.

With this year coming to an end, many people are starting to think about New Year’s resolutions. Let’s be honest – that whole weight loss thing usually ends about noon on January 1^st. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be one of those people on American Ninja Warrior, but I’m enough of a realist to know that a New Year’s resolution is not going to motivate me. Knowing this has made me approach this whole idea of resolutions differently.

Setting Yourself Up For Success

There are many different ways to look at resolutions. You can create to-do lists, goals, or even an Oprah-inspired dream board. The first step, in my opinion, is to stop calling them resolutions. Think of them more as aspirations for how you want your life to look.

I was watching a news segment a couple years ago that suggested you pick a word to reflect your year. I thought this was an interesting idea, so my word for the year was love. At the time, I was working in a very difficult environment and I needed a way to turn a negative into a positive. Focusing on love helped me realize what I wanted out of my career, and what was, and wasn’t, acceptable in a working environment.

Focusing on a single word had a huge impact on my personal life as well. I’m naturally quite introverted, but that year I discovered how much of an impact sharing the love can have on you. It’s amazing how much a smile and a hello can change a person’s day.

Last year, I made a to-do list of things I wanted to get done or learn about. I’m a lover of lists, so this one worked out pretty well. I had a personal list and a professional list that included two certifications I wanted. I wrote everything out on the chalkboard in my kitchen so I would have to look at my list every day. Looking at my list today, I can see that I accomplished most of what I set out to do, and then some. This has been a crazy year, and until I looked at that list I hadn’t realized how much I kicked butt this year.

There are a couple things on my list that I didn’t even touch, but you know what, I’m not going to beat myself up over that. I know I need to celebrate my successes and anything that still applies will get added to the list for 2017. A year is just dates on a calendar, so the things you want to accomplish don’t have to live within just one year.

Think About Your Impact

My biggest lesson from the last few years is that things won’t always go as planned, but the best thing to do is to learn from what didn’t work and move on. Not everything is a failure, sometimes it’s just a bend in the road. I think it’s also important to remember that the same life lessons can pop up multiple times, but they may not always have the same answer.

I’m working on my list for 2017. There are some big things on this list, and I’m really excited to get started. There are only a few days left in 2016 to really think about what kind of impact you want to have on the world. So, get those notebooks, marker boards, or chalkboards ready and get started on those 2017 “resolutions.”