Last week I invited readers to take a few minutes to review how they did in 2011.

Clearly it was a tough year for many people; but it was encouraging to see that at least some people consider this past year as one that was fairly successful, overall.

I’m 100% certain that having a clear plan for one’s life makes a great deal of difference to their overall level of satisfaction.  Unfortunately, most individuals – even those who create department plans at work – don’t set aside much time to make decisions about the track they’d prefer for their own career.

To help you contemplate what action steps may be needed to ensure that your next year is better than this one, here are five questions to answer:

Regardless of your personal beliefs about the outlook for 2012; here’s the good news –

There’s plenty of time to shape your own future.  It doesn’t take much to improve your odds of success to  ensure you end the new year in better shape. Organizations of all sizes challenge the environment and overcome the odds.  Smart individuals take a clue from organizations about how to take control of their own destiny.

Consider these near-death/then turnaround, stories:

  • Ford Motor Company
  • Apple (before Steve came back and threw out the CEO)
  • Clint Eastwood who became a director when nobody wanted to hire him because he was too old.
  • Hyundai
  • Walt Disney who was personally “bankrupt” and “finished” several times.

I encourage you to take control of your life and your career and make a plan – it’s never too late.

John

Business and Leadership Coach