Made any New Year’s career resolutions this year?

It’s January 2, so if you haven’t resolved to improve your life by doing X, Y, or Z, than you’ve probably decided not to do it at all. If that’s the case, or even if you’ve got your list of resolutions and you’re all fired up, may I make a humble suggestion?

Regardless of whether you plan on changing jobs this year – but especially if you’re planning to – resolve to give your networking a boost this year. It’s the source of some ridiculous amount of new executive and managerial job opportunities (more than 90% was the last percentage I heard).

Now, I know that New Year’s resolutions aren’t often worth the paper they’re printed on, so to help you make networking a successful resolution, I’m adapting this seven-point list from Dr. Pauline Wallin for you.

1. Examine your motivation for change. Networking will help you, but only if you go into it with the mindset that you want to help others, too, and not be selfish about it.

2. Set realistic goals. Don’t book yourself for a networking event every week, or you’ll be dooming yourself to failure. Once a month or every other month is more than fine to start.

3. Focus on the behavioral change more than on the goal. For networking, this means getting into the habit, the routine, and the comfort of networking itself. Results will come of it, as long as you focus on giving as much as the getting.

4. Learn to redefine sensations of discomfort. A lot of folks just don’t like networking. There’s a mental shift that needs to happen for these people. Discomfort has to be re-defined as joy for the forward motion, for the movement past fear, and for the achievement of a goal.

5. Make networking non-negotiable. You have to get up for work. You have to eat. You have to shower! If networking were as much of an imperative, you’d do it – so make it that way. Make appointments with people and groups, so there’s a social commitment to keep them.

6. Allow for imperfection. Nobody’s a master networker out of the gate. Like we tell our kids, practice makes perfect. So get out there and start practicing!

7. Do it now. As Dr. Wallin says, “If you’re waiting for a more convenient time to begin behavioral change, it won’t happen. It’s almost never convenient to change ingrained habits. Now is just as convenient as any time. And if you begin now rather than later, you’ll have a jump on a more satisfying future.”

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