How to Start Your New Year Off Right

Start 2017 off right!

2017 is here and with it comes a host of new challenges, new connections and new opportunities. But in the midst of all the holiday craziness, it can be easy to lose sight of the goals and resolutions you’ve set for yourself in the New Year. So how can you start working toward your plans?

We’re glad you asked! In order to gain some insight on resolution strategies, we asked our team to share some important first steps we all can take toward a healthy and productive New Year. Here are some of their tips:

Anna Farr, Program Manager“Be true to yourself. Your job, diet, relationships, workout routine and day-to-day plans should always be right for you. Find balance and do what feels right.”

– Anna Farr, Program Manager

Kim Driscoll, Director of Learning“Share your resolutions with your coworkers or friends. I used to be too embarrassed to share my resolutions with people, but telling those around me helped keep me accountable in 2016 so much longer than any other resolutions I had ever held.”

– Kim Driscoll, Director of Learning

Josh Sheppard, Program Manager“Pick one bad habit and genuinely commit yourself to working on it. You don’t need to eliminate all carbs or go to the gym every day, but pick something realistic and stick to it for as long as you can!”

– Josh Sheppard, Program Manager

Will Sexton, Marketing Intern“Write down your goals. When you write something down, you’ll be more likely to stick to it. If you want even more motivation, post it somewhere you’ll see it on a regular basis and be reminded of what it is you want to accomplish this year.”

– William Sexton, Marketing Intern

Damien Rocchi, CEO“Don’t set unrealistic NY resolutions.  Pick small goals and feel good about accomplishing them.”

– Damien Rocchi, CEO

Peter Guenther, Instructor “Assess your life in the major areas; I use friends & family, financial freedom, career, education, health and fitness, spirituality, community & charity, general attitude.  Identify strengths and weaknesses and pick three areas to focus on for the year.  Set concrete SMART goals.  Three good goals are better than a laundry list of resolutions, which will never get done.”

– Peter Guenther, Instructor 

Antonella, Junior Instructor
“Work on building and maintaining a growth mindset. Continued attention to this area will help to change your perspective on life and the opportunities that present themselves.”

– Antonella Solomon, Junior Instructor

Maurice, Teaching Assistant

“Write down the things you want to accomplish and set milestones and timelines.”

– Maurice Tedder, Teaching Assistant



Tricia, Operations Manager“A piece of advice I picked up from one of our panels at a Female Leaders in Detroit event earlier this year is to schedule a half an hour every month on your calendar to write down your accomplishments. A good way to start the year would be to write down a list of actionable goals and then see how your accomplishments each month stack up next to this.”

– Tricia Haslinger, Operations Manager


Jenn, Senior Marketing ManagerIf you want it to be, a new year really can be the next chapter. If 2016 wasn’t good to you, establish early what you want to be different and better about 2017 and set goals to make that happen.”

– Jennifer Cline, Senior Marketing Manager

And there you have it! In order to really follow through with your self-improvement plans, it’s important to take some concrete steps toward those resolutions. Even small tweaks to your everyday routine can make a huge impact in your ability to meet, and even surpass, your New Year’s goals.