My Key Lessons from 2019

Ever heard the saying New Year New You? Well I’ve coined a phrase of my own, New Decade New You! I see an opportunity to create new dreams and set new goals over the coming decade. I don’t know about  you but I am beyond excited . 

Usually January is a forward thinking month for me, but this year I’ve decided to do something different. Instead simply focussing on my resolutions for the year, I’m going to reflect and draw from some key things I learnt during the past year as a Virtual Assistant. 

These  are personal reflections that I am choosing to take with me as new  affirmations and best practice for 2020. Here we go!

Lesson #1 Keep things simple.

There is so much information being thrown at us and it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying out everything we see  to improve yourselves or our businesses. This comes with a huge temptation to fall into the comparison trap. Comparison is a recipe for both disappointment and disaster. 

The first lesson I learned last year was to be content, keep things simple and keep building one day at a time. If you make one good decision everyday the consistency of your actions will pay off in the future. 

Lesson #2 Stay at least a month ahead.

This one practice has proved to be a life saver for me time and time again.  As Virtual Assistant you’re not just responsible for your own schedule and to do list. You are responsible for that of several clients at a given time. Staying at least one step ahead of my own schedule enabled me to achieve so much even in the most hectic of times.

Lesson #3 There is more in you. 

Trust me, there were moments in 2019 when I definitely felt the pressure as I stretched to achieve my goals and I sometimes didn’t know if I was going to be able to deliver on assignments. 

However, by choosing to embrace the stretch and new challenges I discovered new skill and enriched my service portfolio. In a nutshell, my business grew because I was able to offer more client solutions. 

Lesson #4 Always give your best..and then some. 

Going the extra mile for clients is how a VA  adds value. The ability to anticipate or preempt a client’s needs and bring ideas to the table which inspire creativity, enabled me to provide stand out service offerings last year.

I’ve learnt that it’s not just about completing a task or hitting a deadline but it’s about what else you bring to the table and the sounding board, confidant and accountability partner  you grow to become for your clients. In a nutshell, adding the extra to the ordinary.

Lesson #5 When you drop the ball, pick it back up quick 

Quality is a top priority when creating and completing client work. I hate mistakes and when they happen it’s difficult to not take things to heart.  However, when the ball gets dropped, being proactive in setting things right shows that you care about your clients business. I’ve found that being enthusiastic about problem solving helps diffuse the situation and shows your efforts to be in good faith. 

And that’s It! 

How about you? Have you taken time to reflect on how 2019 went? What were your biggest wins and how can you learn from your most disappointing setbacks?  There is power in both foresight and insight, but let’s not forget that there’s so much to be learnt from hindsight. 

Till the nest time.