There is a reason to use this time to think about your larger goals.  First, for many, this is a bit of a slow time – perhaps you’re even taking some vacation.  You can take some time to reflect about the course of your career, how you’re dealing with the normal stresses and strains of your job.

Second, typically at this time of year, you’ll be spending some time with family.  Perhaps you’ll be exploring your spirituality a little deeper than normal.  So it’s a time where you might be a bit more balanced, recognizing that it might be more important to spend time with your kids than to work another three hours on that report.

The challenge – one that I deal with as well – is how to do this without getting depressed.  When you realize that you haven’t spent enough time with your family, that your career hasn’t advanced much this year, it can be a bit of a downer.

So counterbalance that with your achievements and bright spots.  You had that great vacation with the family last summer.  You’ve put some new accomplishments on your résumé or CV.  Heck, even being gainfully employed for another year can be noteworthy these days.  Or, if you’ve gone through some turmoil, at least you’ve survived and have a working computer to read this on.

My wife gives me a hard time because I always seem to respond to any of her computer hassles with, “Did you reboot?”  It seems that with Windows PCs, this is the universal answer that magically fixes 90% of the problems.

Your job, of course, isn’t that simple.  A complete “reboot” would mean going back to school, restarting as a newbie, being at the bottom of the ladder.

But we can use this time to “reboot” energy.  Here’s some good questions:

• What is it that gives you energy?
• Why did you get into this career originally?
• What makes your work worthwhile – to other people AND to you?

Use some slow-time here at the end of the year to see if you can recapture the energy and inspiration that you used to have.  It may just help you enter 2012 with a bit of freshness.

Is it politically incorrect to wish you a Merry Christmas?  Well, there it is anyway.  Each of us is free to celebrate our spiritual rebirth however we wish, and that’s mine.

Talk to you in January!

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