By Ruth Anderson

Are you worried about job security? By taking following ten steps now, you can position yourself to move more quickly and easily through your next job transition. At same time, you may find that you become more valuable to your current employer.

1. Inventory your strengths and skills, especially those you enjoy using most, and keep daily or weekly notes on how you are using them in your present job. This information will help you to update your resume and prepare for future job interviews, should they become necessary.

2. Keep notes, as well, on parts of your job that you find very difficult or don't enjoy. With this information, you will know what to de-emphasize or leave out altogether in your updated resume. You will also be able to focus future job-hunting efforts on jobs that suit you best.

3. While doing steps 1 and 2, did you discover that you spend too much time on things you aren't good at or don't like to do, and not enough on things you are good at and enjoy? If so, consider how you can shift this balance, perhaps by streamlining certain tasks, delegating, or managing your time differently. Your value to your present employer, as well as any future ones, is maximized when you are doing what you do best.

4. Think about and write down what you have accomplished in your current job. What have you done that you are most proud of, and what did it take to achieve those things? A focus on accomplishments, especially ones that you enjoyed, will give you confidence and highlight your qualifications in any future job search.

By Ruth Anderson

If you made New Year's resolutions this year, you may be very aware of how difficult it is to stick with new goals. How can you keep your good intentions? Start by taking a good hard look at goals themselves, and then take effective, focused action to achieve them -- as outlined in following ten steps.

Step 1. Don't kid yourself: Choose goals that you truly care about.

To meet this criterion, they must (a) reflect something of great value to you and (b) have clear, direct benefits that you will actively appreciate. A goal that is a reluctant "should," rather than something you genuinely want and will appreciate often, is unlikely to be attractive enough to keep you going.

Step 2. Express your goals in a way that points to what you value and how you will benefit.

If you find yourself using general phrases preceded by "try to" or "ought to," you haven't yet zeroed in on what you want and why it is compelling.

Example 1: "I ought to go on a diet."

Much more inspiring: "I want to achieve a weight at which I feel healthy, comfortable, and attractive."

Example 2: "I'll try to be more efficient at work."

Much more inspiring: "I want to manage my time so that I can meet deadlines and avoid taking work home."

Step 3. Write a detailed description of how your life will be improved, and save it to re-read at those inevitable moments when you lose momentum.

In addition to a compelling statement of goal itself (see step 2), your description should include: a list of specific ways in which you will benefit, and a description of how you will feel when goal is achieved. Write to inspire, so that you can remind yourself of why this goal was important to you in first place.

Step 4. Take stock of what stands in your way.

If you are to devise an effective strategy for reaching your goal, you will need to understand lay of land – especially, what has gotten in way of reaching this goal up until now, and what might get in way in future. For example, does access to junk food in your kitchen sabotage your diet? Are interruptions at work reducing your efficiency there? You may even be putting up internal roadblocks to reaching your goal (see step 5)...

Step 5. Ask yourself how your thinking needs to shift for you to reach this goal.

If you are quite frank with yourself, are there actually reasons that you don't want to reach it? You may be surprised when you consider your answer: often we have a vested interest in preserving status quo. Change, after all, involves challenging or asserting ourselves in new ways – so be ready to upgrade how you see yourself and your capabilities.

Step 6. Identify three to five specific, measurable actions that will move you toward your goal.

More than this number is likely to become unrealistic and overwhelming (see step 7), and fewer may not be enough to keep you going. Far more important than number of actions, however, is how they are defined.

Example 1: I will achieve my target weight by a) exercising more, b) watching what I eat, and c) keeping junk food out of my house.