18 things every professional should do in 2018

I don’t believe in new year resolutions. When I resolve to achieve something I just do it without looking at the calendar to check if it is January 1^st. Well, it is January 2018 and I chose to list 18 things that can make us better people – both personally and professionally.

Personal

• Read a lot – Aim to read atleast one book every month. One fiction and one on Public Relations alternatively.
• Write more – Write a 300-word blog every week. You will see how the quality of your writing improves in five months.
• Travel widely – Aim to visit one Indian city and one foreign city during the course of the year. Try and travel on Indian Railways to the Indian city.
• Support a cause – Join a non-profit or support a cause. Choose from environment protection, animal rights, child education or any other.
• Keep fit – Do yoga, join a gym, go for a daily jog, try swimming once a week. There are so many options to pick from.
• Eat right – We are what we eat. I have learnt it the hard way and am working my way around it.
• Donate generously – Support a charity or a social campaign and donate 1% of your salary every month at the least.
• Save money – Try and save atleast 25% of what you earn, and this does not include the EMI on your home loan.
• Enjoy calm – Meditate, listen to music, relax doing nothing, spend time with your family. Live in the present.

Professional

• Speak the truth – Ethics in everyday life are at stake. Take the lead by being honest in everything you say and do.
• Mentor a fellow professional – Offer your time in a dedicated manner to someone in need or if you are new to the profession, find a mentor for yourself.
• Share knowledge – Create learning sessions on a regular basis where you pick a topic for an in-depth discussion with peers.
• Learn something new – It could be a language, a new area of expertise or a course on public speaking. All this will come a long way in your career growth.
• Avoid office politics – You can only get into office politics if you allow yourself to be dragged into it. Be firm that you are there to get your job done.
• Meet a new professional outside office every month – Try and connect with someone outside the realm of your work for an enriching conversation.
• Learn the difference between an agency and a consultancy – Stop calling the PR firm an agency because they do not work on commissions.
• Realise that Public Relations is much more than media relations – Stop getting confused with these two as they are not interchangeable.
• Invest in attending a trade event at least once in the year – There are at least half a dozen you can attend. If you are not sure which one, DM me at @amithpr before January 29^th and I will give you a discount code to PRAXIS.

Amith Prabhu

Founder at PRomise Foundation

Amith Prabhu is the Founder of the PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS, India’s annual summit of reputation management professionals.

He is also the Founding Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe).

He can be reached at @amithpr on twitter.