Periodic maintenance is the most effective way to keep a vehicle in good operating condition. As the calendar year ends, we should make time to perform a periodic maintenance review on ourselves. It is important for us to reflect on the year that is ending and to think about the year to come. Did we achieve our goals? Are we satisfied with the progress we are making both personally and professionally? What are our strengths and areas of improvement?

As you reflect on the immediate past and future, part of your periodic maintenance review should focus around your personal skills and aptitudes. After all, improving existing skills and developing new ones, both formally and through practical experience, is crucial to achieving our goals and dreams. We suggest that you analyze your abilities and aptitudes in these notable areas.

-Listening skills &8212; Are you a consistently effective listener? The majority of adults are unfortunately quite poor listeners. Be honest and really assess if your listening skills are where they need to be. Chances are they aren&8217;t.

-Oral communication skills &045; Can you effectively sell your ideas? Do others tell you to hurry up and get to the point? Are you comfortable speaking in front of groups? Poor oral communication skills have killed many a career.

-Attitude &8212; Do you constantly see the proverbial glass of water as being half full or half empty? Attitude has absolutely everything to do with success in every aspect of life. People with positive attitudes simply are happier and enjoy more success. And never forget &8230; the only person who controls your attitude is you.

-Get organized &8212; It is a fact. Well organized people have less stress and consistently achieve greater results. Most of the battle is simply picking a process to get organized and then consistently utilizing it. Whether you decide to get organized using the latest technology or a paper and pencil process, just do it.

Take the time to reflect on where you are both personally and professionally. Use the year-end maintenance review as a tool to help you prepare to succeed in 2007