We are now one month into the new year, and many of us are trying to build resolutions into our daily lives. About two years ago, I scrapped the traditional resolution-making decision and decided that any change I wanted to make needed to be a permanent change in my life.

I recently attended a coaching and dance workshop to help energize me for the year and was told that instead of goals, we should be looking at targets. Targets are much larger and enable us to achieve our ideas in many different ways. They give us the flexibility to “land” anywhere on the target instead focusing on the one and only goal that we hit (or miss). With a target, you can achieve some level of success; with a goal, you either make it or you don’t.

In addition to personal resolutions, many people are diving in to new initiatives at work or are being charged with new tasks to assist their companies in different ways or to elevate themselves to new levels. Some people are working toward advancement, which offers so many different opportunities; others may be looking at downsizing or reducing their workloads.

If you are looking to achieve that next milestone in your career or possibly making a change to a new department or organization, your professional reputation, leadership skills and competencies will be factors in that change. Building a professional reputation is not just about building a network of contacts - it is creating a profile for yourself by which others can see your experience, skills and success.

As you think about your own initiatives, I encourage you to think about where you want to be one month, one year or even five years from now. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to own this?” And if not, then it may not fit into your life. Do you want a promotion? Then find out what you need to do to earn it, take ownership of it, and make it happen. Do you want to retire, or does that just create anxiety and uncertainty at this time in your life? Make your decision, accept it, and move on. The past is behind us, the present lives for only a moment, and the future is ahead.

This column represents my last message as chair of the MNCPA Board of Directors. I truly have been honored to represent all of you and our profession this past year, and I look forward to a future with new opportunities alongside a great group of CPAs.