There are lots of opportunities during the year for you to shake things up and stay passionate in your life, your career and your business. But since so many of us look at year end as an opportunity for a new beginning, I thought I’d put together a list of some actions you might consider taking to keep life interesting.

1. Terrify yourself. Keep yourself challenged. It’s not only exciting, but it’s a valuable way to improve on what you deliver.

2. Shake it up and don’t get stuck in a rut. Keep checking your career or business GPS. Know where you want to go and be nimble enough to change direction if circumstances change.  It was Albert Einstein who said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

3. Be generous. Nurture your tribe. Generosity is like a boomerang – the benefits, tangible and intangible, always come back to you. It’s not about how many people you know but rather how valuable you can be to each other. When each member of your tribe works on supporting one another, providing feedback, and connecting people, everyone benefits..

4. Be a joiner. Expand your network. Get out of your comfort zone and meet people who are NOT like you. Join professional, social, and sports groups where you can be with people outside your industry, your neighborhood, and your social and family community. Not only will you learn new things from them but your extended network will grow exponentially through the people they know.

5. Spend time in the real world. Turn off the computer, unplug from your smart phone, and meet people in real time in real places. It’s a great time of year to reconnect with those with whom you have lost touch as well as to connect in person with those with whom you have only communicated online. Nothing online replaces eye-to-eye contact, a firm handshake, and a sharing of good conversation.

6. Be brave. When receiving that year end review, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on what’s not working. We all love to hear how great we are but the bad news can be the most helpful. Unless we know what it is, we can’t fix it.

What else would you add to the above list?

Need help shaking it up? Contact me.

Enjoy the holiday season. I hope 2014 is all you hope it will be!