Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018, a year that will be the best version of you. The messages for this year will be focused on you and growing your professional stature. So let’s begin with the easy part—applying what you already know.

You just completed another year of your professional life. You’ve been through some things that taught you valuable lessons about yourself, your work and your interactions with others. It’s called experience.

But the real question is, “So what?” If you don’t apply what you learned, you are bound to repeat the same mistakes and under-performance of last year. You will essentially repeat 2017. That doesn’t make any sense. With the additional information you have about yourself, why wouldn’t you consciously apply it in 2018?

So take inventory of your 2017 experience. What do you know or know better that will help you? Here’s what some of my clients have learned this past year.

• “I’m learning to not take corrective feedback so personally. Even if it’s meant to be critical, I’ll take it as helping me.”

• “I’ve found that my clients feel more satisfied when I get back with them quickly. Even if I can’t give them what they want, I can acknowledge that I received their communication and when to expect a response. It matters more to them than I ever imagined.”

• “I’ve learned that I should always know my clients’ goals, especially before I give them suggestions or recommendations. That makes me more relevant to them.”

• “I will be more attentive to really listening to my staff, especially to ask the 2nd question. It keeps me from jumping to conclusions and get to the real issue.”

• “I will remember to pause when I’m speaking, instead of running on from one thought to another. It really does make an impact.”

If you don’t reflect on your experience, you will look and behave like the older, 2017 version. That may not be all bad, but not what you or others deserve. Be purposeful in applying your experience. Be a 2018 model of yourself.