“It’s the finale.  It’s the last impression.  Dessert can ruin the meal.” – Ann McManus

As we end another year and start to prepare for a new year people talk of hopes, goals, and resolutions.  Saying goodbye to what was.  For reasons I won’t go into I think of the saying “First Impressions Are Lasting”.  Are they though?  Sure they get you the job or the date.  But, those first impressions tend to fade and the boss becomes a boss and disagreements still arise in a relationship.  And, what about the last year?  What do you remember most? How it started or how it ended?  I would challenge that while first impressions can make an impression in the moment (to get the job or the date) it is the last impressions that is lasting (last is in the name after all) .

Take for example a job interview.   If you made a good enough impression you get the job. But, when you retire or move on the next company it isn’t the interview you will be remembered for.  You will likely be remembered for your contributions while you were there and most likely how you exited.  Did you leave disgruntled?  Did you leave telling the company everything it does wrong?  Did you leave giving your less than best effort?  Or, did you leave a good last impression?  Did you acknowledge all the experience provided you and be thankful for what you learned while you were there?

When you took the job you loved what it had to offer.  You were excited by the possibilities.  You probably told all of your friends and posted on social media.  Along the way things changed.  Maybe you changed.  Maybe what you wanted out of your career changed.  Did the job change?  Did the company change?  Most likely the answer to those questions are no.  It is the same company as the day you started.  The people are the same as the day you started.  Hopefully a little better because of your contributions.

When you were trying to get the job it was important to make a good first impression.  A great one even.  So make your last impression just as important.  Because it is just as important as the first impression, even more important.  I have learned in my 25+ years of business that almost everyone knows someone I know and even more so in the day of technology.  How you leave your job could have ripple effects down the road to new job opportunities, client referrals, etc..

So going back to beginning of last year.  Do you remember how it started?  Was it a good start?  A rough start?  Did you make resolutions or set goals?  Did you keep them?  Is it all a little blurry?  What about the year before that?    When you look back do you remember how it began or how it ended?   As you close out each year challenge yourself to find a way to leave good last impression.  Even if the impression is only within yourself.  Maybe things are going well and that won’t be hard.  Maybe things have gone sideways and it is hard to find good in anything.  When things are going well we forget to take note.  When things are going bad we only focus on the bad.   Find something to be grateful for.  No matter how small.  Find something (no matter how small) to end each year, job, challenge, relationship or experience in a positive way.  This simple shift in perspective on life experiences tends to change a person’s life from regrets to gratitude.

As you set goals for the new year take time to reflect on the last year.  What have you accomplished? What obstacles did you overcome?  What do you have to be thankful for?  The list may be long if you focus on the positive as much as you focus on the negative.  Did you worry about test results for two weeks and they came back okay?  Add that to your list.  Did you wake up every day with loved ones?  Another item to your list.  Did you lose a loved one?  Don’t forget to add the moments you shared with the loved one to your list.  Not just the loss.  If you woke up every day that is something to be grateful for in itself.  We forget even that is a gift.

What about the job you are leaving.  Find it hard to leave a good last impression?  Make a list of all you learned and accomplished while you were there.  If you learned and accomplished nothing than you aren’t being honest about the job.  Or, you wasted an opportunity and the company’s money and it is good you are leaving.

Each job, experience, and year has its good and bad moments.  We must acknowledge the good as well as the bad if we are to learn and grow.  When we look at the bad we have weathered we find how strong we are and that strength makes a lasting impression.

Cheers to the close of a year, a job, a relationship, and lasting impressions.