Five Minutes to Focus: What are your plans for the new year?

Are you all fired up and ready for the new year? I have to tell you, I am just bursting with creative energy right now and optimism for the year ahead. I think it’s going to be a really exciting year and I can’t wait to see what the future unfolds.

We all had a lot to deal with as businesses last year: snow (we really don’t deal well with snow do we?), riots (and the stress and disruption they caused on a commercial and personal level), the Royal Wedding/ extended holiday that had such an impact on so many businesses, serious tightening of belts domestically thanks to the VAT and price increases and so on. I certainly let the doom and gloom get in my way at a couple of points last year.

I suspect this year won’t be much different in that sense: the Olympics, the Silver Jubilee (thank goodness falling in a much more productive manner after the May bank holiday) and all the “economic climate” has in store for us. For me the difference is I’m not going to just ride along with things this time. I have a lot of plans up my sleeve to be a lot more productive and proactive this year and I’m genuinely excited.

By the way, quick plug, I have two spaces left on my Focus and Flourish workshop next Thursday (that’s the 12th Jan). It promises to be an incredibly inspiring day as I’m bringing in the fabulous Elizabeth Cairns to sprinkle some of her magic dust and get you all revved up for the year ahead. You can find out more/ book here…

I’m not prepared to just go on doing what I’ve always done in the hope that it’ll be enough. I know I have an incredibly strong brand, a great business and some very happy customers. But the fact is, we’re in a difficult economy and we all need to fight a bit harder. And whilst that thought might have exhausted me six months ago, thanks to some well chosen words from my friend Elizabeth Cairns, some inspiration from team Flourish and the time and space to think over the Christmas period, all I can say is Bring It On. I am truly excited about this year!

Here’s what I’m committing to this quarter

I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions. I think they encourage us to create unrealistic targets for ourselves that we all secretly know we’re going to break. So there will be no resolutions for me this (or any other) year. But December/ January is a natural time for us to think and set goals. And I have a number of very specific things that we’re going to do this quarter that I’m truly excited about.

And I’m going to share them with you right now because the bottom two are just embryonic ideas right now and I know that if I tell you then I’ll have to stick to them. Because if I don’t, I’m going to look very silly.

1. The launch of our online Branding Masterclass on 6th February – full details here – have you signed up yet? It promises to be fabulous
2. To create at least two new videos for our creative and digital offerings
3. To finally create a plan for (and launch) our Facebook and LinkedIn pages after months of ‘shall we, shan’t we’ discussions with the team
4. To have a finished {draft} manuscript ready to start designing and photographing by 31st March. Yes, I really am doing it this time and I’m not letting anything get in my way
5. Another Big Project that I’m going to keep under my hat right now. All I will say is that It’s Exciting. And the people that need to know about it know, and are excited too! I’ll share more when I can, I promise. Hassle me at the end of Jan if I haven’t told you {if I can keep it to myself for that long…}

And so in the spirit of the popular diet and fitness clubs groaning with motivated members I really think that we should share some of our plans for the new year. It’s much less stressful than a public weigh in, surely?

What are your plans for the new year? Do share your plans below…

ps. Yes, that really is my lovely new extension you see in those photos. Swoon!

Tagged as in Five Minutes to Focus, Flourish Stuff