Each New Year brings mystery, uncertainty, anticipation, excitement, and even nostalgia for what has come and gone. You name it. The switching of the calendar from December to January is a literal grab bag of emotions.
How did 2012 treat you? Was it a good year for you personally, professionally, or just sort of ho-hum? Does what happened (or didn’t happen) for you in 2012 bode well for the year to come?
If 2012 didn’t bring the results you wanted, what are you going to do differently in 2013 to achieve your goals? Conversely, if 2012 was “da-Bomb,” how can you sustain that momentum going forward?
The dawning of a new year brings both hope and trepidation. How will you greet the New Year, with open arms and a plan, or with blinders on?
It was Einstein who said (and I paraphrase), “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.”
Here’s to getting the results in 2013 that you most desire . . . and here’s to a joyous and blessed New Year for all!
With a Clean Slate, Anything’s Possible
(Originally posted on January 4, 2012)
Maybe it’s because I spent time over the holidays in Alaska, marveling at the wonders Mother Nature has to offer, or back here in California skiing in the mountains, refreshing mind, body, and spirit—whatever it is, I am looking at 2012 with a feeling of renewed energy, piqued curiosity, and clarity of purpose. Even though I know nothing’s really changed, other than a few dates on a calendar, it’s as though I have a clean slate, a new perspective, and anything’s possible.
What about you? How have you chosen to greet the new year? Have you embraced the newness of it all, eager to try new things, anxious to see where 2012 takes you? Or are you planning to keep grinding along, doing the same thing you did last year and the year before that, hoping for the same or similar results?
There’s nothing wrong with routine. There’s nothing wrong with sticking with what’s worked for you in the past. But at some point, the status quo becomes the “same old, same old” and if you’re not careful, you’ll lose that edge, that drive, that momentum that makes life (both personal and professional) so interesting and so worth pursuing with gusto.
In my last blog, I talked about keeping your business on “simmer” through the holidays, so that none of your dishes go cold and you can rev up your engine more easily to start the new year. Now I’m suggesting you toss a few “new” ingredients into those dishes, stir them around, and see what flavors you can come up with to make things even more rewarding.
While this King Monkey might be able to survive on bananas alone, I don’t just want to survive, I want to thrive! Can I really be the most I can be by simply doing the same thing this year I did last? Can I really jumpstart my business to the next level simply by maintaining the status quo? I doubt it. Two plus two equals four this year, just like it did last year. You’ve got to add something new to the equation to get a different result.
- Is this the year you finally launch a long anticipated new product or new service?
- Is it finally time to add a full-blown social media component to your marketing efforts?
- Is this the year you crank up the volume on your business and bring things to a whole new level?
- Or, perhaps now is the time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and begin writing that book you’ve always had in you.
If you think about it, the possibilities are endless, and I guess that’s what has me so jazzed, here in this first week of 2012. Of course, whether it’s the first few days of January or the dog days of summer, the possibilities are always endless, but I must admit there’s just something magical about the beginning of the new year.
What one or two things can you do this year that will make a big difference in your personal life? What about your business? What old baggage can you let go of to gain energy and momentum? What new approaches or perspectives can you employ to regain that edge?
Add your voice to the monkey chatter to tell us how YOU plan to THRIVE in 2012.
. . . And if you’re having a hard time finding a fresh approach or new perspective to kick-off the new year, give a shout out to this King Monkey. Perhaps together we can begin to tackle what’s holding you back.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
