If we had sat down at the start of 2006, would we have predicted or forseen some of what happened – such as Facebook or Twitter, the iPod or iPhone, Obama or the Tea Party! ???? Probably not. So as you plan for the next few weeks and months ahead, be mindful that small steps may have to become giant leaps to keep up, let alone get ahead. A colleague… Read More »Are you ready for the next 5 years?
So the first day of a new year what steps should you be thinking about first? Well to save your brain (as you may be nursing a headache!), my good friend and colleague Doug Emerson – The Profitable Horseman had these words of wisdom in his recent e-zine – equally applicable if you are a horse business owner or not. 1. Buy A Full size Year at A Glance Wall Calendar. Time… Read More »Three Tips to Get 2011 Off to a Great Start
Have you managed to really make a thorough review of your year and approached it with no fear? Make sure that you put some time aside before the normal onslaught of demands hit you in early 2011 and there is less time for you. As you finally conclude your review of this year and be really complete with it you need to ensure that you put any regrets, unfinished… Read More »Review Your Year With No Fear – Lesson 3
This time of year is traditionally one for review, renewal and maybe even restoration! But probably most of all it is the time of year for resolutions. But how do you know if you need to make changes, or resolutions, without reviewing where you have come from – this takes a microscope approach. The microscope approach is what people are ding at the moment in the Review Your Year… Read More »Do you use a telescope or microscope?
We can all spend plenty of time reviewing our past year and wishing we could have…….should have…….might have……etc etc. But instead take some of that energy and focus on what you did well and where you used your natural strengths and commit to using more of that next year. I liked Alan Weiss' simple Monday Morning Memo on this the other day.
After the expected over indulgence of the last few days, a brisk walk in the cold winter air seemed like a good idea. But my son was a little reluctant (read adamant not to go), the new computer game beckoned. Eventually he came and had a blast, outdoor therapy was needed by all. When we were walking back he asked; "Could I play my new computer game for a while… Read More »Review Your Year With No Fear – Lesson 2
One of the interactive exercises that I do with audiences in my keynotes and workshops is a corporate branding one. We split the room in to groups who are given the name of a coffee store and they have to come up with three words that best describe that store. Usually I pick Starbucks (Expensive, American, Barista – are three common responses), Tim Hortons (Canadian, Timbits, Hockey) and Coffee… Read More »Review Your Year With No Fear – What three words describe you?
When you are working on positioning your personal brand as the one of choice, you can adapt from these few choice reminders at Jonathan Salem Baskin's blog – Dim Bulb – The Night After Christmas blog post. And I could not resist this one from Dr Seuss – "And the Grinch,with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons, came… Read More »Review Your Year With No Fear – Branding Lesson 101
In going about my Christmas shopping this year and talking with retailers, there seemed to be an under current of a backlash against all the commercialism that the holiday season brings, I certainly am not claiming to be innocent of this either. So when someone (apologies for not recalling who) on my LinkedIn network posted this recently, it just seemed so appropriate for today, but also as you Review Your… Read More »Review Your Year With No Fear – Change Your Thinking
How do you feel at this time of year when people start to talk about new year’s resolutions? – Fearful, because you know that this year’s one fell by the wayside mid-January. - Excited , because it gives you a chance to kick off the year with a flourish. - Resentful, because you are going to feel pushed in to committing to something. Regardless of the emotions that come up, one… Read More »Review Your Year With No Fear – Lesson 1