3 minute read
From the President
All Things New
Regrets, responsibility and resolutions for the New Year.
This is the time of year we look back, take stock and decide to be better. Leaving our past mistakes behind, we aim to commit to a better way of living. That’s right, it is a New Year—2020 to be exact. There’s a message in that number. It means perfect vision. What will your 2020 vision become? Are you stuck in the past and living with the regret of unfulfilled dreams? Are you looking at today and hoping everything will change for the better? Or maybe, just maybe, you are looking toward the future intending to make a difference. My hope is that it would be the latter. Why? Because I want to see you, and our entire industry, grow both personally and professionally. My vision sees our industry moving from surviving to thriving. Stepping beyond the naysayers who tell us our industry’s dying. Over the years, we’ve shown we can meet and exceed every challenge. I believe it’s built into the DNA of everyone in our industry. We always make a way, even when met with insurmountable challenges. To this day, we still stand strong as a community that has come together for a common cause.
Look Back and Then Learn From Your Past
Regret. It’s a word that all of us know. A word that requires a response. Maybe it was an unfilled goal you set for your business. A missed opportunity. An action you may have taken that leaves you wondering why you did something you wish you hadn’t. We all have them. Knowing how best to respond to regret will help us grow both personally and professionally. First things first, don’t live in regret. Doing so will lock you into a destiny of continued failure and will leave you questioning every decision. You must leave regret in the past, using the memories only as points of wisdom to provide you with a good prospective when making decisions for your future. Don’t fear making a mistake. Just use your newly learned wisdom coupled with advice from those you trust and move forward. Enough said!
Take Responsibility for Your Actions
If it hasn’t already happened, there will come a day when you will have to take responsibility for your past mistakes. If you have caused someone pain, make amends and move on. If you have made bad decisions that affected your business, now is the best time to correct it. Don’t go another day. Decide to rectify your past and then plan for a better future. Taking responsibility means asking those harmed by your actions for forgiveness. This includes forgiving yourself, too! At times we can be our own worst enemy. Don’t let your past mistakes define your future self.
Make a Change
New Year’s resolutions are usually made with past regrets in mind. This time of year, we review our past performance, then attempt to make corrections. There are many measures of success. Many of them have to do with your ability to measure performance. If you have set a goal and didn’t achieve it, the only way to know you failed is to measure it against the desired outcome. Take some time to do a postmortem to help understand what went wrong. Also, take the time to think through what you may have done to achieve the success you anticipated. Once complete, begin your new goal setting process. Be reasonable with your goals. Make sure when you set the goal that the strategy and tactics are within your capabilities. If not, trim the sails to ensure your success. Also set dates for checkups to make sure you are meeting the milestones required to achieve your goal. Use those dates to revise and continue your mission. These simple changes will help you and your team achieve great things.
Make Today Your Best Day, Every Day!
The best way to meet the expectations you set for yourself or your business is to do your best today. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not promised, but today is the day to make the difference. Today is the day to do better than yesterday. If you’re procrastinating, make it a priority to get what matters done today. There will be no better time than today to ensure your future. Add up a few successful “todays,” and you are on your way to guaranteeing success.
I look forward to catching up at any of our 2020 Knowledge- Fest events and hearing about your battles, war stories and your successes!
