Forget the unrealistic resolutions - set some achievable goals

Forget the unrealistic resolutions - set some achievable goals

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.

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, all I can say now is bring it on.

I don’t believe in new year’s 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.

What do you want to achieve this year? Think about this on both a personal level and also in terms of your business. How do those two elements flow together?

Once you know where you want to be, think about the steps you need to take to get there. Don't overwhelm yourself with unrealistic targets. Just set yourself things that stretch, excite and inspire you and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve!

Fiona Humberstone is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and managing director of Flourish.

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