Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! We ring in a brand new year on Sunday. That feeling of a fresh start is upon us all. It is interesting how moving from December 31st to January 1st creates such a sense of renewal, and that anything is possible. As I said before, though the calendar changes, the world continues to move forward, and nothing really changes unless we make the change for ourselves. Which really means we have that same opportunity each day. It doesn’t have to be the end of December into the beginning of January with a year change to make the difference. That feels like a more positive outlook on it, doesn’t it?
I am guilty of the same things. I have been building up to getting things started in January, both for work and for things in my personal life. I’ll get back on my healthy eating routine (which I never should have stopped), time to reset meeting calendars, review projects, and set goals. However, any of those things could have been done at any point during the last month. And, if I find that the changes I make in early January are not working the way I need them to, I can change them before either slipping back to what it was before or waiting until next year. (Yes, that’s a reminder to self, as much as sharing some advice.)
All that said, if you haven’t taken some time to reflect on the past year, and look ahead to the possibilities and options for the coming year, now is a good time to do that. I have written many times about the benefits of conducting a self-review and goal setting, both long and short-term. If you haven’t already scheduled that, get it on the calendar, and have a plan for what you will do with that time.
Maybe most importantly, think about how you will spend and invest your time in the new year. Have you completed an ideal week framework? Are you blocking out, and dedicating time for things important to you? It could be for hobbies, exercise, spending time with family and friends, getting outdoors, or whatever you like to do. Now is the time to plan it. Don’t strive for perfect, don’t assume it will stay one-hundred percent the same, but capturing and scheduling time is much better than hoping it will just happen.
As we take one final look back on this year, the retail world continues to change and be as unpredictable as ever. I expect 2023 will be another year when change is at the forefront. The possibility of a recession, rising costs in almost every area of the business, and ongoing supply chain challenges (for various reasons) will remain. While many people seem to have moved on from COVID, it still exists and has real impacts on people and the business. We all need to remain vigilant on educating ourselves and our teams on how we can stay healthy, proactive, and challenging ourselves to bring change where it makes sense. With these challenges also comes tremendous opportunity. We can continue to learn, grow, and evolve our leadership to provide the most benefit to those we serve around us. We can continue our journey of being leaders people choose to follow.
Best wishes to everyone for a healthy and successful New Year ahead. Thank you all for the continued support and encouragement. I cannot wait to see what we can do in 2023.
Happy New Year!
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Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash