According to the Chinese proverb, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” This pretty straightforward concept definitely rings true now more than ever at the begining of a year.

In the Chinese Zodiac, 2012 is the year of the Dragon.
The Dragon is the mightiest of all signs symbolizing dominance and ambition.

A Dragon is a powerful leader that is driven, unafraid of challenges and willing to take risks. So much so that a Dragon’s passion and enthusiasm can leave a Dragon feeling exhausted.

If you are a business owner, you too can feel exhausted, especially at this time of the year – you have just finised reflecting on your 2011, thinking about all that goals you accomplished and all that you didn’t accomplish. You wonder what you should do to make your business better and more successful in the coming year.

To help you with this, below is a list of 5 key steps you can implement to ensure that 2012 is a boom year and not a bust.

1. Review Your Goals

The first and foremost thing to do is to sit down and go over whether you met your goals. If you have been in business for a short time, did you grow according to what you had planned? If you have been in business for a while, how has 2011 compared to previous years? Did you have more revenue, more customer issues, or more operational complications in running your business?

If you did not create a plan, then do so. You cannot arrive at a specific destination without a plan for getting there. Do not let another year pass you by without getting the things you want in your business.

A great way to do this is to create a checklist setting forth each goal that you want to achieve. Your checklist should include what you want to improve upon, new initiatives to implement, expected outcomes, and your budget for such checklist.

If you don’t have a defined budget, you won’t be able to accomplish each item specified on your checklist. The best way to prepare your budget for 2012 is to review your budget from 2011, which is the next step.

2. Review Your Budget

Taking the time to review your budget can make or break your company in the next year. If you found 2011 to be a difficult year, then ask yourself what your budget aspirations and constraints were.

For example, if you are a newer business, may be you had difficulty in growing to the level that you had anticipated. If you are an established business, you may have had difficulty with expanding your company, such as hiring employees, office space limitations or even new product lines.

Whatever the case, take the time now to create a detailed budget for 2012 to serve as your roadmap. This roadmap will help you to deal with any unexpected issues that may arise.

Once you have created your budget for the coming year, stop and look back at what worked and did not work with your marketing efforts.

3. Review Your Marketing Efforts

Marketing is a key component for any business. We all know that you really never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make sure that the first one counts.

For example, did your brand meet your customer’s expectations? Meaning, if you made a promise, did you deliver? If not, then ask yourself what you can improve upon to make sure that you do so in 2012. Can you automate your marketing?

With technology today, it is easier than ever before to get in front of your customers. From collecting email addresses to sending out discount coupons electronically, to integrating your marketing message with mobile devices, or to using social media to network. By incorporating technology into your marketing strategy, it will help your business to have long-term success.

4. Review Your Social Media

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, these are the three social media giants today. With millions and millions of users, social media continues to grow and is not going anywhere anytime soon.

So, how much social media presence did your business have in 2011? If the answer is not much, you need to look at how you can utilize social media in 2012.

For example, look at how you can use social media to promote your products or services, to post links to your newsletter, articles you have written or industry news, and to network with others to introduce your business. By using social media, you can quickly and effectively increase awareness about your business, increase traffic to your web site, and reinforce brand recognition, to name a few.

Besides social media, you should also review your web site to make sure it is up-to-date.

5. Review Your Web Site

Often times, web sites become stagnate. You get busy doing other things that you forget to review or even update your web site with current information.

So, take a close look at your web site and ask yourself some of these pertinent questions:

- Do all of the hyperlinks work?

- Is all the information contained on your “About” page still relevant?

- Have you optimized your web site with keywords to help Google find you?

If you answered “No” to any one of these questions, then it’s time to take action now and update your web site.

I believe that by  implementing these 5 key steps in your business, 2012 will be YOUR year of the Dragon!

Welcome to 2012

Lets begin with remembering that in the Chinese Zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon.

The Dragon is the mightiest of all signs symbolizing dominance and ambition.

So while we have not yet reached Chinese New Year lets take some direction from this.

When I was planning for 2012 I uncovered these tips, about the whole person – body, mind and spirit, that I want to share with you.

Quick Tips

Body:

Are you making bold resolutions on January 1st to “eat more healthy”?

If so, then stop and think small.

Trying to reach any diet goal does not happen overnight.

Create a weight loss plan and work towards your goals every day.

Before long, any excess weight will be gone.

Mind:

Creating a list to clarify your thoughts, resolve any problems or to generate ideas is good for your mind.

For example, take a blank piece of paper and draw two columns.

In the left column, write down any specific issues or question you have.

Then in the right column beside each issue or question, write your answers.

This not only helps you to become better organized, but provides you with a checklist to hold yourself accountable.

Spirit:

Not everyone finds the holiday season to be a joyous occasion.

In fact, the holidays can be depressing and extremely stressful.

So much so, that you may become irritable and grumpy.

Don’t let this happen to you.

A quick way to improve your mood and to lift your spirits is to surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude.

So now that the planning is out of the way lets start living in 2012ikoni

Myths and Superstitions

There are numerous myths and superstitions associated with this supposedly “unlucky” day.

If you’re interested in some FUN FACTS associated with Friday the 13th then you’re in luck (pun totally intended!)

If a month begins on a Sunday there will be a Friday the 13th 12 days later

The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is fourteen months

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is derived from the greek words Paraskevi (meaning Friday) and dekatria (meaning thirteen)

Many buildings don’t count their 13th floors. You’ll see on elevators that the numbers skip from 12 to 14.

Butch Cassidy, the infamous American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866

Fidel Castro was born on Friday, August 13, 1926

It’s an interesting legend but the truth of the matter is that “luck” has nothing to do with what day of the month it is…

Here is the why – You already have all the resources you need to create your own luck!

Would that feel amazing?

“Things turn out best for the people
who make the best out of he way things turn out.”

Art Linkletter

Each day, before you start focusing on your goals, wants, wishes and desires – take a moment to think of one thing that you are truly grateful for in your life.

By focusing on what you already have, you will find it much easier to pursue the things you truly want!

See if you can come up with a different thing that you are grateful for each day and make a note of it in your journal.

Just think, if you do this for a week, you will have discovered and acknowledged 7 things you are grateful for, if you do it for a month, there will be 30 things on your list and if you keep it up all year, there will be well over 300 things in your life that you appreciate.

How amazing would that feel!

Grow or Stay in Your Rut

“You can only grow
if you are willing to ?feel awkward and uncomfortable
when you try something new.”
Brian Tracy

Design your reality!

“There is more to us than we know.
If we can be made to see it,
perhaps for the rest of our lives
we will be unwilling to settle for less.”
Kurt Hahn

Today I’d like to start with a question so here it is.

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you were a child?

When you were young you probably believed that anything was possible.

And like most people, as you grew older, you were probably told that you needed to be realistic about what you wanted in life.

Did your dreams get lost along the way?

So here’s the thing I want you to challenge the notion of what is realistic in life and simply focus on what you want.

You may want to start by reflecting back on the hopes and dreams you had for yourself when you were growing up; not so you can chastise yourself for what has or hasn’t happened in your life but so you can get back in touch with all the things that inspired and excited you before reality got in the way.

Remember if you are going to dream why not dream for big things eh!

It’s yours!

“If you know you want it, have it.”
Gita Bellin

Do you ever find yourself apologizing for the things that you want out of life; as if you are in some way, being brash, greedy or overly ambitious?

Well it’s time to stop.

It is your life and you deserve to fill it with all the things that matter most to you!

So often, when people talk about their goals, it is with a conscious or subconscious desire for approval.

When this approval is not forthcoming, the natural reflex is to shrink or contract your desires.

So today, I want you to take a moment to think about what is really going on for you before you start discussing your goals.

The truth is, you don’t need anyone else’s approval to live your best life… so don’t waste energy looking for it!

Enjoy your day and the excitement of Thanksgiving Day

You are a success!

“I live for those who love me,
for those who know me true.”
George Linnaeus Banks

It’s hard to believe we are nearly at the end of another year.

Even though time might fly, don’t fall into the trap of chastising yourself for all the things you haven’t done… focus on all that you have achieved instead.

So how about making a list – your real success list.

Take a couple of minutes to write down all the things you have achieved in the year so far.

Real success isn’t just about life’s big successes, it’s about the little ones too, so think about all
the different ways you have honored your values over the year so far;

• maybe you spent more time with your family,
• focused on getting fitter,
• spent less and saved more,
• focused on thinking positive thoughts and staying present to the moment.

The more successful you feel, the more successful you will become, so focus on the real success you have achieved in your life and get ready for a brilliant 2011.

Are you refreshed and revitalized?

“Let there be more joy and laughter in your living”
Eileen Caddy

Let me begin by asking you a small but important question –

Did you have a good weekend?

Now a more specific question –

What did you get up to; did you spend your time doing things you love or was your time lost on chores, sleep and your sofa?

So why are the interest?

Well here’s the thing often we start the weekend with good intentions, but without careful planning and commitment, weekends turn into weeks, weeks blur into months and nothing ever really changes.

Looking back at this weekend just gone, is there anything you would change or do differently to ensure your life was more like the one you want to be living?

If you want true balance in your life, managing the way you spend your time off must become just as important, as the way you manage your time ‘on’ work.

So for next week why not focus on your time off.

Look at the hours that you won’t be spending at work and make a plan to use your time in the most refreshing, revitalizing and rewarding way possible.

Then ask yourself the question – Did you have a good weekend?

Can you remember your dreams

“Nothing ever becomes real ‘til it is experienced”
John Keats

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the hustle-bustle of daily life that it’s hard to remember what our dreams are, let alone see them a potential reality.

Today how about taking so me time so that we can dream.

Actually, I want you to take several moments – five minutes of them in fact – to sit quietly and visualize your dreams as if they were your reality.

Think of this as constructive daydreaming… close your eyes and picture yourself living the life you really want to be living.

• What does it look like?
• What do you spend your day doing?
• Who do you talk to?
• What do you wear?
• And so on, and so on until you have built up a rich image of you, living your dream life.

You don’t have to limit your visualization to five just minutes, but if you’ve never done any creative visualization before this is a great starting point.

Spend five minutes or so each day visualizing your dreams and not only will they start to feel possible, they will start to BE possible.

The best time that works for me is the time between waking up in the morning and actually getting out of bed.