We can because we believe we can

New times….New Challenges….New focus…..New Year…Happy 2012

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

As I begin to write my first blog of 2012 I have given myself time to reflect on 2011 and ask myself what I have learnt during the last year? The countries I have been, the many wonderful people I have met on my travels and the work I have done with so many Financial Advisors across EMEA has provided me with a learning experience that has been so very, very special. This time last year I had started my third contract as my LTD company, was looking forward to my new challenge but had no idea what it would bring!

Well I can conclude I have learnt to be flexible in my approach to people and situations, something vital when you deal with different cultures, expectations and a multitude of demanding characters! and I have learnt that when I have not fully adopted this flexibility things have not been so productive – and you take note and learn from this, we can not be perfect all the time!

So 2012 sees another change in the work I am doing, I have been lucky enough to maintain a part-time contract with the Wealth Management house I have been working with this year, I can’t wait and am so priviliged that I have been asked to stay on. I also have other opportunities to embrace, this again for me is a change, challenge and new focus.

So as I was thinking about the theme of my first 2012 blog I realised that I never make New Year’s resolutions and anyone who knows me New Years Eve is just another evening and I do adopt a ‘stroppy attitude’ to being expected to go out and celebrate just because it is a certain date in the year!!! What new year does make me do is use this date to review what I have achieved, learn from all my experiences, some fantastic, some great and some downright awful and set a new vision, new goals and build a discipline around how I am going to achieve these going forwards.

Someone once said to me that they would rather be heading somewhere than no-where at all, this made me think about the way I approached my goal setting and realised in the past I was scared to set myself challenges that I may ‘fail’ at….I then realised that if you change your mindset to allow yourself to believe there is no such thing as failure, only a learning opportunity, everything suddenly looks a whole lot different. After that nothing seems impossible, if your initial goal changes that is fine, re-define them and ensure at every point in setting these they are aligned to your true values in life. If they are you will achieve them and best of all enjoy the journey in getting there, celebrating when you do and enjoy your life to the maximum, however hard the journey may be!

So as I wish all my blog readers the very best for 2012, I would like to thank certain individuals who have made my year an incredible experience, my dearest best friend who despite her challenges this year always taken time to meet me at a local pub close to where I ride at the weekends, today we met around a log fire and I can still smell the smoke in my hair as I write this!! another person is someone I met on my Middle East trips this year, he was so accommodating in making my trips so great and was always amazed that despite the change and challenge within the business maintained such a positive outlook!!!!

Life is very precious, grab every opportunity with both hands and I do believe everything happens for a reason, perhaps this is sometimes hard to see or believe but our destiny changes with our thought, destiny is no matter of chance but a matter of choice so despite circumstances out of control that may mean we have to deal with difficult times we can always choose our next path in life.

A closing thought (from my conversation today with my best friend!) Don’t sweat the small stuff! worry and focus on the things you can control and leave others to worry about what you can’t! I personally would rather live life saying ‘I wish I had not done that’ rather than regretting something I did not do for fear of failure. Success starts with small steps, life is a journey and not a race, enjoy each step for that makes the achievements even sweeter!

“One day at a time–this is enough. Do
not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled
about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so
beautiful it will be worth remembering.”

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