By Rob Panepinto
For many of us, the holiday season brings a combination of joy, excitement, gratitude, and stress. Kind of like the journey of an entrepreneur, isn’t it? I have always found this time of year a wonderful time for both personal and professional reflection on the year that is ending and focusing on the goals for the year to come. Here are a couple of thoughts/recommendations for you as the holiday season kicks into high gear:
- Take some time to recharge: For most businesses, the holidays do allow some time to step away from the day-to-day. Take it! Enjoy quality time to be present with family and friends in ways that aren’t as easy during the day-to-day grind of running your business. For example, put down the phone! Take some time for yourself as well. Whatever the activity or hobby is…even if it is doing absolutely nothing, take that time for yourself to recharge your body and mind.
- Take time for reflection, both personally and professionally: Take some time to think about this past year and the one ahead of you:
- What were some of your accomplishments? Entrepreneurs are not always the best at celebrating their successes, but there is nothing wrong with a short victory lap every now and then. If you had set goals for the year, did you meet them? Did you meet a new challenge that came unexpectedly
- Look in the mirror and be candid about missed opportunities and areas for improvement: Great entrepreneurs are good barometers of their own performance. However, the day-to-day focus on building a business doesn’t always create the space for honest self-reflection. The holidays are a great time to allow space for open personal and professional self-reflection. Use this time to fairly “look in the mirror.”
- Finalize your plans: If you have not formalized your business or personal goals for the year, use the time and space over the holidays to do so. This will allow you and your business to hit the ground running right out of the block.
- Be grateful for those with you on the journey: The entrepreneurial journey can be a lonely one in many respects, but we all know success is the result of the support of so many in our lives: Our families, partners and employees, mentors, suppliers, and vendors. Certainly, we should be grateful for these people every day, but the holiday season provides an important signpost to remind us to let all of them know our appreciation for their support in so many ways.
I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and an exciting start to 2023!
