"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."
--- Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Okay, get fired up! We have another new year, which means more resolutions. Get fired up!
Stinks, doesn't it? Feels like work, right? For some of us, it is just another task added to an already full plate of baked to-dos. Inspiration went out the window after the last dose of economic news was followed by the in-laws finally packing up the car to head back home.
So it's not the best time to talk about setting goals for 2009 and writing down a game plan for taking your business to new heights. But, it is a great time to at least allow your mind to relax a little and do some light day-dreaming.
"The older I get, the more I see a straight path where I want to go. If you're going to hunt elephants, don't get off the trail for a rabbit."
--- T. Boone Pickens
First, take out a pad of paper and a pen and jot down some of the things you wish would happen in regards to your business in '09. They can be completely outrageous and not even doable. Don't worry; you are the only one reading it. Make a long list and if you can't do that, at least a list of ten.
Next, read over the list again. Which items are possible if you had everything you needed to make them happen? If it requires money, imagine that you had a cool million sitting on the desk right now. How could you make those particular items a reality with a million bucks?
"Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past."
--- Henry Ward Beecher
Now, imagine that those items that you thought might be possible, can become a reality, but you don't have quite a million dollars. How could you make it happen? Jot down some ideas that would help to bring those wishes alive. Keep writing down idea after idea and do this for each and every item on your list that is even remotely possible for you to accomplish.
"I'm tired of dreaming. I'm into doing at the moment. It's, like, let's only have goals that we can go after."
--- Bono
Congratulations! You just began a list of New Year's Resolutions! You should be proud of yourself. Your business and your team members are going to prosper because of you taking the time to participate in this little goal-setting exercise.
Unlike Bono's comment, our goals should be set high enough to make us stretch like Gumby.
"The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do."
--- Brian Tracy
Stretching Your Own Screens: Does It Make Sense for Your Business?
By Bill Stephens
Stretching screens in-house can help boost production, reduce downtime and give your shop the flexibility to take on a wider range of jobs. But it also requires a considerable investment, and can divert precious resources from your core operation. Is it right for your shop? Take a look and see.
Read the article...
Making Waves With Photo Sails
By Jennifer LeClaire
Photo Sails may seem like a simple idea. But the concept was hardly simple to execute. It took nearly four years of product testing and marketing to come up with the first real Photo Sail.
Read the article...
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As seen on a hotel balcony in Daytona Beach:
"Caution: Please be aware that the balcony is not on ground level"
Maternity Clothes Shop:
"We are open on labor day"
Providence Presbyterian Church, Florence, NJ:
"Church Parking! Only Violators Will Be Baptized"
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