Shake things up in 2009

Change. It’s the mantra of President-elect Obama. And we’ve seen first-hand how destructive staying on a dead-end course can be: whether it’s war, the economy at large, or even in our own businesses and careers. Let’s do something different – something with a lasting, beneficial impact. The hard thing is being patient enough to await the desired results of a new direction or tactic. It’s called perseverance.

Being in business nearly 15 years now, I’ve managed to tweak my business plan as needed to survive the ups and downs of the marketplace. This year will be no different. I plan to expand by assisting clients with presentations (organization, speechwriting and take-home materials) and becoming more Internet savvy – to learn how my experience of providing PR and marketing print materials for professional services, universities, health care and nonprofits can be supplemented with Web content. Can I still maintain the personal approach that small business owners are known for? The trick will be to do this without breaking the bank (although many of them are already broke!)

Change can also revitalize one’s day-to-day routine. When the sidewalks aren’t iced over, my fitness walk consisted of about a three-mile journey covering two local high school campuses. On Jan. 3, I took a different track – literally and figuratively. I stopped at the first school – which is closer to my home – and walked around that track four times, then ran up the bleachers four times. Same distance was covered without having to journey to the second school but a new twist was added to the workout with the steps. That change alone rejuvenated my approach to what had become routine. Come spring, I hope that my reward will be some needed weight loss.

Try it in your own life: shake up your routine or tweak your goals and see what happens. Check out this website to analyze what may be at a dead-end in your personal or professional life. Then take the needed steps to change it.
http://www.yeartosuccess.com/members/y2s/blog/VIEW/00000014/00000142/Recognize-the-Dead-End.html