2012 – The year of ‘BRING IT!’

A few years back everyone was remarking what an awful year they had. From my memory it was 2008. I don’t think I met a single person that enjoyed ’08 and they were more than happy to bring in 2009.

People’s sentiments on 2011 were a little bit different. I’ve mostly heard people say that 2011 was a  pretty good year and they can’t wait to crank it up a notch in 2012. Maybe it has to do with who I’ve been hanging out with? Or our age?… Whatever the reason,  it appears there are a fair few people ready to ‘bring it’ in 2012.

I thought I’d put together a list of my own personal positive gems to start the year. I hope they inspire a few of you and please, feel free to share your own list by commenting on this post.

1. Be Savvy.

For some reason I haven’t finished a book in a few years. I have at least 30 books that I have read half of and lost interest in, leaving them to gather dust at various places around the house. Last night I finally finished a book, actually, let me re-phrase that – devoured a book. Dan Schawbel‘s Me 2.0 is a great read for anyone interested in Branding and Social Media. I loved it and for those of you scared of Facebook and Twitter, Dan makes social media palatable. Dan encourages his readers to lend ‘Me 2.0’ to friends but I can’t risk losing it. It’s definitely the kind of book you can refer back to; it’s literally overflowing with great websites and resources to make your online life more productive. So, I urge you to buy it, not borrow it from me! And I look forward to never having to show any of you (you know who you are) how to create a page or an event on Facebook ever again! 😉

2. Be Fearless.

If you’re itching  to go out on your own and take the plunge on that amazing idea of yours – do it! Having started my first business when I was 18, I sure learnt a lot on the job but now that I have changed paths and started afresh, I feel like I can do with all the help and support I can gather. I found this list that covers the books I have been told to read in the past and not so surprisingly, never got round to doing. I also wouldn’t mind adding two more that were suggested to me on Twitter just today – ‘Igniting your true purpose and passion’ By Michael Robert Fried and ‘Linchpin’ By Seth Godin.  I go by the motto ‘The bigger the risk the greater the reward’ and I’d like to thank ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ By Susan Jeffers for reminding me that the only person in your way is you! I read that book many years ago and never forgot it’s message. No one is keeping a report card of your success or failure – just do it! I also recently discovered a great Web Series about Entrepeneur’s called ‘Trepping out’. If you’re more of a viewer then a reader, the trepping out webisodes are a great insight into the lives of people who took the plunge.

3. Be Inspired.

There are no excuses in life. I love being reminded  that anything is possible. It is ridiculously easy to be ready with a reason for your shortcomings. I found an amazing line in Barack Obama’s ‘Dreams from my father‘ years ago and at the time would regularly misquote it – so much so that now, I have well and truly butchered it. I have tried Googling and scanning the pages of the book to find the exact wording but I can’t. It basically went along the lines of – Don’t allow your reality to be shaped by how you believe others perceive you. This rung true for me because I was constantly looking at myself through the eyes of others, forever seeing all the reasons why it would be impossible for me to achieve my dreams. It’s very easy to believe that age, race, gender and upbringing can inhibit your success or at least throw some serious speed bumps on the road to fulfilment. We all have a story and have each been smacked in the face with hardship at some stage in our lives; check out these CEO’s who went from rags to riches. Believe and succeed. It is possible.

4. Be Patient.

Sometimes a new year is a time to heal. I don’t believe we have to put pressure on ourselves to start the year in a ‘hit the ground running’ style if it isn’t in our best interest. I began following The Daily Love when my grandfather died in 2009. I was searching for ‘something’, as most of us do when we lose a loved one. I relied on these quotes for a number of months and I still enjoy reading them on my Twitter timeline. Sometimes an Inspirational quote goes a long way. If you’re on Twitter follow them at @TheDailyLove or sign up to their emails at TheDailylove.com Another great source for healing for me was  ‘A New Earth‘ By Eckhart Tolle. I read half of this book during this tough period (there I go – only reading half a book again) and really savoured what was covered.  With every difficult moment in life I believe we must relish what we learn about ourselves. We will never stop learning and as we allow ourselves to heal, a Phoenix rises from the ashes, wiser and stronger.

I am really looking forward to what 2012 brings for all of you and I wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy year.

Remember to BRING IT!