It’s a quiet week this week…no work, no gym, just holidays, a little indulgence and family time. Quite possibly my favourite time of year.  For with the relaxation and the letting go of the 12 months that I’ve just lived through, comes the hopes and dreams and possibilities of the next 12, just around the corner.

I must admit to finding it difficult spending too long in the completely relaxed zone however, without any hint of planning or plotting for the year ahead.  I do love chilling out, but I also have a very busy and excited mind that likes to do things and I’m driven by achievement. (Tell me I’m not alone in this feeling?)

Part of the fuel for that fire is that at this time of year ‘lists’ start to appear everywhere. The most beautiful people of 2017, the most influential brands on instagram, and the top 20 best selling books on Amazon.   These lists are created in part by subjective reviews, in part by what people bought, and in part by greatly skewed stats.  These people or brands appear to have ‘achieved’ wildly beyond expectations. Could anyone have predicted that these would be the books/brands/babes that the majority embraced? Can anyone explain why?Despite their outstanding success you probably haven’t read or heard of some of them.

Now consider the books not listed. Maybe they too got under someone’s skin, changed a life, sparked a great idea or launched a career.

As you set out on this brand new year you’re probably making a list of your own. You have things you want to plan for, milestones you want to reach, targets you want to hit and perhaps even a list or two you want to get on. Remember that success is not what you read in a well-crafted bio, or see on a carefully curated Instagram feed and it may never be recognised with awards or witnessed on a list.

Success is a feeling, not a fact. You get to choose what it should feel like.
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I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for 2017.

…for being here, for reading, listening, commenting, disagreeing at times, and keeping me honest!

…for your time, so precious, that could be well spent elsewhere.

It often feels like I’m sending this out into a big black hole. But then I’ll hear from one person who is moved, who finds their own story in all this, who learns just the thing they needed to learn to move forward, who hears the necessary words to make a change…

…and I know that this is my work.

And I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity….

Thank you.

Here’s cheers to 2018.