Also published in Belong Magazine
The holidays can be a crazy, unapologetically stressful time, especially if you are a consumer-facing business. The pressure to ride the holiday marketing wave, fulfill orders or client requests, and double-down on social media can be all too consuming. On top of that, the holidays are a time to anticipate a new year and new beginnings, to commit to a whole new set of resolutions and goals. What did I not accomplish this year? What financial goals did I miss? What project did I not get to do this year? I, too, fall into the trap of critical self-assessment and end up feeling overwhelmed.
No matter how crazy the holidays become for you, call a time-out from your business. This means shutting down your computer, stepping away from social media, and putting aside your emails for later. No compromising. I stepped away from my business for a week. What did this do for me? It helped clear my head, reset myself, and shift my perspective on things that weighed me down. I also gained the focus that I needed for Tip #2.
Not only should you set your goals for the New Year, but also celebrate your successes from the past year. We so often focus on what we failed to do, rather than what we did do. When you intentionally take some time to reflect on all that you have accomplished and what you truly enjoyed doing, you'll surprise yourself. All those little wins are critical to the journey that brought you here. Take an inventory of all your successes and all that you loved doing, because no matter how big or small, they are worth celebrating.
Take your successes and what you truly enjoyed doing, and do more of them in the new year! Revisit your vision, set some stretch goals, and sprinkle in opportunities for personal growth, and you have the foundation for your New Year planning. When you’re not planning from scratch, rather building upon what you learned from past experiences, you will feel confident about having a purpose-driven plan that is attainable. Come next year, you’ll want to celebrate more successes!
We are living in unprecedented times.
As a small business, we must figure out a way to survive and communication is key to survival. While large brands may have teams of communications experts to help craft their crisis communications and messaging, small businesses might not have such luxury. Read on to find the top 5 examples of good crisis emails.
