Typically, the “holiday season” is a slow time for my business. Most business people are focused on spending time with their families and are not yet thinking about their marketing or publicity plans for the New Year. I respect my clients’ need for time off and I appreciate having that time to myself to reflect on what the holidays really mean to me.
In previous years, I’ve felt a lot of pressure to produce gifts – not just the average gift, but really great gifts for my loved ones. That requires some time and ingenuity to shop for a specific gift with each person in mind. Fortunately, I gave up this practice a few years ago because I realized that it is much easier to ask people what they want and then get it for them. While there isn’t a “surprise factor” in the giving of the gift, there’s also no remorse or need for someone to return a gift that they didn’t really want or can’t use. By opening up the channels of communication with my family and friends, I have been able to save myself a lot of anxiety and stress and best of all, I don’t have to compete with the throngs of holiday shoppers in the parking garages or shopping malls across America.
So what do the holidays really mean to me? It comes down to a simple message: It’s about loving and appreciating the ones who are in my life – my family, friends, neighbors and clients. This is a great time to say “thank you.”
So thank you to all of my friends and business associates “out there” in the virtual world who are reading this. Thank you for sharing your expertise with me in your chosen fields and thank you for asking me to help you with mine!
I hope this next year is a good one for us all. I hope that we’ll be able to overcome any differences and be able to share a strong bond of support with our business objectives.
Be well, enjoy your life each day, and celebrate those who are in your life. I wish you a beautiful holiday and a prosperous 2017!