At the end of each year I always take stock of the past year. It’s good to acknowledge what I have accomplished and to look at the importance of my own choices as well. For the past six months I’ve been doing some transformational healing work. It began on the physical level as I was experiencing some issues with my digestive system. I decided to make an appointment with a Chinese trained Acupuncturist. Beginning with the first session I felt that David was special. His presence in itself, is a catalyst for healing energies that have helped me to re-align on the deepest levels.

During my session last Friday I lay on the table after he worked on me and I saw this picture of a flowing stream with a partial dam of debris, leaves, sticks etc. that was keeping the water from flowing fully. I realized that my creative force at the source is fully alive, however at the other end there is a blockage when it comes to the water flowing freely out to the ocean of the world. So on the physical level it is about circulation and flow and is mirrored on the emotional and spiritual level.

What does this all mean to my business? It is actually a huge revelation because I tend to be somewhat challenged with organization and lots of ’stuff’ gets a bit blocked in my office. I am probably the opposite of  having OCD.  I do enough to “get away”  with it. To be fair with myself, it’s not this way all the time, so I am probably being a bit self-critical.  My dam isn’t blocked completely. There is a flow, but the flow could be so much stronger and more powerful.

I decided to look back over my life and do a quick assessment to see if I have lived this way with everything. In fact one area emerged that is an exception. This was in being a parent to my only son. I was self-employed when I got pregnant and worked for myself during his entire childhood. I never cut corners with parenting. I certainly had my moments of fatigue and frustration but being a good parent and raising a child to be an amazing adult was my highest priority. There was no such thing as “getting by.” It has to be done right or the results will stare you in the face literally.

At some point I did help him to go out into the world and he is now a grown-up shining fully all on his own.  I am constantly  reminded of what I great job I did when I look at him and what he is now doing himself. I truly feel blessed.

It is time to feel this way about everything I create and  intiate, and to allow all my creations to flow into the world as fully as this one. This is my new awareness that I take into the new year. It will also certainly be reflected in my new vision board for 2009.

Here are a few questions to consider.

1. What do you notice on the physical level that reflects the emoional or spiritual energies?

2. What kind of alignment needs to happen for you to make the next big jump in  your business?

3. Are you doing an end of the year assessment in your business?

The world is certainly in a turmoil these days around the economy.   I work with a woman who has been in a huge fear and panic state as her life savings disappeared. She is barely coping while other people who are upset, seem to be coping more easily.

Another friend has breathed a sigh of relief that she has escaped losing her money.

For many, the loss of money can feel like a loss of identity, self-esteem, and confidence. In these cases it isn’t always the money itself but  it’s what it stands for. It means success and the right to stand tall and fit in.  Or it can mean security, safety or a myriad of other things.

Julia, a 72 year old woman, lost all of her money and her home twelve years ago when her business went bankrupt.  The very next year her husband died and she had to decide what to do. She said,  “There I was suddenly on my own at age 62 with no money, no savings, no resources and no health insurance.  We were hoping to sell our business in a year or two and then retire comfortably and travel to places we’d never been. It was a shock.  I was embarrassed, ashamed and went into a depression - and then I realized I still had choices.”

She realized that if she didn’t do something for herself no one else would. She ended up becoming a distributor for a health products company where she used her entrepreneurial skills to build a successful small business. In the process she reinvented herself. She’s still going strong.

When facing a crisis like this, what makes some people like Julia, wake up to their inner resources while others  just want to give up, unable to cope?

Here are five character traits that seem to be present in people who are able to begin a new venture against all odds. Everyone is born with these qualities but some people have to re-awaken and re-learn them.

1. Mental clarity.  Being able to think through choices and options with intelligence and have the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies to achieve.

2. Positive Attitude. Believing you can do it will help you to move mountains and will allow you to see opportunities that you might miss otherwise.

3. Creativity. The ability to see possibilities out of thin air.  Being able to see a sculpture out of a pile of scrap metal and see how to recreate your life into what you want it to be.

4. Support group. The importance of bringing together a mastermind group for yourself. Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on and give you good feedback.

5. Commitment. The absolute decision to not give up and not quit. Instead, it’s about learning how to overcome obstacles as you stay focused on where you are going.

Whether or not you are facing a crisis these are excellent tools for success in any venture.  Maybe you have some others you can add to my list. I would also like to hear from anyone who has survived and began a new business against all odds.

Like many of you, I have read Stephen Covey’s books on time management and I even have his quadrants on a chart on my wall to remind me to spend a good chunk of time each week on things that are not urgent but are very important which can include goal setting and visioning for my business.  Surfing the web has always been  in the category of not important and not urgent and has been considered a time waster. My friend would call this  “doodling” around.

However, website optimization and social networking has added a whole new challenge to time management. Some stuff that can seem like doodling is actually very important. My business has an international market and as long as someone understands English I can help them.  Marketing my business on the web is extremely important and not urgent, (plus I enjoy it as a side benefit). The challenge is that it is something that never gets done. The more I do the more I want to do. I am dipping into the world of Squidoo right now.  Squidoo allows you to create infinite number of separate “lens” pages on any topic you want. You can easily add books from Amazon, u-tube videos etc and Google loves Squidoo for a reason that my non-techy brain cannot  quite explain.

To solve this time management issue I have now set aside two half days a week for online marketing. This includes creating new  Squidoo,  hubpages,  Sumbleupon, Facebook Groups, Twittering and updating my own website to name a few.

I imagine there could be a whole new book on how to manage your time on online marketing. Any ideas??

The most important thing in overcoming any business obstacle is your attitude. I have an attitude angel that lives with me and reminds me that I have the power to change anything and it’s all about taking the right steps.

One thing she taught me is to find three things I can do all the time, like a mantra, and when I do all three, things change and I can move mountains.

My three things:

1. Keep my article deadlines first and before anything else.

2. Put money in my financial freedom jar everyday.

3. Every Sunday do a plan for the week.

What are your three things? Writing them down and  sharing will make them even more solid!