A few years back a friend of mine who knows I love inspirational quotes bought me a notebook for my birthday. On the cover of the navy notebook, the words, “Happy Mind, Happy Life” were printed in colorful lettering along with some cheerful flowers.
And up until a month ago, I had let it sit on my bookshelf collecting dust. That’s when I decided to start focusing more on gratitude and positive thinking than I had been recently. It was just a coincidence that this notebook was the writing apparatus I grabbed to start making notes about the things that were occurring in my life that I should be thankful for and the goals I wanted to set to start this new journey in motion. Although, if you are anything like me, you may be wondering if maybe it wasn’t a coincidence at all and I in fact found the notebook at exactly the right time I was supposed to. Either way, this exercise in gratitude and positive goal setting has created a much-needed shift in my mindset that is propelling me forward after a stressful year.
I share this because I know I can’t be the only one who needs a reset. And the cool thing about taking the time to do it is that you can start to see incremental results very quickly. It only took a couple of days for me to notice I was responding differently to my environment and was feeling more in control of my reactions.
"I always say if you really want to do something, you’ll find the time to do it."
I know finding any free time as a business owner or manager can be about as difficult as walking a straight line with your eyes closed after spinning around in circles, but the time you give to it is all in your hands. I always say if you really want to do something, you’ll find the time to do it.
January is also a great time to start setting some goals. Start with small achievable goals to get the momentum going. A simple goal could be, “I’m going to take five minutes a day and spend it posting about my business on social media.” Maybe it’s, “I’m going to bring in that new product line that I’ve been wanting to add but have been nervous about trying,” or “I’m going to mark down merchandise that isn’t selling quickly instead of hanging onto it.”
Whatever your goal is, Seaside Retailer wants to support you and provide you with inspiration. This issue is filled with store profiles, product trends and display ideas to motivate you.
Maybe you need an additional boost to get you heading in a more positive trajectory in 2024. If that is the case, then I’ll leave you with one more fun saying that hangs on a wooden sign in my office. “It’s not happy people that are thankful, it is thankful people that are happy.”
I’m so thankful that you’ve decided to pick up this latest issue of Seaside Retailer!
