Dec 19, 2014Sharon Spano Blog

New Beginning or Same Old Stuff?

As the end of the year draws closer, I’m finding myself thinking more and more about what will be new, better, and different in 2015.

I love this time of year for all the obvious reasons. Mostly, I love the opportunity to start fresh. Just think about how mundane life might be if we didn’t have the hope of a new beginning.

This is a time for reflection about what has been and what is yet to come. Please don’t miss the opportunity. I don’t want you to be one of those people who stumble through the holidays only to smack into January 2nd with no clarity of purpose.

If you haven’t already begun to think about what you’ll do to make 2015 your most meaningful, prosperous, and productive year, the time is now.

I know you’re busy tying up all those loose ends, but it’s important for you to carve out some time to reflect and to develop a plan for the upcoming year. The internet is flooded with ways for you to capture those thoughts, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated process.

As I said in an earlier blog, your new beginning starts with intention.

Here’s an example of how this works.

Together, my husband and I have several businesses. He has his land development business. I have my consulting practice and together we own and operate an Engel & Voelkers real estate firm with offices in Orlando and the Florida Keys.

We wear a lot of hats, and it can be a bit overwhelming if we’re not careful. Over the last several months, we’ve been working through our strategic plans and our goals for the upcoming year.

Our intention for 2015 is to align our respective skills and talents so that we can maximize our time, energy, and profitability in all three companies.

While we have always been supportive of one another’s work, this is the first time we have set the intention to align ourselves with one another in clear and specific ways.

There are many goals that are congruent with this intention. Here are just a few.

  • To surround ourselves with talented, focused people who operate from integrity and who are committed to being on our “team”
  • To support those on our team in also having a meaningful, prosperous, and productive business and life.

Just yesterday we were laughing about how setting this intention of alignment has already begun to change our world.

For example, we’ve made some changes with respect to people we do business with. Some have come and gone; it’s the natural attrition of business. More appropriate players have arrived on the scene. And, we are consciously and consistently looking for better ways to serve our real estate advisors and our respective clients overall.

All these shifts in work and life have come about as a result of our intention to align with one another. We will be spending the week between Christmas and New Year’s finalizing our plans for 2015, but a lot has happened over the last quarter to move us in the right direction, and it isn’t even January 2nd yet.

With respect to this blog, I’m going to carefully and consistently offer you more thought provoking information on how you, too, can create a more meaningful, prosperous, and productive life.

This is the first time in a while that I am not overwhelmed by the holidays. Setting this clear intention for alignment has given me a sense of joy and anticipation for the New Year.

With all the ongoing chaos and tragedy that splinters our world, I believe it’s up to each of us to do our part to live, work, and play with some level of intention toward the greater good.

I’m hoping that, together, my husband and I can make a difference for a great many people as we simultaneously grow our businesses and map out time for a meaningful, balanced life together that includes travel, friends, and family.

Throughout this magical season, into the New Year and beyond, I hope that you, too, will consider ways to do the same.

Happy Holidays and God Blesss