As I write this, the last newsletter for 2009, I am looking forward to a break over the Christmas period and find myself reflecting on the last 12 months. I wonder if you will be doing the same?

Did you achieve all you set out to achieve at the beginning of the year? Perhaps you wanted to save money, lose weight, stop smoking or go on the holiday of a lifetime? Maybe you had great hopes for developing your business, changing your job or taking time off work? Did something unexpected occur during the year which you were totally unprepared for and left you feeling helpless and out of control? Maybe this prevented you from being able to focus on all that is going well in your life and familiar, self-limiting beliefs and thoughts dominated your mindset.

Some people will be thinking ahead to the New Year with renewed enthusiasm and hope, others will be anticipating more of the same things that have gone wrong throughout this year. Whichever extreme you can identify with, (or maybe somewhere in-between), are you someone who makes New Year resolutions only to find ‘things’ get in the way and you invariably find yourself falling at the first hurdle?

I propose a slightly different approach to the forthcoming year. ‘Assessment of my life’  is an exercise I use with many clients and helps to focus on what has gone well during the last year and what you would like to be true at the end of next year.

So forget about the Xmas list, ordering the turkey and making the Xmas cake and spend a few minutes considering your responses to the following questions. Keep your answers somewhere visible, to remind you of what you would like to have achieved over the year ahead.

Thoughts for the month: If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude. Amy Tan You may delay  - but time will not. Benjamin Franklin All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better. Ralph Waldo Emmerson Like to contribute ...? I am interested in all feedback and comments to this newsletter. I also welcome any offers of   collaboration or inclusion  of promotional articles. To discuss any contribution   please contact me through  the channels below. My contact details Pavlenka Small Small Steps to Success Tel : 01206 299073 pav@smallsteps2success.co.uk     Email contact form here

Assessment of my life in 2009 Think about these self-assessment questions and answer them as honestly as you can. They can relate to both your work and personal life. What have I achieved in 2009, both personally and professionally?   What would I have liked to have done differently?   What would I have learnt from that?   What are my priorities in life?   What do I want more of in my life?   What do I want less of in my life?   What do I want to be true to me at the end of 2010? If you would like some guidance with this exercise, why not invest your time in a complimentary coaching session? See opposite for contact details. Christmas Competition M&S Voucher to be won ! Identify the missing 5 letter word in the final line of the following poem. Email me with your answer, name and address and you may be the lucky winner of a £20 Marks & Spencer voucher* I am your constant companion. I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden. I will push you up to success or down to disappointment. I am at your command. Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me, for I can do them quickly, correctly and profitably. I am easily managed, just be firm with me. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures. I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a machine and the intelligence of a person. You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin. Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me. Lead me. Reward me. And I will then…do it automatically. I am your servant. Who am I? I am a  ? ? b ? ? * Competition conditions : Only one entry accepted per person. The winner will be the person who sends the first correct answer according to the time their email was sent. The winner to be announced in January’s newsletter Until next year ..... Happy Shopping and Happy Christmas!

Small Steps to Success December 2009 Newsletter. Pavlenka Small. Steps to Success. 2 Elm Cottages. Mission Lane. East Bergholt. Colchester. Essex. CO7 6XH.