Happy New Year!
Thank you again for your support of the Cafe and we pledge to keep getting better in 2019.
Speaking of resolutions, I've always been a bit of an optimist... well, most of the time. I can say with a great deal of certainty that I was most certainly NOT my Most Optimistic Self during the Recession in 2008. That was rough.
In fact, I had sent an e-mail to an author, Fawn Germer, who had written a book called "Hard Won Wisdom," in which she talked to successful women all over the world about how they achieved their goals and what they learned in the process. In my e-mail, I told her how I was reading her book to help me try and stay focused and overcome what had become a terrible time in business. It was looking bleak for the Cafe and I was desperate to stay in business. She wrote me back and told me to hang in there and keep the faith.
Always sounds easy, doesn't it? Keep the faith! Hang in there! But you know, and I always remind myself of this, an optimist isn't just positive when things are going splendidly... they're also positive when things are going down the drain. It's a discipline that I'm constantly working on. In fact, I'm constantly saying to anyone who will listen: "Is your mind right? You need to get your mind right!"
I am also a huge fan of Jon Gordon, an author who writes about choosing One Word to focus on when making New Year's resolutions. I did it last year and chose my word as "Focus." This year, it's "Expand." I want to expand our business, our training, and our way of doing things. It's so easy to get stuck... but this year, I'd like to expand. Expand our menu. Expand our options for people with dietary needs. Expand our dessert menu with new chocolate recipes. I'd like to expand my mind. I'd like to expand my exercise routine (which means I have to actually GET an exercise routine.) Expand the amount I read - I used to read voraciously but I haven't made the time the way I should. Expand my empathy. I'd like us to help those who need it more. Expand. Expand. Expand.
Wish me luck, friends. And Happy New Year!
Lisa