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I trust that the New Year has begun brightly for you and will be an excellent year in every respect.

This brief update is to let you know what I'm focused on and, on an immediate note, to share some information about an upcoming event that may be of interest to you and/or colleagues.

Word for the Year

If you, like me and a number of people I know, don't get excited about the old New Year Resolution caper, I'd like to commend an exercise which I and others are finding both simple and useful for starting the year. 

It's the Word for the Year exercise , choosing a word that somehow sums up how you see the year ahead and will help carry you forward positively, constructively, effectively. 

Now I know this is not a new thing and maybe you've been doing it for years, but the process has been new and helpful for me. There are a number of ways to do it, such as brainstorming with a friend or colleague, or just writing out a lot of words on a piece of paper or electronically and seeing which ones "speak to you". 

And at the risk of sounding a tad ethereal, the trick I think is to listen more to your heart than your head, more of the gut feeling, if you will, than the thoughts of shoulds and oughts.

The word that emerged for me from this process was Exceptional . I wrote about the process recently and how the word speaks to me at the moment, in a recent blog post, One Word Alternative to New Year's Resolutions. As I say there, among other things, I want this year to be notable for my attracting (more) exceptional clients and providing them and existing clients with exceptional service.

If you have used the process or decide to try it (the year is still young enough!) I would love to hear from you about how it might have helped. Email is still good - deswalsh@webartsco.com 

30 Day Linking Blitz

No doubt like everyone else receiving this update, I had an unbidden challenge or three last year. I also had a self-imposed challenge which became a very satisfying experience, the 30 Day Linking Blitz. This was a collaborative project, where participants committed to a daily program of action, over a 30 day period, to amplify our LinkedIn presence, reach, engagement and influence. It started out as something I was going to do for myself and by start date there were 241 people before we closed the doors, so to speak.

There were enough people who missed out the first time around and others who participated in that first event to warrant putting together another such event, especially because there were such good reports of what people had learned and achieved the first time around.

Hence the announcement yesterday of a new 30 Day Linking Blitz, to commence February 11 . There is no financial commitment involved - just time, energy and focus. 

For more information and - if you so choose - to sign up as a participant, check out the 30 Day Linking Blitz site. Numbers are limited so we can maintain a good vibe and good collaboration, so if you are interested it's probably a good idea to seize the day.

Wishing you a year of abundant health, joy and good business

Des

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