Last year, I said to my husband Steve that I was going to ride one or two Sportives – timed cycle rides / races of varying distances, often around 50-100 miles. Last year came ….. and went ….. without my having ridden one!
You may recall that we both rode the Pedal For Pounds charity ride from Yeovil to Huddersfield last year (we have also signed up for this year’s event, again in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance – a “Tour of Yorkshire” charity ride too), although rather than that being a springboard for more distance cycling, breaking my ribs took some overcoming and I didn’t do much distance cycling in the rest of 2012. This year, both of us are determined not to allow the year to slip by without having the same feeling come 31 December, so I am choosing my first Sportive as we speak, whilst Steve has taken the plunge and signed up for his first Triathlon!
At the beginning of the year, we set ourselves little “mini-goals” to enable us to measure our progress whilst we train towards our ultimate goals. It’s fair to say the snow has forced us indoors more than we would have liked, nevertheless the gym is a good compromise. Whenever we can get out on the road we do and those of you who follow me on Facebook will have seen the occasional shattered “post-ride” comment!
In a similar vein to our own personal goals for 2013, we sat down over Christmas and decided our business goals. Now whilst we always have a close eye on the financial aspects (such is modern day banking and all the online access we enjoy!), other aspects also begin to be highlighted as we approach the end of January. Marketing plans, client engagement plans, blogging plans etc – so many!
Now that we have 6 or 7 weeks tucked under our belts (already – here does time go?) and we’re half way through Quarter 1, we have begun to assess how those plans are settling in and how we’re progressing towards achieving them. So far, we’re pretty much on track with what we set out to achieve, although there is still plenty of work to be done and not all things are on schedule.
Now, whilst the things not on track need attention, it would be easy to forget those things that are on track, however we’re not about to rest on those laurels. They require constant maintenance, review, improvement, amendment – so many things. However, staying in close contact with those things is so beneficial, as many constitute “touches” with our clients and prospects. Many are also ways of improving SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), to ensure we remain best placed for our clients and prospects to find us and see what we’re up to, so as you can see, they may have side-benefits too.
So, this week’s message is one of review. Take stock, look at what your vision for 2013 was last December / early January and see how you’re faring against that vision. Make necessary changes or improvements to stay on track, DO the things you said you would rather than putting them off. Whatever you do, make sure you continue to monitor your progress at regular intervals and keep your goal in mind. Stay focused and, if necessary, set reminders in Outlook for the rest of the year so that you have a system in place to remind you……AND DON’T SNOOZE THEM REPEATEDLY
Good luck!
