This is my final blog post of 2012. What a year it has been here. This really has been a year that has flown by at some pace.

My wife and I were assessed and approved to be adoptive parents. I ran 5 marathons, 2 of them in Personal Best times. I also ran in 7 other races, including a couple of 20 milers. I wrote two new books. One of them in a niche that we have dominated and carved out for ourselves in just the past year. I recorded over 25 new audio programmes. We set up our thriving hub. I wrote 50 editions of my ezine. I taught over 250 new people in my classes. I saw many, many new clients in my private consulting rooms. I spoke and lectured at a number of events. We revolutionised the way our hypnosis audio products are sold. We made big changes in the way we run our business to deal with the economic climate. I raised many thousands of pounds for two charities that are very close to my heart. I visited countries in Africa and Europe. I designed, researched and constructed two new courses that I am teaching next year. We had our inaugural School dinner dance. We welcomed high profile speakers from around the UK to present at the four, highly inspiring peer support groups we have run this year. It feels good to reflect this way. Personally and professionally, I have done much more besides.

I cannot wait for 2013. Right now, I am finalising plans to achieve goals we have set. I am organising, planning, scheduling and getting creative about the year ahead. As I reflect on what a marvellous year 2012 was, I am excited about how 2013 is going to be.

Like many people, there are things that I wish to achieve and accomplish next year that scare me a little. The idea of packing so much in too. My approach has always been to have the goals, have the plan and the vision and then tend to the daily processes of achieving it.

Unlike many years in the past, I am not going to write about setting goals, achieving them and setting up plans, I think there is more than enough material on this blog and many others to help you do that.

Which brings me onto the main part of this blog entry… Which is about feeling inspired and capable as we step into the new year.

On this year’s BBC Television Sports Personality of the Year, when they announced the team of the year as our Olympic team, a poem was read out that I had not encountered before. I was inspired by it. I loved it. I loved the idea and have a copy in my office to keep me driven and feeling capable as the new year approaches and I plan to achieve more. I thought I’d share it with you here today:

It Couldn’t Be Done – by Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

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I absolutely love that! Those are the perfect, inspiring words with which to end the year and look forward to the new one ahead.

Whatever dreams you have for the year ahead, I hope they become reality for you. I hope you get to sit down at the end of the new year and reflect with satisfaction. I hope that it is a year where you have a grin on your face, you tackle the things and just do them.

Thank you for reading this blog in 2012. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2013. My very best wishes and much love to you.

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