Well, welcome to the first "real" week of the year. The week when we all make various promises to ourselves.
Promises that, more often than not, we fail to keep.
And to that, I don't just say "So What..." To that, I say:
Congratulations!
Here's why the celebration: In the realm of business, promises--while noble and admirable--are the standard. It's what you set out to do. What's expected.
The Surprise, in most cases, is what happens along the way of trying to fulfill your promises. As I've always said (jeez, I've said a lot of things for a long time...), real opportunity is the unkempt unexpected that comes along and messes up all your neat 'n' pretty plans. Those venturing forth with blinders along an acutely defined roadmap may be missing the more exciting, more lucrative breaks brought by off-beaten paths and forks in the road.
What you start out to become ain't necessarily what you end up being. For example, two of the digital economy's brightest shining stars began as something else--PayPal's initial incarnation was as a platform to beam money between PDAs, while an embryonic YouTube calling was for online auction buyers and sellers to share video.
Remember when Google was a mere search engine?
Even Airborne Entertainment's original raison d'etre was light years away from where we ended up (a handful of family, friends and employees recall its birth as Eyeball Glue, a Web 1.0 content company).
So stop worrying if you're gonna live up to your resolutions--whatever they may be--personally, professionally or both.
Instead, take on this year a little differently. Open your arms to the unexpected, embrace the upcoming Surprises you can't even fathom at this early date in the year.
Then let's make a date to reunite in late December and look back on the achievements that far surpassed any promises you could've made back then...uh, now.