The end of the year is a perfect time to look back and give acknowledgment for what you have achieved in the last year.

Most small business owners are so busy working and dealing with each new challenge that they often don’t stop and really recognize all the accomplishments for what they are.

Why is that? A big part of being in business is facing problems and overcoming obstacles. Business development means growing and constantly putting new programs and systems in place. Along with that comes mental blocks and self doubt.

However most entrepreneurs I talk to are able to take a deep breath and look back and concede that they really did manage to do a huge amount very successfully.

What new systems did you put into place this year?
In what ways has your business grown stronger since last January?
How has your marketing improved?
In what ways have you grown as a leader?
What new strong relationships have you built?
Which new skills did you learn?
What has been your biggest accomplishment this past year?

Write down your responses to these questions and call your mentor or close business friend and share your answers. It’s important to look back on the year and smile, give appreciation to yourself and take that energy into the New Year.

When you really clear your focus you will be able to acknowledge all you have done and know right where to put your energy forward.

Today is Winter Solstice and the darkest, shortest day of the year. The energy of the darkness is a perfect time to let go of what you no longer need and and any attachments that are no longer supporting your success.

Here are a few good questions to ask yourself. These questions can help you to move your business forward.

1. What is holding you back from your greatness?
2. What obstacle can you dissolve?
3. What is one thing that you are ready to let go of?

When you get your answer ask yourself if you are ready to let this go. If you are, the next part is to write it clearly on a sheet of paper, read it aloud and then light a match to it. Watch it burn away into the darkness and the light of the fire will transform it into the success you want in the new year.

This may seem a bit airy-fairy to some of you, but these rituals do help you to move past your own limitations so you can accomplish all that you desire and empower yourself to develop the successful business you are meant to have.  I had a group of corporate executives do this exact ritual ( we called it a process) and the mental shifts in the group were phenomenal.

Find a couple people to do it with. You can each read your “letting go” piece and the group energy can add to the power of the ritual. Have fun bringing your greatness into the new light.

Social networking sites have, almost overnight, pushed into my daily activities, and suddenly I am spending hours and hours online doing all kinds of stuff that is supposedly helping my business.

It has all made sense to me and I have even created diagrams that teach people how it all works as a marketing tool. However I always get asked, “Does this really work?” Great question.

In this past week, I have had two new clients sign on to work with me who found me online. One person read one of my E-zine articles; How to overcome mental blocks. The other read an article I wrote on Silver Vixens; Women who begin businesses after age 55.

In both cases, I had never met or spoken to either of these people. They both read my article, liked it and went to my website and from there they contacted me wanting help with their business. I  am still in a “Wow,” mode. This really does work, however you need to have  certain things in place:

1. Have a well thought out marketing plan.

2. You must have a strategy that makes sense.

3. A website that correctly markets your business.

Without these three things in  place  you will spend hours online and get nowhere. Sound familiar? If you are going to spend all that time online, why not make sure you are getting results! Do the three things above and it will be worth it.

Facing mental blocks is part of the process of being an entrepreneur. You feel stuck, confused, frustrated, blocked or any other descriptive word; it still boils down to a mental block. It’s the apparent inability to move from point A to point B.

This week I spoke to two business owners who were dealing with this issue. One person said her business was ticking along just fine and now she wants to grow to the next level but doesn’t know how. She feels frozen and not clear where to go or how to get there.

Another business owner says he seems to be stuck at a certain level of income.  No matter how much marketing he does he can’t seem to make more money. He asked what he is missing?

One mark of a strong entrepreneur is to be able to boldly confront these mental constructs and find new creative ways to break through.

Here are 5 actions that can help.

1. Acknowledge that you are in fact, missing something. You are used to seeing things in a certain way, so you need to see from a new vantage point.

2. Do a mind-mapping of your issue. Take a large sheet of paper and write down your issue in the center in a circle and then fill the page with every possible solution you can think of,  even if it seems stupid. So called stupid ideas are often a doorway out of your box.

3. Sign-up for a class or a seminar that is interactive and will give you a new perspective and help you to learn some new strategies.

4. Figure out what you are afraid of that may be holding you back. Fear can be sneaky. Acknowledge the fear and look for what you need to get past it.

5. Acknowledge your strengths and look at how you can use those strengths to grow in your weaker areas.

Know you are not alone. If you never experience mental blocks you are not growing. You do have a choice in what you do. Taking action can be your first step to clear your focus.

This blog is all about “true confessions.”  Hopefully I will also model how to gracefully admit a mistake and grow stronger because of it!

I’ve been working on my new book for the past two years. It’s done now, however writing it was the easy part. Finding the right title and book cover was the hard part. I struggled with the title for months and months. I had three book title parties, did flip charts,  thought about it in my sleep and finally I just picked a title because I needed to move on.  I had a cover made by a wonderful graphic artist, Dave Sparks. I put it up on my website and then,  it didn’t feel right.  I knew it deep down, but didn’t want to admit it because it was done!!

Then Bonnie from Silver Vixens,  offered feedback and I listened. Her feedback rang true and it all fell into place. My title was there all the time and I just didn’t see it.  I was afraid to tell Dave that the cover was wrong because he worked so hard on it. Good cover but not for my book!

Dave was great and helped me create a new cover. Here it is. I love it and love the title and the book hasn’t changed. It is still really good! It will be out in February but you can buy it now and save some money.

Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business
7 Simple steps to empower your business and bring YOU money and freedom

I learned that it is ok to make a mistake and fix it. People understand, and it’s all part of the process of being a small business owner. I teach people about this, but that’s way easier than doing it myself! Please leave comments. I’d love to hear if this has ever happened to you.