Change...For the Better

I read a quip early in January that went something like this: I’m going to open a business and call it “The Resolution”; for the first two months of the year, it’s going to be a gym, after that it’ll be a bar. Who among us hasn’t made resolutions with the best of intentions? If you think about the ones that you’ve made they may include losing weight, quitting smoking or drinking, getting your finances in order, etc. The most surprising piece of information that I was told about resolutions is that of the top 50 resolutions people say they make only 1 had anything to do with getting better at their career. Personally, I love the start of a new year for making changes. To me it signifies a fresh beginning; putting the old behind, and embracing the new. If 2012 wasn't the year you had hoped it would be, what will you do to change the results in 2013? Remember the definition of insanity? It’s doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Unfortunately, many of us would rather despair over our circumstances than change them. Why is that? Is it the fear of the unknown...the devil you know versus the one that you don’t know? Is it not having the courage to change? Is it because you just don’t know where to begin or that you just don’t have the confidence to believe that making a change will make anything better? If you are afraid that making a change will not improve your results, try asking yourself what is the worst that can happen and, conversely, what is the best that you can expect from the change. Many times we can’t envision ourselves getting better than we are. Sketch out your expectations, then look at them with an objective eye. Ask yourself if they are crystal clear and if they are realistic. For example, If you plan to change your menu presentation and you expect that it will improve your PVR by $100 I would recommend that you set a more specific and realistic goal. If you just don’t know where to start and how to change, I would first suggest that you work with your Jeram Marketing representative. He or she will help you identify areas that can be improved on, as well as help you develop reasonable goals, set a plan to achieve them and a process to use that will allow you to measure them. Having someone partner with you in your efforts will help you avoid the tendency to slip back into old habits. More importantly, it will help ease the anxiety of making changes, and possibly even help you realize the positive results of those changes.