Happy New Year! It is time to change...at least your calendar. Isn't it exciting that we are embarking on a New Year without knowing what changes are in store for us? I find it surprising that many people I know are afraid of change. It really comes down to the fear of the unknown. I often have to help clients with change, especially when it comes to things like; selling your business, retiring, changing jobs or sending your children off to college.

Recently, it hit home when my wife, Kimberli, was contemplating retiring from her skin care business, which she successfully ran for 24 years. She was retiring so she could focus on her real love, her art career. She was somewhat apprehensive about it, so we sat down together and I went through a similar process to what I use with my clients when they have a major financial change. I asked her the following questions:

• Can you imagine succeeding at this and what does it look like?
• What do you have to do to be successful?
• How will you market yourself and who is your target market?
• Do you want to compete on price or value?
• What is the worst that could happen, and how do you minimize that risk?
• Can you financially support it? Of course she could because she had made financially sound decisions with the help of her awesome husband and financial advisor.
• Are you at least 75% sure you could be successful?

After going through this process, she said she was 100% confident she could be successful. So I said, go for it!

 

I often tell people that fear is the opposite of faith. If you minimize your fears and plan for most of the unknowns, change can be good.

 

 

I recently came across my High School picture and I look at myself now. Have I changed? Yes, at least my hair. But I am the same person, just older, a little wiser, and more confident in myself than when I was an 18-year-old kid.

 

Change has been good for me and I hope the change that's coming your way in 2014 is good for you too.

Happy New Year!