New Years Resolution - Jo Haigh

It’s the time of year again when we start to think about what we will do, change or stop for the next 12 months at least.

It strikes me that, for many, 2010 will be a seminal year, a decade since the millennium when we were all paranoid that the, so termed, ‘millennium bug’ would strike. For me, at least, those 10 years have passed in a flash, yet what a different world. The bug, now not so much technology based as financial corruption, seemingly of epidemic proportions.   

10 years ago no-one would have realistically considered our main high street banks to be anything other than financially robust and sound, in fact it would have been largely unthinkable to view them as anything other.

So what of this year’s resolutions, is it even worth making any when so many of us break them within days, if not hours, of commitment!

As we have seen many so called ‘solid economies’ apparently built on sand, resulting in numerous honest, hard working people losing their living and, even worse, homes and businesses. My resolutions this year are;

• To remain positive,
• To save in a disproportionate ratio to how I spend,
• To instill a sense of realism into my clients’ minds about business values and bank relationships,
• And to work smarter. 

I also consider it essential, in 2010, to enjoy what we have, be it business or personal, on the basis that whats here today could just as easily be gone tomorrow and not through any fault of our own.

Business casualties are nowhere near stable yet, and won’t be for some time. Make your resolution to stay focused on no more than half a dozen strategic objectives and even that may be 3 too many.

Eradicate the busy fool in your psyche and replace it with single minded determination.

I will endeavour to practice what I preach!!!