Dear

I'm really sorry if your Christmas isn't going to be the one you planned. 

I'm sorry if the world seems like its in a tailspin and you have no idea what to do. 

Its just me and my husband here for Christmas and we have no particular plans (other than eating samosas) so if you fancy a natter just send me your number and I'll give you a call. 

I should warn you I'm not much good at deep and meaningful and I'll likely talk nonsense about goats on Zoom, how you tell if a hedgehog is fat, or crazy sparrow parties, but the most important thing I've learned in this mad year is that connection is everything, especially when you don't feel like talking. 

On the other hand, if you'd like to talk to someone who knows what they're doing, here's some suggestions: 

My confession

I've had a lot of thanks for things I've done this year but felt I had to come clean and admit I've really just made it up as we've gone along. 

My work is mostly about encouraging people to set goals, challenging them to do what it takes to achieve them, and not letting them get away with procrastination or woolly thinking. 

There's always a degree of fine judgement in knowing how much to push, how far to challenge and when to back off and let things settle, but this year those judgements had to be made against the backdrop of the global pandemic when no-body knew what the hell was happening from one day to the next.

Thankfully, a mixture of instinct, experience and some dumb luck meant that in hundreds of hours of Zoom calls, over 5,000 LinkedIn messages, even more Slack conversations, dozens of workshops and a fair amount of nonsense (see above) it all ended well. 

Most of the people I've worked with have come out of this year better than they expected - some with their best year ever in business - and in good shape to take on whatever 2021 throws at us. 

If you were part of it - thank you for trusting me and coming along for the ride! 

Plans for next year

If you're struggling with planning because of all the unknowns on the horizon, try choosing one thing you really want to achieve by this time next year, something that will bring you joy and a sense of achievement, something that will get you out of bed in the morning. Then figure out how to do it. The how might change depending on circumstances but if the goal is strong enough you'll find a way to do it. And if you need help ... you know where to come :) 

I can't wish you anything better than this for next year: 

Samosas for Christmas?

It was always just going to be me and my husband for Christmas so we decided to ditch tradition and do something different.
My Twitter buddies suggested all sorts of ideas but this one caught my eye: The Cambridge Samosa Company  One of everything on this menu will be delivered on Thursday so I'll let you know how it goes. 
I understand that traditions and rituals can be a comfort when everything feels chaotic but it can also be liberating and an opportunity to try new things!
I hope whatever mash up you go with works for you! 

If you get tired of Netflix and want to see some real people sharing their passions, these 18 minute talks are as varied as they come! And there's more to come next year! 

As always, I'd love to know what you're doing, how you're faring, what's firing you up, what you're struggling with or what's making life worth living! Hit reply and let me know ... 

Happy Christmas! 
Ann