A number of years ago now, my husband and I started an annual tradition of reflecting on what we had accomplished individually and as a family over the course of the past year, what we were thankful for overall, and then we set out goals for the year that was ahead.  We set aside time in our calendars just before New Years' Eve, head out to a local restaurant for breakfast, I bring along my laptop and we map out where we've been, where we wish to go and what we wish to do in order to feel, by the end of the year, that we have made a contribution to our family and our community.  Two years ago, when our daughters turned 4, we decided to incorporate them into our annual routine.  After my husband and I have had our "team meeting" we then sit down with each of our girls, ask them what they were thankful for over the past year and what they would like to accomplish in the upcoming year.   By undertaking this exercise for ourselves and with our daughters, we believe that this helps, on the one hand, to ensure we take the time to appreciate the good things that have happened to us and, on the other hand, to establish things we can do to improve ourselves, our lives and the lives of others as we move forward in life.

So, as I gear up for my big meetings with my husband and my daughters next week, I wanted to say to all of you a big thank you for reading my posts, forwarding them on to others you think may benefit from what I have to say and for taking action in your workplaces based on what you have learned here.  I appreciate and enjoy the feedback that many of you have given me since I started this blog over two years ago.  I haven't had as much time this year to write as I have in the past, which has disappointed me to some extent.  But, my business has grown leaps and bounds in 2009 and so, while I wish I had written more, I have been very busy working directly with a wide variety of workplaces in Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada.  To those of you who have chosen to work with me this year I send a heartfelt thanks and look forward to being able to provide you with continued help in the New Year. 

I wish each and every one of you the very best health and happiness as we end 2009 and move into 2010.

Take care!