wooden door in Ireland

Innovation. 

My word for 2021. 

Definitely a word inspired by events that happened in 2020. No question, last year was tough. It was about survival on so many levels. BUT! I’m also looking back with so much gratitude. 

Gratitude that my business is still thriving. In fact, it was one of my highest performing years EVER. I even managed to pull off a high-end retreat in the middle of the summer with some very successful food bloggers. Try asking clients for sponsorships during COVID…. it’s not easy, but I made it possible. Plus, I got to stay home and raise Charlie while still running a business. 

Now, given everything that happened in 2020 (and I mean EVERYTHING), I still believe at the end of the day it presented us an opportunity: a clean slate. A chance to start over, refocus, and create something new whether personally or in your business. Hence, why Innovation is my word for 2021.

Innovation by definition is the introduction of something new whether an idea, value, or method. This year in particular I believe we’re all on this trajectory towards creating something new. 2020 stripped us all down to the bare bones and put into focus what our core foundation needed in order to survive, but also put into focus what we didn’t need to survive.

Over the past few months, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting, researching, and due diligence on what I believe will be a year of growth. A chance to to drive change, pivot, and create big ideas. 

So, where does innovation come from?

Innovation comes from the micro level. Up until the beginning of 2020 we were all on this big and better path. We filled our time with more and more things so we could do X, Y, and Z. We were all maxed out by the time COVID hit that the house of cards we lived in came easily down. Why? Because bigger, better, more, and more doesn’t always mean it’s the right kind of change. 

My point? Innovation starts small, specifically within yourself. If you think about it, you’ve done all the hard work. You’ve probably jettisoned, in 2020, all those things that you didn’t really need to do and worry about.  You now have more of a blank canvas to work on in 2021. What a sense of freedom and adventure that must bring? 

For me, I made a laundry list of micro level problems in my life that needed to be addressed before the end of last year. I’ve been slowly chipping away at it and I must say, I’ve cleared out a bunch of shit and it’s given me the opportunity to come up with some extraordinary ideas that will bear fruit this summer.

We all have the ability to create something new. It’s those new ideas that will lead to the ultimate year of growth.

So….What small barriers can you change?