2012 was certainly a year of ups and downs for me, but I am looking forward and I am determined to make 2013 my best year yet. Although 2013 may present some challenges for us all especially to due to the fiscal cliff, there is always an opportunity for those who are focused, work smart, and continue to build relationships.

I think it is effective to reflect upon what we have accomplished in the past year to find out what we could do better going forward. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, whether it would be personal or work life. As for myself, I am looking at making a New Years resolution to be more outgoing and have a more confident approach in whatever I do in the new year.

Here are some considerations to make 2013 better than 2012: 

We should also look forward in how we will manage business strategy. We saw that end consumers are starting to get concerned with what is down the pike with lower than expected retail sales this past holiday season. Therefore, we need to focus on answering the following question in an effective manner: why would I do business with you versus all of my competitors? Sure, any business can compete on price, but price is not everything even though you need to ensure that you compete effectively in your marketplace. You need to evaluate changes in the environment of your marketplace to ensure that your overall value offering is still relevant in the marketplace. 

Finally, we should refocus ourselves to work together with all those who are around us. We should embrace the strengths and weaknesses of those around us and not "write off" those who are introverts. If you give introverts a chance at a job requiring a lot of analytical and reasoning skills, it will pay off in the long run as they will be more likely to have a good amount of personal growth and they will be quite loyal. After all these are people that will help you think deeply, strategize, solve complex problems, and spot "canaries" in your coal mine. Remember that having a proactive workforce may be better led by an introverted leader than an extroverted one. After all, they would be more likely able to strategize in how their subordinates can work better together. It would be a much better world if we had a better balance between people who act and people who contemplate.

In the spirit of the holidays, I have been asking myself and others, what do you really want most for Christmas? It is quite interesting that many people do actually really want something intangible. 

Yes, that is right, many of us want to be happier in some respect (including myself). As for myself, I would not deny that I would like to increase my happiness by having stronger relationships, whether it would be of business or personal nature. Many other people I have asked want a better job (or any full time job if they do not have one). Others want a closer relationship with a "special someone".

What is the message? I think we should strive to keep the "Holiday Spirit" in ourselves year round in terms of more effectively networking and reaching out to each other to help each other grow. In another words, we should each "Pay it Forward" by using our knowledge or making an introduction in a way that may be of benefit to someone else. In turn, we build a great cycle that allows us to improve our credibility in other people's minds. Remember, people do business with people they like, know, and trust.