By Jenny Johnson

Jenny is a YES contributing board member and Vice President, Relationship Manager at Iberia Bank.
You can connect with Jenny on LinkedIn here. 

How is your New Year coming so far?  I ask that question because statistics show that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February.  I think that if we are honest with ourselves, we can all admit to being guilty of this in some area of our lives, whether personal or professional.
 
Having the right community can help you gain momentum and keep your vision in front of you. This is what I love about YES!  As an individual, I am only capable of growing a certain amount.  Within this community, I am able to partner with like-minded individuals, access new resources, other people’s knowledge, experience, and influence.  I find myself surrounded by talented people who challenge me, that help me grow, and that inspire me.
 
This community cannot be with just anyone.  YES has cultivated a forum of business owners and executives that are always delivering meaningful messages and stories.  As I set out to accomplish the goals that I so carefully laid out at the beginning of the year, surely I am going to experience days of frustration and disappointment.  Yet through all of the stories that have been told by these successful business owners and CEO’s, I have learned that they too have had those days.  Words of wisdom have been dished out on how to face fears, make tough decisions, push past failures, and to stay focused on the opportunities.
 
No one achieves success by accident, it is intentional. 
 

Centuries have proven that meeting together, sharing ideas, and supporting one another is essential to society and our own well-being. It’s even Biblical.
 
Your time is valuable, and demands on it are ever-increasing. The technology that has made us more available to connect sometimes get in the way of making meaningful connections.
 
We all have different groups of people with whom we associate. There are our online circles of “friends” and "followers."
 
What about in person? We have our social circles – the friends who help you recharge, relax and have fun. These people are essential in our lives.
 
Another in-person way to connect is professional circles. Networking events are necessary, if not sometimes painful, for making business connections.
 
Have you noticed that YES is a different vibe? What I love about YES is that it focuses on real connections, sharing of ideas and a safe space for asking questions and sharing the ups and downs of our business lives.
 
If you listened to our end-of-year YES Board podcast, you may have heard me mention that being part of YES gave me the courage to start my own business. Listening to vulnerable conversations with our featured CEOs, chatting at happy hours, and one-on-one meetings with members of the YES community showed me how to step out into entrepreneurship. So many of you offered advice, kind words, wisdom and some warnings.
 
YES is a true community! I know I have found my people here. I hope you have, too. If you haven’t, reach out. You may be surprised by the generosity and wisdom you find.

We are now up and running in the New Year.  Over the past few weeks you may have reflected on your accomplishments in 2017.  I wonder, though, if you have looked at where you are – big picture? 
 
Yes, we all need to know if we’ve reached our sales goals, made real progress paying off debt, built meaningful relationships and all of that.  But more importantly, are you where you want to be right now?  You may be where you wanted to be 5, or even 2 years ago but is that still true?  I’m talking about personally and professionally.  Sometimes meeting goals is exactly perfect and propels you to the next phase of where you want to go.  Sometimes, reaching goals gives you time to pause and reflect on how that particular goal has changed you and your life.  
 
Where are you going now and is that still really where you want to be or is it time for a shift?  Has your personal or professional life evolved along with you, or without you - and is that OK?  It may take you a minute or the whole year to figure that out.  But that’s just how it’s supposed to be. 
 
2018 is sure to bring lots of new and exciting opportunities and maybe even a few curveballs.  Embrace it, keep moving.  You’ve got this.
 
When it comes to your business, YES understands you have hopes and dreams, and lots of goals for 2018.  We are a community of like-minded business people with purpose.  If you haven’t been to one of our events lately, I’d like to personally invite you to the March 1 CEO Symposium.   Click on the "Events" tab to register.  Are you on our email list?  Click the "Join" tab or "Contact Us" and we'll update you periodically on YES events.