Is September the faux January...?

During a recent conversation with Jo, a wellness coach, she showed me a photo she took during a recent break in Monmouthshire. It was of a montage of Monmouth during World War 1. In the photo there were a lot of snippets from newspapers and scenes of the local area around that time.

I wondered where this was going – our conversation had already been about “modern ways” and how much things change over time within business and personal life. But then Jo pointed out a section that was published in the Monmouthshire Beacon during World War 1 on “Means for Prolongation of Life”.

Some of the tips seemed a bit vague, but based on our knowledge of our current environment they perhaps mean more now; however, it surprises me that I often hear about wellness and mindfulness being a new “thing”. This really isn’t the case. One hundred years ago, newspapers were giving us tips on:

·     Moderation in eating, drinking and physical indulgence;

·     Pure air, out of the house and within; and,

·     Regular exercise every day, in all weathers, supplemented in many cases by breathing movements and walking and climbing tours.

But the two that surprised me the most were:

·     Regular work and mental occupation; and,

·     Cultivation of placidity, cheerfulness and hopefulness of mind.

Did we forget to push this for all this time? It got me thinking … what, in your business, has worked for you before that you no longer do? We all say, “Yeah I’ve done that before …” but can we be sure we stopped doing it for good reasons?

What can you do today to ensure you don’t forget the things that work in your business, rather than pushing everything that doesn’t work? You could review your products to ensure everyone knows you offer them, you could measure where your sales come from or simply take time out to review what worked in your marketing in the past.

We don’t automatically need to leave old practices behind as we jump at the next new shiny thing in the hope it will solve some problem or other; yes, it’s good to try something new, but we should also keep on doing those things that are proven to get results.