I dedicate this post to my cugino, Steve, out on the left coast. It was Steve who got me started creating a motto for each year.  I love the process and the message it brings me, and I have done it for a dozen years or so. Thanks, Cuz.

I have been editing my motto file for months and have about a dozen possibilities for 2023.  

Some appeal because of what they mean to me inside. Some have a nice ring, and some are wise quotes from great people. In the end, what usually winds up happening is that I pick something that is either thematic for the coming year or something that offers a message about a principle I believe deeply. 2022 was the latter, "Love or hate… Give or take…expect the same in return."

One year was "Striving daily to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." Another year was "Thankful in every moment and grateful for every day." That motto was a constant reminder for me that year. I was in a less-than-stellar place in my business life and needed the perspective that quote offered me.

I post my motto prominently in my email signature. I have had excellent discussions and lovely comments about my mottoes over the years.  

I encourage you to give this a shot. Consider a theme for 2023 or a universal truth you hold dear, and create a motto for the year.

I jotted down a few to help you get started. I am not using any of these, so if one resonates with you, grab it!

• When things go wrong, don't go with them. Elvis

• Don't trip over something behind you

• Make everyone feel special, not different

• Everything will be OK in the end, and if it's not OK; it's not the end John Lennon

• If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours

• Every saint has a past, and every sinner a future - judge not

• Let the reason someone smiles today be you

I found these in various places throughout the year. I see things in books or newspapers that resonate and write them down; a thought hits me, or someone says something on a podcast, and I save it in the motto file. 

But wherever they come from, adding a motto to your signature gives people a little glimpse of you that they hadn't before and reminds you of something that matters all year long.

I hope you'll do this, and I hope you send me your 2023 motto.

My 2023 is: "Know people by their best traits. After all, roses have thorns, but that's not how we remember them."

Own Your Sales Gene…

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