Wow, it was a busy holiday season. I hope you all had a great season like I did. We had an amazing 2011. I am really thankful to have been able to experience such a wonderful year with such a phenomenal team.

Now to start the new year off on the right foot … So far this year has been just as busy. The pre-book contest was a great way to help fill the spa-side books. So far the girls have been doing really well. In fact, the winner of our pre-book contest was one of our newer estheticians, Kael. She increased her pre-book percent average for the months of November and December by 13% over the average of September/October! Rachael came in second place with 9%! All of our spa girls worked really hard and they all increased their average. I am so proud of their results.

Next we had to get our salon inventory finished and have our year-end sale. It was a wonderful way to give a boost to our holiday retail sales.

Then we hosted our very first salon retreat. We rented cabins in the mountains nearby and had a two-day, one night event for all of the staff at our salon. Great food, beautiful views, and awesome team-building exercises, and games. We bonded over exercises like "what I admire about you," where you write your name on the top of a sheet of paper, fold it down like you would fold a fan, and then pass it clockwise. The person next to you the writes something positive that they admire about you and folds and passes it on. Once it makes it's way around the room you get your paper back with all of these lovely things that the people you work with think about you. It is really a great way to see the good about ourselves since we typically are better at pointing out our shortcomings. When the salon was in its infancy, we completed that exercise at a salon meeting and I still have it. It helps me to look at it on days when I am feeling less than stellar.

 One of the other things we did at the retreat was to create either a vision board or to write a vision letter to yourself or to your higher power. The vision boards are created with magazine pictures, stickers, markers, etc., of the things you would like to have manifest in your life. It serves as a visual reminder of those things you want most and helps keep you focused. The vision letter is written as if the things you are writing about have already happened and you are giving thanks for them. Mine was six handwritten pages of not only my goals and all the things I want to come into my life but also the things that I currently have that I want to be thankful for. I have pledged to myself to reread it every few weeks to see how I am progressing on my goals.

So far I have been doing great. Salon inventory and year end sale ... Check. Thank you cards written and sent ... Check. Results of the spa side pre book contest ... Check. First annual salon retreat a smashing success... Check! Vision letter written and goals set for the year ... Check! 2012 is going to be amazing!

— Sandy