Kicking off 2024 with Goals and Word for the Year

Episode 211: In this episode, Vonda and Lori discuss an exciting start to the year 2024. Lori shares some goals and aspirations for the upcoming year, and they both reveal their chosen "word for the year" - a powerful concept that encapsulates their intentions and theme for 2024. Whether you're looking for inspiration or simply interested in hearing about their journey, this episode is packed with insights and a chuckle to help you kick off the year on a positive and purposeful note.

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Okay, just a minute. I am leaning in because I really have no idea what Lori is going to say at this point. Are you nervous? A little bit nervous.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Okay. It's interesting.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_04 0:23

And we believe the business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda. Happy New Year again, Lori. Yes, happy 2024. However, the other day I was talking to someone, I think it was my aunt, and I said something about I can't believe it is already 2022.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

And I was like, what did I say?

SPEAKER_04 0:54

It's like, golly, that has since passed.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

So I meant 2020. You remember the years ago when you were always writing checks rather than doing everything electronically? And it was those first 20 checks that you always put the wrong year and you had to kind of scratch it out or write over. Absolutely. I remember that.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

I remember that having to write void really big on them. Remember those days? Oh my god. Those days. Do you know my youngest child, number one, doesn't even have a checkbook because why would he? But he had to have a check for something the other day. I can't remember what it was for. And he literally had to go to the bank and have them issue like a he was so clueless. Anyway, that has nothing to do with what we're talking about today.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

Interesting. No, but it does really, because you think just back not that many years, people wrote checks all the time. Oh my gosh. Yeah, we yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:55

I remember like ordering, oh, we need new checks. Oh, I want some really pretty ones. And having these discussions with my husband, because he didn't want pretty ones, he wanted just normal ones with the scripted initial on them. And I was like, no, let's get these really cute, precious moment ones. And anyway, I remember all of those. Or whether you get the remember the ones, the duplicate, what is it like carbon where you could the carbonless checks? And so I had those until we got married and merged our stuff, and he never let me have those because he saw that as a form of laziness. Because you know him, so you can see this. You should just write it down in the ledger, you should not rely on that. I saw it as a form of convenience, you don't have to write it down. And so, yeah, we didn't have that conversation in pre-marriage counseling.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

That's one thing they don't even have to talk about anymore. It's all good. It's all good. Now problem solved because we don't write checks anymore.

SPEAKER_04 3:08

So, anyway, anyway, hey, did you make any new year's resolutions? I didn't.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

You didn't. I really, truly didn't. Yeah. Well, was I supposed to?

SPEAKER_04 3:25

Yes. Well, I think we talked about this last year. I don't make big grandiose resolutions, but I do write down like things I would like to attain for the new year.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

Well, you usually do a vision board, don't you?

SPEAKER_04 3:43

I do, I do, and I'm halfway through my vision board. I have not finished my vision board because I got too busy with work. So anyway, I was working on it a little bit and I got too sidetracked. But it's in my head, and I am gonna finish it because Ellie and I both always try to do a vision board, and I like it because what I do with my vision board, I use it as my screen saver for the year on my large screen, and it's kind of nice. A lot of people make them with poster board and you put them up in your closet, they want it to be visual somewhere where you can see them. I have always used like Canva and made it that way. First of all, because I don't really have magazines to cut out of. I mean, who has magazines anymore? I still have magazines. Yeah, you do. Well, I should come to your house and make a vision board using your magazines. I could, but I use it as my screensaver, and it it really is helpful for me to remind myself hey, this is what I wanted to do. And the key to a vision board is anything can go on it, but nothing negative, no negative words on it. That's the key to anything, and it is your vision and your vision alone. It's not about you and your spouse together, not about your children. It is all about you.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

So that's probably why I hadn't done one because I don't usually do a whole lot about me. But you know what?

SPEAKER_04 5:26

You should. I'm I'm gonna challenge you to because you've never made one.

SPEAKER_03 5:31

I've never made one. No, we always talk about it, and I'm like, oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea, but you haven't.

SPEAKER_04 5:37

You should make one. I'll send you like one of my old ones so you can kind of wrap your head around what I'm talking about. You should make one. I think you would like it. It's it's inspiring to look at, and it's only for you. Okay, so anyway, okay, so here were some of mine. Number one is on my list. Yes. I am going to learn how to play pickleball. Oh, okay. This is my number one goal.

unknown 6:14

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

Number one resolution. I've already been researching. I want to actually take lessons because I don't know the actual rules. I have found many, many leagues, and the place where we go to work out has pickleball, and they're like, just show up. And I'm like, no, that stresses me out. I want to go and like have some lessons first so I know what I'm doing. Okay. So this is on my my list. All right. So pickleball. I want to play pickleball. Okay. Um, I want to get back into Pilates. I used to love to go to Pilates and it always made me feel really good. One of my new year's resolutions slash goals are to go on more weekend vacations. So getaways, just like weekend. Yeah, not big trips, not like long, but like, you know, Friday, Saturday, Sundays, getaways. Like that's silly that my husband and I don't do that. It's not like we have small children at home or or things to keep us down. We just don't. And it's lack of planning is our reason. And so I wrote that down to be more intentional. It's usually that Friday afternoon that we're like, oh, we should have gone to Austin this weekend, or we should have gone to San Antonio to see Julia, or we should have yeah, yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

You know what I mean? Being intentional, yes, and planning it.

SPEAKER_04 7:51

We just didn't really think through it. Those are my I don't know if you call those resolutions, but those are my main things. Kind of little goals. Those are just little goals for Lori. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Those I like that for the year.

SPEAKER_04 8:08

What I told my husband is what we have as a couple's goal, I guess, is he is to research three places in the United States. I guess it one that could be international, but it's not going to be. And I am going to research three places in the United States where we would think it would be cool to retire and live. Oh we are going to create PowerPoints, slides, and we're going to do all of our little research, and then we are going to, at the agreed upon time, sit down and give each other the little proposals. And then go visit those places. Yes. Well, based on that, we talked about that. We based on that, we will either like kick out a couple just from that conversation, probably. Yeah. Um, and probably narrow it down a little bit to maybe four. I don't know. Sounds kind of fun, Lori. Yeah, yeah. Or we'll decide, okay, we don't want any of these. We're gonna keep good looking. So that's something that we thought we were gonna do.

SPEAKER_03 9:19

I love that. That's really great. Yeah. So I don't know. I don't know where to start. I think I'm gonna retire right here. I don't think I'm moving.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

Well, you're already in your retirement. You've already done all of that. You've got the good spot.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

We're settled. We're settled.

SPEAKER_04 9:30

We're not settled yet.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

So now I know. I've got a few years on you. So, you know, just take your time and enjoy the little journey.

SPEAKER_04 9:38

Yeah, we've got plenty of time. We've got a few years. So anyway, okay. What about a word? We always do a word for the year. What word have you come up with yet?

SPEAKER_03 9:49

I'm way behind, Lauren. I don't know. I think my word would be something that I already do, but I have to do it even better, and that's organization. Oh, like my my office is not organized right now, and it is making me insane. And I have to be super organized going forth. Yeah. Just my not just my office. I mean, I have some new responsibilities coming with AIFD, as you know. Yeah. And so I really have to organize not just my space, but my time. Yeah. I really have to be very mindful of what I do and when and block off times, which I'm usually pretty good at. But now I have another big chunk that needs to be put in the calendar, right? Or put in the time spot for organizing things for Symposium 2026.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

Yeah. You know what? That's a really good word for you. And you are already by nature fairly organized, but maybe that word is for you hyper organization this year, right? I just you have to be really aware of it. Um, exactly. You're naturally organized in the day-to-day, but now you have to be like hyper aware of every block of time. We've talked on this podcast before about that chunk calendar chunking on a calendar, and you and I have gotten pretty pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 11:24

I would say you have gotten really much better, Lori, because that was a big challenge for you, right?

SPEAKER_04 11:29

Yeah, it was, but I got better about that. I my gut tells me that 2024 is going to be even busier for Flower Click in a good way. Um, I don't mean chaos, I mean in a good way. A lot to do. And so we do need to be really mindful about oh, I gotta block this time because you want those open spaces to truly be open so you can't have conversations for people when people want to. So I'm gonna write that word down for you. Organized, hyper-organized, hyper-organized.

SPEAKER_03 12:11

Okay, we can do that. And what is your word?

SPEAKER_04 12:15

My word, I told you guys, and uh, everyone freaked out, and I think everyone kind of took it the wrong way. My word is reduce, and so I was thinking about this. You know, I always have to have a word, and reduce it kind of aligns very much with your word being organized. And and Audrey, our friend Audrey, who worked with us, her word is discipline, and she was sharing that with me last week. I was like, that's interesting because mine is reduce, and they all kind of lean together, meaning I spent last weekend reducing clutter in my office, yeah. Right, like moving around, just getting rid of stuff. It's like I couldn't breathe in here anymore. I had to get rid of a lot of stuff, and things that I thought I needed to hold on to moving into 2024. And when I really, really looked at it, I'm like, no, I don't. I have this in a file in my computer, I don't need this. Yeah, like yeah, no, that's really good. Things like that. So I was writing down examples of what it means to reduce my closet, walking into my closet. What can I get rid of? There are things in here I probably have not worn in five years, and I probably won't. So I can get rid of those. Reduce the amount of time I sit in this chair. I that's good. I have that standing desk that I can put up here. It's heavy, I get lazy, I hate putting it up and down, up and down. I start sitting here more. Yeah, I get it. I need to be more mindful about, you know what, if I don't want to move that, that's fine. I can take my computer and go stand at my bar in my kitchen. I just making myself move more in the day. I think it's better for my brain too. Reducing my time in the chair could mean getting up, taking a walk around the block, and then sitting back down too. It's just mentally myself, a mental break. Yes, yes. Here's one reducing my Chick-fil-A intake right here as I'm drinking my Chick-fil-A iced tea. I frequent that joint twice a week. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

I love it so much, but it just brings me joy. So that's when I'm gonna challenge you, right? It's why would you reduce something that's bringing you joy? That's true, that's true. I don't know. And I put a question mark on that one, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:24

That's true. Maybe because I do every once in a while, when you know me, I don't go out to lunch ever. But when I do, it is a run to Chick-fil-A and back within 10 minutes, and it just makes me happy because I'm like, oh, I got a little Chick-fil-A.

SPEAKER_03 15:47

Yeah, so just think about that. That's your joy. So yes, be careful. You don't want to reduce joy.

SPEAKER_04 15:53

No, no, no, maybe interchange one time. I'll get a salad, and maybe next time get my French fries. I don't know. This makes sure I'm alternating my choices. So other reductions, like opening a drawer. Are there things in there I can throw away? Probably picking some things, so reduction. Every looking at everything in my house, in my life, what can I get rid of that will lighten my load? That's what I mean by reduction. Okay, I think that's good. I think that's really good. Yes, so that's that's how I was feeling when I used that word.

SPEAKER_03 16:40

So for flower click as a whole, I know you always try to come up with the word for flower click.

SPEAKER_04 16:48

So last year, right, last year Ellie and I came up with the word refine. We were not going to like create new products because we had just been pumping out new, new, new, new, new, besides photo shoots. But we were taking all of our things and trying tweaking them or making them better, or looking at them, what do we need to add? What do we need to subtract? So refine was kind of our 2023 word.

SPEAKER_03 17:22

And 2024, and I'm open to suggestions, but for me, okay, just a minute, I am leaning in because I really have no idea what Lori is going to say at this point. Are you nervous? A little bit nervous.

SPEAKER_04 17:37

Okay, it's interesting. So the word that my heart says is going to be for flower click. The only word that keeps coming up is grow. That's it.

SPEAKER_03 18:01

It's just grow. Yeah. And it's interesting because in our podcast last week, all of us kind of had that same feel, right?

SPEAKER_04 18:12

Same we did, but not consciously. It wasn't like a conscious thing because we didn't really know what each person was gonna say. No, no, that was it was all a surprise. And last week's uh in full transparency, we we recorded that a while back. So me thinking of this word, I completely forgot what we talked about. So it is really interesting. Grow. Um, I just feel like that's what we're supposed to be doing. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

This growth.

SPEAKER_03 18:51

I I like that, and I like it not just for the company, but all of us individually, yeah. I think because individually, all of the staff, the employees, the team, and our members and members. There's just that growth in each individual person as well as the company as a whole. Yeah, yeah. So anyway, nurture. So that's what we're gonna be doing, nurturing the growth. Yep. Yep. Okay, Lori.

SPEAKER_04 19:21

That was my word. I don't know. We have to take it to a board of directors to vote on, or what the it never has been.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

That's why I said I was a little bit scared because it's usually whatever you say, it's like it it happens, and it happens.

SPEAKER_04 19:36

It manifest we manifest it right here.

SPEAKER_03 19:39

So, anyway, those were my thoughts. I love it. I really do. I think it's great, and I think we challenge everyone who's on here, all of our clickers. It's like, what does your word?

SPEAKER_04 19:51

Yeah, it's fun to have a word going into a new year because it's something you always redirect back to in your business or your personal life, you know, when whatever event is going on in that period of your life, going, hmm, that's interesting because my word for this year is this. Does it align? Yeah, it does, or you know, no, it doesn't.

SPEAKER_03 20:21

I think that's why a lot of people don't end up doing some type of a resolution, you know, or goals, because what do they say by February they're out the window? Yeah, yeah, like nobody really does anything after that.

SPEAKER_04 20:33

And no, no, and and I think that's okay. When I write these down, I I don't even really put the word resolutions. What was it when you and I were looking, talking even about this, and I was reading that article, they were talking about this big influence persuasion, like these big moments that we feel like, oh, we have to start it at this point in time, whether it's New Year's Day, or I can only start my diet on a Monday, or I can only do it at this point in time, or at the first of a month. I remember when you and Ellie and I did that whole 30 diet, and we were like, okay, wait, we can't do it until February 1 or whatever. It had to be like a we don't have to do those things. You don't start anything at any time you want.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Well, and a perfect example, as you and I have talked just recently about people we're having conversations with about joining Flower Click, right? Yes. In November, they'd say after the first of the year. Yes. Yeah. Or after the holidays are done. Same now. It's like, oh, we have so much going on before Valentine's Day, we can't do it until after Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

So it's all that reasoning why you can't do it till this certain point. Right.

unknown 21:59

And

SPEAKER_03 22:00

That's hard. I mean, I understand it as a business person, but I also challenge people to say, okay, give me two reasons why you should and two reasons why you shouldn't. I mean, I'm not me personally, but it's like two pros, two cons. Because if you're trying to make a whole long list, that just gets too tiring. Right. I'm not that right. I'm too impatient, as you know. Give me two positives for doing what you want to do now and two negatives. Why is it that you can't do that right now? And then if the positives are so much stronger, okay, I got that. Yeah. But sometimes they're not. I can't think of a really good reason not to do something now. Yeah. No. And with Flower Click, my mine always is if you wait six weeks, do you know how much money you could be leaving on the table by not doing that now? I mean, those are the kind of things that I'm like, dang it. You don't understand that until later you're done. And then you come back and you go, oh yeah, I probably should have done that before.

SPEAKER_04 23:05

But a lot of that is well, I would the majority of the people that make that choice is fear, fear-based, right? And the people that are leaving that money on the table, they don't know what they don't know or what they don't have.

SPEAKER_03 23:24

Right. And it's the uncertainty, right here of uncertainty.

SPEAKER_04 23:29

It's that risk. We've talked about risk before. Not a lot of risk takers in this industry.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

No, there's not a lot at all. Well, we're all very emotional, right? We lead decisions with our emotions, a lot of times not necessarily with what the reality is. No, we have to look at the numbers and then we have to look at our emotions and go, okay, which one is winning here? Right. You know, it's hard.

SPEAKER_04 23:56

It's hard to make any kind of decisions. Yeah. Um so I just wonder if any of our listeners make New Year's resolutions or goals. If you do, I would love to hear what they are. I love when our listeners text me or email me after they listen to the podcasts and share.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

Well, I think we need to drop this one in the business employers who are flowers Facebook page. Oh, yeah. We can say, hey, share with us your resolutions because I think that'll be really fascinating. Or a word. Can I share with us your word? I'd love to know what your words are for 2024. Uh and you are going to be doing quite a bit of traveling. Just gosh, this quarter, you were just talking about the tickets. You and Ellie, you're going. We are going.

SPEAKER_04 24:43

Ellie and I are gonna go be in next Jen, end of February, and then we are flying from there to Grand Rapids to the Great Lakes Floral Expo, which we are very excited about. We've never been. And so that's back to back. And then that's March and then April. We have a photo shoot. We do, but March, I think Ellie's going to Ellie's going to Congressional Action Days, so she's gonna turn right around. I get to breathe, so I get to stay home. I actually get to go to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and take my dad to the dentist. So well that's good. There you go. That is then is Easter. Yeah, and then is Easter. Then we're having a week. And we're gonna do something with Bill Doran, I think.

SPEAKER_03 25:30

Something fun. We're doing a photo shoot at in Des Moines, and then at the end of the photo shoot, we're doing a program, so an education program there that night. So on Tuesday, I think it's the 9th of April. So pretty exciting. We've got a lot, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

And that's so if anybody listening is in within driving distance of that area, right? They can come.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

Absolutely. Yeah. Well, we a couple things, right? So if you're in the area of next gen or you haven't signed up, you should do that. Otherwise, Great Lakes Floral Association, which is the first weekend is March of Yeah. March. And then in April. So a lot going on. Yeah. I hope.

SPEAKER_04 26:08

Yeah. And then in June, you and I are gonna be at a Texas State something in San Marcos.

SPEAKER_03 26:15

Yep, exactly. I think that's the weekend of the 20th. I don't have my calendar in front of me, but somewhere in there. And then you follow AIFD hand out to AIFD. So and then August is SAF convention. It is. Golly. Blink. Seriously. Well, one thing you didn't say on your list, thank goodness, was reduce the amount of travel.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

Oh my gosh. That's crazy. Like that is already half the year.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

I know. And it'll be that fast too. So make sure that you book in those three-day weekends with Mark. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_04 26:55

I forgot to say I'm going skiing then this month. Ooh, fun. I can't wait. I'm so excited. So, so excited. And I'm bummed because one of our members, one of our good members, Jen, Jennifer Attilles. I know you're listening, Jennifer. She is going skiing the exact same place, but the week before. We're missing each other. I'm so bummed that we're like missing each other just by a few days. So, but we didn't know next time. Next time you'll have to plan it together. Wouldn't that have been so fun? That really would be there. She and her family are going to be there, and then Mark and I are going to be there, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_03 27:34

We'll do it another time. Another time. It's another time. And we also probably should let everyone know we do have something special going on this coming Thursday. So watch for that in your inbox on your email. But yeah, we have something really special going on too, so you don't want to miss it.

SPEAKER_04 27:53

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the Business and Pleasure of Flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week.

SPEAKER_03 28:14

So please come back and join us and discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business.