As another year comes into sharp focus, it’s easy to set yourself resolutions.

Resolutions that you will no longer eat chocolate, that you will go to the gym more or that you will steer clear of alcohol for the first three months of the year.

And then somehow within a couple of weeks, when the resolve has started to wear off and an invite to a must attend party arrives, you waiver and give in. Just one glass of wine won’t hurt will it? Just one week off exercising will be fine.

But what if rather than just plucking random resolutions out of thin air, you purposefully sit down and think about what you want to achieve in 2018?

What if you pull together some goals and then look more closely at how you will be able to achieve them?

What will you have done by March? What will have been ticked off by June? Where will you be by September? And then as the end of the year comes around again what can you say you have achieved?

I started out as a single mum with a very strong reason to make my business dreams a reality. I needed to provide for and support my 4 year-old daughter to ensure we maintained the quality of life that we had. I had six weeks money in the bank, and as I was by myself, I had no one to fall back on or borrow money from. I just knew that I had to make it work.

Four years later, and after a lot of hard work, networking and giving back, I now run a successful six-figure photography and film collective. I also inspire other female entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams, through coaching, mentoring and workshops.

Having a clear focus at the outset is always important. Have in mind where you want to be. What is your end goal?

Set yourself stretch targets but also think about what is possible to achieve if you set your mind to it.

At the start of my journey I only had a handful of weddings booked. But to match my corporate salary I knew I had to have at least 30 secured by the start of the year. It was daunting at first, but I networked, and took any and all work that came my way. By the time I finished my accounts for the year – I had a turnover that matched my previous salary.

I had also achieved everything that I set out to do.

And now I realise the importance of setting myself goals at the start of every year and I do this not only for my business but also for my life.

Where do I want us to go on holiday? What experiences would I like my daughter to have this year? What else can I make happen so that as well as the hard work, we also have fun with a capital F?

So yes, it’s easy to dismiss New Year’s Resolutions if you set them in a half-hearted way. Of course, it means you’re more likely to break them.

But if you intentionally focus on where you want to be – anything is possible.

And only you know what your hopes and dreams are.

So why not take the first steps to making them a reality? What’s holding you back?

Amber Leach is the founder of The Liberty Pearl Photo & Film Collective and works alongside four other Associate Photographers across the UK and internationally. She also provides mentoring and coaching for female entrepreneurs. In January she is launching her new Be Audacious programme for Professional Photographers looking to build their six-figure wedding business in 2018.

For more details visit: https://libertypearlphotography.com/be-audacious/

Images on this page: Laura Rimmer Health Coach