There are a lot of motivational speakers and experts out there to guide people who are looking for a change. Who’s your favorite? Your resolution might be a lifestyle change in the food you eat—or don’t eat to improve well-being—or how much you exercise or giving up a habit such as smoking or drinking more alcohol than is good for you. Maybe the change you seek is bigger, such as being your own boss or adding a new revenue stream to your family’s income and is tied to being able to spend more time with friends and family, deepening personal connections and how you will spend your time in the future.

When I started Sticky Fingers Cooking, it was not part of a New Year’s resolution, but along the way as I’ve grown the business to what it is today with locations in three states and a franchising model, I learned the power of setting intentions and developing new habits in order to make this a success.

Let’s Get in the Kitchen

Have you ever tried making something new in the kitchen and realized that you needed to start at the end? What I mean is, if you want to make that seafood paella you had on that amazing trip to Spain when you are in college for a semester in your sophomore year, it’s going to help if you know how many people you will be serving and when.

Once you know you will have 12 people coming over for dinner on Saturday night, that’s when you determine what you will need to pull this off. What’s your budget? Which grocery stores will have the ingredients needed? Will you need to take time off work or pay the babysitter extra for time to go to a specialty market? Oh yeah, the kids! Are you making them a separate meal (or can they make their own)? Do you have enough wine or is that another stop? How much prep time is needed and how much cooking time will there be? Playlist? There are many details to consider they are each important to a delightful evening of delicious food, conversation, and companionship.

Who Inspires You?

These days, you have your pick of motivational books, podcasts, Instagram accounts, and TED talks to find motivation and inspiration to improve your community and your own life through the actions you take.

Mel Robbins, author of “The 5 Second Rule: The Fastest Way to Change Your Life” and who has done all of the above, has the basic “5 Steps to Change Your Life” for consideration:

Step 1: Are you ignoring a problem and are not interested in help or making a change?

Step 2: You’ve acknowledged there’s a problem, you’re just not ready or you lack confidence.

Step 3: Research stage! What do you need to do to make the desired change in your life? Maybe you want to start your own business, or at least explore the costs and time commitment to do so as part of a franchise model.

Step 4: Action. You’ve taken some steps in the intended direction, you might need to ask for help, get support, dig deep for inner strength. A franchise system can provide support for new business owners.

Step 5: Repeat. Those actions you were taking will need to be done over and over as success is not just one step.

What I like about Mel Robbins is how she shares her own real stories of the self-improvement journey, that squiggly, messy line of upward trajectory in life. This is also what I appreciate about the franchising model: I made mistakes and faced challenges as a start-up business owner and now I can offer you a tested formula for your own success, where you don’t have to make the same errors and will always have someone on this team to call for support, advice, wisdom, or just to share a win or loss with as you build your dream.

As you look ahead to the new year, and maybe a new you, what do you want to do differently? Is Sticky Fingers Cooking part of your future?

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