又是一年之始。假日的狂欢已经过去，现在到了认真工作的时候了。不过在我们深入考虑目标、策略、战术和财务预期之前，先看看在2015年，我们可以如何借助一些节日传统行为来提升公司的利润。详细请看下面的双语文章：

1. Celebrations.

1、庆祝

My clients and I use the phrase “Pop a cork!” as a cue to stop andcelebrate. Why? Becausesharing a toast does two things; it recognizes progressand potential. It says, “Wow,something great happened, and here’s a toast tohaving more of it!”

“我们开瓶酒!”——我和客户以此作为暂停一会儿来庆祝的暗号。为什么呢?因为“干杯”意味着两件事：肯定过去的进步，表达对未来的期望。“我们做得真棒!为获得更大的成功干杯!”

That’s the kind of energy we need to keep us moving all year long, so don’tsave yourcelebrations for the beginning of 2016, find a reason to pop a cork(real or virtual) at least oncea month.

我们常年需要这种促人奋进的能量，所以不要再等到2016年开始时才庆祝，至少每个月都找个理由来“开瓶酒”吧。

2. Gratitude.

2、感恩

We’re reminded, during the holidays, of how much we have to be gratefulfor. Expressinggratitude can be a powerful exercise in business as well. Takestock of all the things you haveto be grateful for in your professional life.All the people you’ve connected with, all theexperience you’ve accumulated, allthe clients you’ve served. Guess what you’ve done. You’veinventoried yourresources. And you’ve probably uncovered a few that are undeveloped;peopleyou’ve neglected, talents and skills you haven’t leveraged, testimonials youhaven’tasked for. Develop those resources, and you’ll have more reasons to say“Pop a cork” and evenmore to be grateful for the next time you take stock.

在节日期间，我们会想起有多少需要感激的事物。在商界，表示感恩同样可以产生强大的力量。盘点你在职业生涯中一切要感激的事物：所有你联系的人，所有你积累的经验，所有你招待的客户。猜猜你做了什么。你梳理了你的资源，可能还会发现一些没有得到开发的资源：你忽视的人，没有发掘的才华，没有提升的技能，没有咨询的客户评价。开发这些资源，你将会有更多理由来“拔出软木塞”，并在下一次盘点中更加心存感激。

3. Sending cards.

3、寄贺卡

Right now it’s probably easy to remember the last time you received aphysical card, with astamp and a handwritten address. But by March you’llprobably have to think back threemonths to remember how it felt knowing someonetook the time to think of you.

现在你也许很容易记起上一次收到带有邮票和手写地址的贺卡的情形。但到了3月，你也许得翻出3个月前的记忆，才能想起被别人花时间思念的感受。

If it’s true for you it’s probably true for some people who are importantto your business. Theymay be prospects you haven’t worked with yet, referralsources you haven’t talked to for awhile, or even ex-employees who’ve gone on tobigger things but might be your best source oftalent and clients if you keep therelationship fresh. Anyone who showed up on your gratitudeinventory shouldprobably go on your “just because” greeting card list.

如果对你来说确实如此，那么对于那些对你的公司至关重要的人来说，也很可能是这样。他们也许是你还没有与之合作的潜在顾客，也许是你还没有与之深谈的推介来源，甚至有可能是为了追逐更大目标而离开公司，但只要你保持联系就依旧是你最好的人才和客户源的前员工。任何出现在你感谢清单中的人，也许都应该收到你心血来潮的贺卡。

4. Giving gifts.

4、送礼物

Do you know when you’ll find the most sugar in your dentist’s office? Yougot it, betweenThanksgiving and New Year’s. That’s because general dentistsrefer business to dentalspecialists. So every year they get an avalanche ofgifts from the practices who have receivedtheir referrals. And, as ironic as itmay be, most of those gifts are sweets.

你知道摆放在牙医诊所的糖果什么时候最多吗?猜对了，就在感恩节和新年期间。那是因为普通牙医会给牙医专家推荐业务，所以每年他们都能收到那些获得推荐的诊所送来的礼物。可能有些讽刺的是，大部分礼物都是糖果。

Gifts are sweet any time of year. In fact, they’re even sweeter when theyaren’t anticipated, orexpected. You don’t have to give big gifts, it might justmean spending a little extra time with aclient or making a small contribution toa cause you know an employee holds dear. It’s morethan the thought that counts,but it’s the thought that counts the most in building meaningfulrelationshipswith your referral partners, prospects, employees and friends of thebusiness.

礼物在一年的任何时候都能让人感到亲切。实际上，出人意料的礼物更能营造这种感觉。你没有必要买大礼，也许只需要在客户身上花点额外的时间，或是费点心思了解员工的喜好。礼品的心意比价值更重要，但这份心意却能在你与公司的推介伙伴、潜在顾客、员工和朋友建立关系时发挥莫大的作用。

5. Parties.

5、聚会

Not the drink until dawn kind of parties. With the exception of a fewindustries, those probablywon’t do much for your reputation. But during theholidays we take more time to reconnect,see people we haven’t seen for a while,and hang out with no agenda except catching up orgetting to know each other alittle better. Anyone can put together a networking event, the realkey tobuilding business relationships by hosting get-togethers is to let go of theagendas andsimply connect.

不是那种不醉不归的聚会。除了在少数几个行业，这种聚会对你的名誉可没什么好处。但在节日期间，我们会花更多时间来联系好一阵子没见的朋友，出门闲逛也只为了叙旧和更好地了解彼此。任何人都可以组织社交活动，但组织聚会来建立业务关系的关键在于，抛开动机，专心交往。

6. Reflection.

6、反思

Each year as we say “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new, many of ushave made apractice of reflecting on the year past. But in business we usuallygo straight into analysismode. What a SWOTT analysis of the business won’t tellus is our own strengths,weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends. Yet, thegreatest strengths and opportunities,as well as the greatest weaknesses andthreats, aren’t going to be found in looking atoperations, or profit margins, orsales funnels or market trends. You’ll only become aware ofthem by looking atleadership. And that begins with you.

每年我们都要辞旧迎新，许多人都养成了回顾过去一年的习惯。但在商界，我们通常会直接进入分析模式。对企业所做的SWOTT分析不会显示我们自身的优势、劣势、机遇、威胁和趋势。研究公司的运营状况、利润空间、销售管道或市场趋势，无助于你了解最大的优势和机遇，以及最大的劣势和威胁。这一切得从你自己开始反思。

7. Resolutions.

7、下决心托福难还是雅思难

Most people have “failed” on their New Year’s resolutions so many timesthey’ve given up onmaking them. That’s because most people don’t really makesure they have the resolve to dowhat they say they’re going to do. Even morepeople don’t realize that resolving isn’t a onetimeactivity, it’s a dailypractice that becomes easier with repitition. Keep resolving, on New Year’sDayand the 364 days that follow, and you’re likely to find a lot of your problemsresolved bythis time next year.

大多数人都在实现新年决心方面屡战屡败，导致他们最后再也不下决心了。那是因为他们并不真正确定自己有决心做那些声称要做的事情。甚至还有更多人没有意识到，下决心并不是一次性行为，而是会不断重复的日常行为。在元旦及剩下的364天中保持坚定，可能在明年的这个时候，你就会发现自己的许多问题已经得到了解决。