East Devon mum Sandra Sampson, a director of two companies and a charity champion, writes for this title

We all remember the Queen calling the year that Princess Diana died an Annus Horribilis, we can safely say in one way or another many of us have had our own Annus horribilis this year.

Whether it be mental or physical for many of us life will never be the same.

But I am not someone who suffers with a negative mindset or remains in a permanent state of a victim mentality.

I constantly count my blessings, remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for in life, there are always others that are worse off than us.

We have the Covid inoculation on the horizon and the hope that it will lift some of the awful measures we are currently having to endure.

There are future opportunities for all of us in one shape or another, we just need to spend time working them out.

It will be a very different world post this third wave of Covid as we have learnt a great deal and had time to reflect on what we do in our lives.

For Covid has given some of us one thing, and that is time to contemplate our situation.

But it has also delivered opportunities to online retailers and imaginative members of the hospitality business. It has allowed some businesses to reach new audiences and markets, but we don’t forget those who have not survived!

The great thing about the future is it has not yet happened, so, it can always be positive if you approach it with the right attitude and mindset. Our business Motiv-8sw deals in getting people back into work by making them change their attitudes and beliefs, and in so doing challenging their limiting beliefs which hold each an everyone of us back.

It strengthens their empowering beliefs whilst changing negative attitudes to positive ones.

Last year we changed over 700 peoples lives across the UK and this year we are very much looking forward to working with and helping those who find themselves in a position where they need additional support to get them back on the right track.

For some this may already be a long-term issue but it may also be a new and frightening position for those who have previously had steady employment but now find themselves unexpectedly unemployed.

Planning forward we have ensured we can do this online rather than face to face, thus enabling us to reach everyone who needs our help.

I mention this aspect of going online to deliver our service as it is a very important point for all of us, keep planning forward, if you keep looking backwards you will find it more and more difficult to survive in this current world, life is not the same.

A New Year is always an opportunity to reflect on where you are and even what you would like to become. It is a time to refresh and reboot if you look forwards positively. So, get those thinking caps on and seize this opportunity to change what you dislike in your life or business.

Think forward not back, and please remember to commit to your resolution or plan.

For its wonderful to have these lovely aspirations but without commitment we get nowhere. For we judge ourselves on our intentions and others on their actions and the secret of success is committing fully to turning your intentions into actions.

I have found the best way of doing this is coming up with a plan and then sharing that plan with a few supporters or employees if you do that they become your race marshals guiding you to the success you want.

Make sure your plan is both challenging and realistic and then just do it. Wishing each and every one of you a Happy New Year and I hope we will all achieve something better and something new in 2021.