So said Henry Ford.

As I leave behind the corporate world to start my own business I cannot help but understand what the, supremely successful, Mr Ford meant; even though his "any colour, as long as it is black" mantra does not match my personal values.

As we get ready to start 2012, with its Olympic promise, too many of us fear gloom & failure. How many of us are scared to change, to grow, to develop because we are focusing on the obstacles and not what we yearn to achieve? How often do we see the "but what if?" as a reason not to do something rather than a reason to give it a go?

Last week my 11 year old daughter saw me preparing materials for a coaching course, where I referred to the need for goals to be EXACT (EXciting, Assessable, Challenging & Time bound). She asked me what it meant and so we talked about goals and how they related to her. She loved it & like all children was a fast learner; she understood about goals and the need for change.

A few days later we headed off to her doctors appointment (a nervous Mummy & very scared little girl). Despite her real fear, she smiled and told the doctor that she was here because "my goal is to start senior school with hands I can be proud of." She endured an exceptionally painful 30 minutes as the docotor burnt off wart after wart of the many we had spent the last 5 years fighting. It hurt a lot and there were many tears, but every time the doctor offered to stop my daughter told her to carry on because she remained focused on the goal - to walk into a room full of strangers and feel proud.

Henry Ford was right but, as is so often the case, we can also learn much from the young people we love.

Have a fantastic 2012.