We use a lot of the playground figures of speech to describe what goes on in life and business. Swings and roundabouts. Climbing the corporate ladder. On a slide. On a roller coaster! I see them in action when I go to the playground with my kids. The little ones push the boundaries, not afraid to try new things. I freak at some of the stuff my kids do. You try telling a two year old that she can't go down that 20 foot high slide at the beach. Should I stop her? Maybe not – kids need to spread their wings, and go splat occasionally. Sometimes Mum and Dad's job is to pick up the pieces. However there is always one kid constantly getting knocked over by the swing… Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again? No, that swing comes straight back at them and puts them on their butt again. Some of us had a great 2012, and as always, some of us didn't. But we can improve our chances of a great 2013 if we slow down for a bit, use what God placed between our ears, work out what we could do differently, and then try again. Happy New Year!