This last week has been all things travelling and winter weather. Germany for the New Year, then right down through to Austria – somewhere I’ve never been before.
Skiing with friends. Meeting new people. Experiencing genuinely high-quality service and hospitality.
What really stood out, among all the smiley faces, was the confident promotion of the country itself.
The Austrians wanted us to eat their traditional food. They talked proudly about their clothes, their chocolates, their way of doing things. All made here. All Austrian.
I was constantly asked if I was enjoying my time. If I’d been before. If I’d come back again.
They genuinely cared whether I might become a loyal customer of Austria and everything it has to offer.
It felt like a country that knows what it offers, believes in it, and isn’t embarrassed to talk about it.
Back in sunny Essex, all I seem to hear is people leaving Britain. Taking their skills, their money, their energy elsewhere.
Business owners ground down.
Entrepreneurs fed up.
Years of mixed messages. Poor policy. Manufacturing hollowed out. Inflation biting. Interest rates squeezing the life out of ambition.
No sense of “we’ve got your back”. No camaraderie. Just noise.
Austria survives mostly on tourism, services, and brainpower. Yet the pride is tangible. They back what they have. They back each other.
That matters.
Now, let me draw your attention to this.
I’m 63 and I still do my thing every morning. Cold water swims. Exercise. Fresh air.
Not because I’m chasing abs. Because I’m keeping myself on point. Fit for purpose.
I want to be sharp enough to run my companies, look after my team, and keep finding new ideas that excite me.
What’s the point of cracking the code to business, building teams, buying companies, starting new projects… if you’re too knackered or unhealthy to enjoy it?
Your body and your mind are not side projects. They are the engine.
Every morning I open a door or a window, look up at the sky, and say thank you. Out loud. For freedom. Health. Opportunity. Happiness.
Do that daily and something shifts.
You remind yourself what you already have. And what you’re walking towards.
Head up. Feet moving.
Mindset is everything at the start of a new year. It’s the blueprint. You widen your horizon. Accept change. Look at things from different angles. Change direction when needed without throwing your toys out the pram.
Here’s the blunt truth.
Nobody’s watching. Nobody cares. Nobody’s judging you the way you think they are.
That’s liberating.
So make the mistakes faster. Learn harder. Move forward quicker.
The ones winning aren’t waiting for permission. They’re writing plans down. Setting goals. Practising daily gratitude. Training their mind like a muscle. Getting out of their own way.
It all starts with you. Your energy. Your education. Your environment.
Get that right and everything else follows.
If I’m lucky, I’ll see you again.
James