Annually my family visits Ithaca, New York to visit friends and celebrate the New Year. Each time we go, I find myself at a small coffee shop; I spend a few hours here by myself, taking stock of where I am with my business, my life, and putting together an intentional idea of where I wish to be at my next visit. I call it my “planning day,” and with my head in a good place, I have some pretty incredible insights that bring great meaning to where I am and where I want to go.

Economic uncertainty has become a household term over the past few years. The general public is suffering from a chronic case of whiplash, bouncing back and forth between conflicting opinions over the health of the economy and job market. Regardless of low unemployment rates or the increasing stock market index, over half of the US population still believes the country is in a recession.