This month on Illuminations, as we reach the end of 2013, we want to look back and reflect on this year in Lumin.  It has been a wonderful year.  We have been very fortunate and we are looking forward to an even better 2014.

We came together in March of this year to really pursue this opportunity of a woman-owned business.  We “Luminaries” have worked together for years and found that we share similar values and complementary skills so we wanted to apply these to a company we could call our own.  Since March, work has moved at a rapid pace as we’ve continued to provide high-quality service to our clients, grow our network and client base, and engage in all of the activities related to starting a business – and as any of you business owners out there know, this is a BIG undertaking.  It has been exciting, challenging, and rewarding and we are so thankful for this adventure and for all of the people who have helped us get to where we are today.

A few accomplishments we want to highlight:

• Achieving WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) Certification.

• Active involvement in two of our major trade organizations – ASTD-TCC  (American Society for Training and Development – Twin Cities Chapter) and MPPAW (Minnesota Professionals for Psychology Applied to Work).

• Living the Lumin Advantage lifestyle by bringing to life our core values.  They have helped us and our clients achieve great things and we know they will serve as a compass, guiding our work next year and beyond. Our values are:

• Positivity – approaching situations, people, and challenges with optimism, seeing the opportunities and solutions instead of the problems, and doing our best to give others hope, enthusiasm, and empowerment to achieve their goals.
• Intentionality – being strategic and proactive, thinking ahead to anticipate and plan for obstacles and unintended consequences, and being conscious of the effect we have on each other, our clients, and the community and world around us.
• Openness – pursuing creative solutions and innovative approaches, being willing to adapt to and create change, and seeking and accepting assistance and advice from others.

Throughout the month, we’ll be reflecting on some of the projects that we are most proud of. We’ll cover our presentation at the ASTD-TCC Annual Conference about “Designing & Selling Your Internal Mentoring Programs” and some special volunteer projects. We will also cover the unique opportunities, challenges, and changes we faced this year with our federal and county government clients.  We invite you to reflect along with us this month as reflection is an important part of being intentional!  What are you most proud of this year?  What do you want others to know you’ve done, contributed to, or attempted?  Post it here – we want to know about it!