Focus.

Every year, I personally choose a word that guides how I want to approach the year ahead. This year, I decided to do the same for the Chamber—and the word is Focus.

Focus on what matters.

Focus on what works.

Focus on building meaningful relationships.

Focus on highlighting our business members.

Just… focus.

This word has been one of my favorites for many years because I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be. When I worked in real estate, I learned quickly that what I focused on was exactly what showed up. If I went into a listing appointment assuming I wouldn’t get it, I didn’t. If I doubted I’d find the right buyer, I wouldn’t.

So I changed my focus.

Instead of concentrating on what might go wrong, I focused on what I wanted to happen. I set a goal to help 20 families buy or sell their homes in a year. I created a visual tracking sheet—listings highlighted in green when they sold, yellow when they went under contract, red when I lost the opportunity. That system worked for my brain, but something still felt off.

So I changed it again.

I replaced listings with little gingerbread people. Each one represented a family. Suddenly, my focus shifted from transactions to people—and everything changed. I became laser-focused on helping others and leaned into my strength of building relationships. Although I had been working in real estate since 2006 and officially selling since 2008, it wasn’t until 2012—when I fully aligned my focus with my passion for helping people—that my business truly took off.

Because that’s what we do. We help people.

And that same mindset is what drives this Chamber.

Our business partners aren’t numbers—they’re people. Their goals matter. What’s important to them is important to us. Whether that means bringing a class to them, connecting them to a service, offering a benefit, or simply listening, we meet them where they are. We listen. We care. And we work to help them become the best version of their business.

It’s never about the numbers. It’s always about the people.

So here’s our challenge to you:

What should your focus be this year?

Where do you need to hone in so you can reach—and maybe even exceed—your goals? When you get clear on your focus, everything else tends to fall into place.