Strategy, Planning and my New York Times Bestseller

Anyone else having troubles easing themselves into 2013? I'm just back from a 10 day fast (yep, the variety with no food - just water, psyllium husks and detoxing supplements) and slowly trying to find my feet... fast. The good news is that I am better able to see my feet now and my second chin was so hungry it ate my third chin - so things are looking up on that front. This week is officially strategy and planning week. To ease myself into it, I went to the hive yesterday to deal with the 300 emails there and process all the orders, prepare invoices etc. I left two enormous piles of invoices for the lovely Treena to pack the orders. Woke up with a big case of Catholic guilt this morning. Treena is the unpolished diamond who arrived in my life in June. She writes the most beautiful notes on the invoices and packs the orders like we're sending out gold... which we are. I think I've laughed more in the 7 months Treena has been on board than the previous several years combined. I've also cried more! I used to think that my life was a bit of a rollercoaster until Treena arrived. I now realise it is relatively sedate. Which brings me to 2 points: 1. If you have been the beneficiary of Treena's beautiful notes or lovely packing prowess, please send her some loving. I can only imagine how she is feeling after 3 weeks with close friends and family interstate to return to work. Hell, even I struggled yesterday, and Queen B is me living my dream. Treens is a Gen Y'er... so loves to communicate electronically, give her a holler on our Facebook page here - www.facebook.com/queenbcandles, or you can send love letters to thehivequeenb.com.au. I tell her regularly, gently and forcefully how great she is and that she is making a difference in people's lives, but you know how sometimes you just need to hear it from someone you don't call "Mumsy"! 2. I'm also thinking of writing a book about my new approach to HR which is to not talk to my staff for their first 4 days back at work while they get over the shock and depression of being back at work and realising that they need to work in order to afford holidays. I've got a few of the chapter headings worked out: - Controlled Crying for Adults - No Gen Y You Cannot Eat Out All the Time, Buy Whatever You Want, Have Regular Holidays and Live in Some of The Most Expensive Real Estate in Australia Without Working (that's NGYYCEOATTBWYWHRHLSTMEREAWW for short. Catchy huh?) - Stay Calm and Meditate (on what you love about working here) - I'll Be With You Shortly, Just As Soon As You Get Through the Shock of Being Back at Work - You Know How Your Mum Told You You Can Have Everything?... Learning about White Lies. It's looking like quite a short book at the moment. Any other topic suggestions, chapter titles or HR techniques gratefully appreciated. HR is not my strong suit... my usual approach is to cry with them!... which may be why all of my staff call me some variety of the name 'mum'. And now for the strategy and planning. Any ideas, stories, photographs, suggestions, needs or wants (candle related preferably) gratefully appreciated. I do have a few things I'm working on, but now have to get through the 905 unread emails in my inbox first. I just know there is an order from Wholefoods House, Collette (Paris) or Harvey Nichols (London) in there somewhere. Wouldn't mind seeing one from you too... there's no quicker way out of a slump than sending out love and light and knowing that in some small way you're going to make someone's day better. Strap yourself in. Welcome to 2013. Remember to tell you boss today how much you love and appreciate them! Cate xx