Business owners are commonly told that they should set aside time at least once a year to review their business, to take a look at where they have been and set a course for where they want to go. Following this good advice, however, is often harder than it should be. Who has time to sit down and think about such things?

Fortunately for me, I have Liz Dexter’s LibroEditing Small Business Chat to prompt me to perform my own annual review every year. eDitmore Editorial Services was first featured in Liz’s regular blog chats with small-business owners in 2012, and Liz has revisited me every year since to find out how my business is going. That annual email from Liz gives me the kick in the pants I need to sit down and look at where I’ve been for the past 12 months and contemplate where I want to be in the next 12.

The review of my past year was published on LibroEditing today, and it comes at a really appropriate time for me as I feel like my business—and my life—is at a crossroad. In the past six weeks, my husband and I have gone from having a full house to an empty nest. Our oldest son moved out six weeks ago today, headed for a great job in Washington, D.C. Ten days later, our youngest son moved into his dorm at Pepperdine University, eager to start his freshman year at college.

I’d be lying if I said the past few weeks have been easy for me. It’s been a struggle to get used to the too-quiet house, and I still have no idea how to cook for two instead of four. But I’m slowly learning to appreciate the empty calendar spots and the freedom it’s giving me to focus more on my business.

I spent much of the past month turning a boy’s bedroom into my office, and I have managed to create a little place that I find inviting and inspiring. And while I was working on my physical workspace, I was also working with Robbie Diggs of DiggsDesign to refresh and streamline this digital workspace. Taking those two steps makes me feel like I’m embarking on a new leg of my small-business voyage.

In addition, I’m helping to present a webinar for IBPA in the next week–something I’ve never attempted before. And I’m sitting on an editing panel for the 805 Writers’ Conference on November 1, another first for me.

Looking back, I can see it’s been a good year. Looking forward, I can see new opportunities on the horizon. Thanks, Liz, for making me sit down long enough to take in the view in both directions.