(Optional soundtrack to this post.)

New year’s resolutions are ephemeral things. January 2, for example, is a kind of Black Friday for gyms and fitness centers, but by the end of the month, the crowds have returned to normal. (A Marist Poll conducted in December found that 44% of people were indeed likely to make a New Year’s resolution for 2015. However, a 2002 study found that only 46% of the people who make New Year’s resolutions were still keeping them as of June. FiveThirtyEight rightly questions the validity of such figures.)

Still, regardless of how we feel about making—or keeping—New Year’s resolutions, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the start of the new year to reboot or at the very least “re-inspire” our businesses.

To that end, the FastSigns blog recently posted “5 Stories to Inspire Your Business in the New Year.” There are stories about creative uses for magnetic substrates, romantic marriage proposals made using signage of various kinds, three staggeringly successful product launches and the media that helped them (thankfully I missed the Taco Bell Doritos-based taco), and some classic “road trip signs” that have become icons of Americana.

We can find inspiration anywhere (even in a book), but as I always point out in my coverage of various trade shows such as the SGIA or ISA Expo, just seeing what our colleagues are doing can be inspiration enough. We should read user stories and case studies, visit trade shows, and, of course, keep our eyes open as we move about in the world. As wide-format and specialty graphics printing further permeate our world, it’s easy to find inspiration all around us. We just need eyes and open minds.