15 Takeaways from 2009

I have been very blessed this year by having thousands of people cross my path. I got to know many people well, and some just crossed my path for a brief time. Throughout this journey I learned some important things about myself and about others. I thought I would share them with you here in hopes that they may bless and inspire you as they have me.

1. Make people feel special - Make a personal connection where ever possible. They'll feel good and you'll feel great.

2. Be a person of high integrity - If you don't, it will bite you in the butt some day in some way. Guaranteed.

3. Over deliver. - The more you give, the more you will receive. Go the extra mile and give more than what is expected. Be strategic and purposeful with your giving, but give with an open heart and an attitude of abundance.

4. Deliver quality or don't deliver at all - Deliver quality, and stand behind your products and your word. This is what your customers will remember.

5. Value yourself - This will hold you back and show up in more areas of your life and business than anything else. Embrace who you are. Acknowledge that you have value to offer. Step into it even if you are afraid. When you step into it, you will act it, then you will believe it, and finally you will claim it.

6. Always make time for you - Take time personally for yourself because that's what matters most. At the end of the day, your health, well being and the people you love are what is most important.

7. Make learning a priority - In today's busy internet world where people are selling and consuming more knowledge and information than ever before, if you aren't learning and passing on your knowledge, you will QUICKLY be left behind.

8. A little sacrifice is a good thing - Building a business is hard work. You have to be prepared to make short term sacrifices for the long term gain.

9. Support your colleagues - Encourage your colleagues in their journey. Refer them, speak well of them, support them, and use their services. Zig Ziglar said it best when he said, "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."

10. Collaborate - Don't try to do it alone. It's harder and lonelier. The more you can collaborate, the more you will grow. And you will have more fun too.

11. You have no competitors - Always adopt an abundance mentality. There's more business than there are people to provide it. If you approach your business with this perspective, you will never go hungry.

12. Always be growing your list - The more people you have to talk to, the more people you can serve. With no one to talk to, you have no one to serve.

13. Don't wait for perfect - Perfection can be the enemy. Don't wait for perfect or you will never take action.

14. Action is the enemy of fear - Fear of Failure/Success/Criticism/Responsibility/Power (you name it) is the biggest paralyzer of all. If you take action, your fear will minimize and it will become peripheral instead of primary. Just do it.

15. Failure isn't fatal - This is a biggie. The more risks you take the more successes you will have - and the more failures too. Fail some so that you can see that you won't die and the world won't come to an end when you fail. Whew! O.K. failures, I'm ready for you now.

I hope you find these takeaways to be as helpful and insightful for you as they are for me. May we take these lessons into 2010 to find even more success, prosperity and fulfillment.
Blessings to you!