That Time of the Year

Business slows to a crawl this time of the year. Holiday parties, family gatherings, vacations headed south. Hey, I am leaving for Hawaii tomorrow for nine days! What to do if your prospects are not returning your calls or emails? How can you still be effective? Here is a short list of professional and personal activities that will make you more productive in the new year:

Professional Action Items:
>Organize your desk, files or computer
>Write an e-newsletter to thank your customers
>Send handwritten thank you notes to your customers
>Take clients, co-workers, or your team to lunch and say thank you
>Read a good business book in alignment with your goals
>Write down all your WINS from this last year
>Enroll in a seminar or workshop to sharpen your communication skills

Personal Action Items:
>Join a gym and hire a fitness trainer
>Take a college class to learn how to play the piano, paint, weld, photography, etc.
>Schedule a foot massage
>Go to a comedy club with the friends you have that love to laugh
>Go hit a bucket of balls at the driving range (or tennis)
>Plan a family reunion
>Go visit your favorite teacher from college or high school and thank them
>Rent a ride in a hot air ballon
>Get caught up on all the magazines you didn’t read this year
>Join a self-help group (Weight Watchers, AA, Al-Anon, Toastmasters)
>Take a train ride to another state and bring your camera
>Invest in journal and list all your notable accomplishments going all the way back to first grade!
>Do something you thought you were too old to do (skydive, surf, jet-ski, white water rafting) Create your “Bucket List”

I do this every month. It has changed my life and helped me appreciate the little things that I miss when I flying all over the world. It matters. It’s that time of the year. Go for it!

A Check Up from the Neck Up?

Recently I was assisting a friend clarify her goals on paper, 3 x 5 cards. We listed WHAT she wanted to achieve in 2011. Five goals. We prioritized them. We chose ONE GOAL that was most important and re-wrote in personal, positive, present tense, powerful language. We listed ten reasons WHY she wanted them. "Read that goal every day, at least five times a day," I suggested. We talked about reading books in alignment with her goals, investing in seminars and workshops both personal and professional and of course, keeping a journal. "We become what we think about," I said with a very serious tone.


What do YOU want to have happen in 2011? When was the last time you had a "Check up from the neck up?" What are your top five goals for 2011? What books will you read? Do you have a journal? Are you investing in your own personal development?
"The company won't pay for it!" I use to say...then I realized, "I am the president of my own service company!" I was 32 years old when THAT light came on. I stopped complaining, blaming and explaining. I took personal responsibility for my life. I told my friend, "It's not your husband, children, company, the economy, or friends that are holding you back. It's YOU!"

Forget New Years Resolutions. Set your goals down on paper. Do you want to get fit? Increase your income? Be a better parent? Finish your degree? Get that promotion? Start a business? Write it down! Look at it every day. List the reasons you want it. Read. Think. Study. Observe. Listen.
It's "A Check Up from the Neck Up"


Merry Christmas and here's wishing you the best year you ever had! "I am making a MARK no one can erase in 2011!" What will YOU do?