Step-by-Step to the Best Year of Your Life

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of making every day a great day in order to make 2009 the best year in your life. Today, I want to close out the year, by sharing with you one of the things that contributed to making 2008 such a great year for me, and my family.

About mid-year, I was introduced to the music of Michael W. Smith. Quickly his music became a favorite of mine. And, one song in particular became almost like a theme song for me.

That magical (for me) song is Step-by-Step from Smith's Worship Again album.

To say I have listened to this song frequently is an understatement (ITunes actually calculates the number :) ).

The song has become a powerful reminder to me that great things in life, in any field of endeavor, are accomplished step-by step.

We live in an instant gratification world. We are continually bombarded with messages that there is an easy way to get anything we want. We have seemingly become a world looking for "magic pills."

Smith's song is my antidote to that bombardment. His song is a constant reminder that progress comes from consistently taking a series of steps. Step-by-step.

I don't believe that there is any magic pill, or simple solution, to prospering in '09. I will be following my plan for achieving my SMART Goals, step-by-step.

I am prepared that there will be potholes that I will hit. And, when I do, I will do my best to quickly straighten myself so as to conitnue down the road. Step-by-step.

As I close out my posts for 2008, I want to express my deep appreciation for those whose support make this blog and all my other activities possible. If I started listing all those whose support I enjoyed in 2008, I would miss my planned New Year's eve celebration with my wife and Scotty. I am blessed with such wonderful support, from my loving family, from my two coaches and many mentors, from my protege's and friends who so energize me, from my clients who stretch my thinking, and from the Divine Spirit that guides me.

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2009!

This was the sixth and final post in the series Countdown to New Years. The six part series started here.

PS, If you have a friend or loved one that could benefit from this blog, please share it with them. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of others...the foundation of true prosperity.

Prospering in a Recession

I am encouraged! More and more people are doing Google searches on how to prosper in a bad economy. I am encouraged because that means a growing number of people are deciding that they want to make the changes so as to prosper in these tough times. And, that is a very good thing.

The purpose of this blog is to be a resource for your learning specific ways to prosper in this bad economy. The wisdom I share comes from leading authors, consultants, economists, and life philosophers, as well as from personal observations from my consulting work with leading professional service firms.

I am hardly a guru on these times. These "whitewater times," as I like to call them, are unlike anything I have experienced before. Like most readers, I am trying everyday to understand the new rules that are being written in business, politics, and every other dimension of our lives.

What you will take away from this blog will depend on your current situation. Those who have recently lost jobs, may want to read my tips in Finding a Job in a Recession. And, those who have been searching for a while without success, will want to consider my recent post Can't Find a Job.

Those who have a job will want to make they keep the job they have, and my post Saving Your Job has tips for helping you do so.

Business owners and executives will find me writing often on ideas for improving your business. My recent post on Increasing Market Share in a Recession has been one of my more business popular posts. From time to time, I write about ideas about specific industries and their challenges. This series can be accessed here.

Many of my posts are designed to help everyone regardless of your perspective. Many found helpful my series on Why the Downturn Will (Regretfully) Be Deeper and Longer than Commonly Expected. That sobering series was hopefully balanced by my thoughts on the Abundant Opportunities in this Recession.

But, this blog is about much more than my own views. One of the most popular series has been Lessons from the Masters featuring the wisdom of Wayne Dyer, Cheryl Richardson, Seth Godin, Cal Ripkin, Jr. and many more. And, of course, your comments are always welcome. Readers of this blog regularly add very thoughtful commentary.

So as the year draws to a close, I want to pledge that throughout '09 I will be trying to make this blog a gracious oasis from the tough times. Each week, I hope to present a balanced mix of "hard" information and "soft" encouragement - all designed to help you find your own path for prospering in these tough times.

Wishing you all the best in '09 and hoping that you will make '09 the best year of your life.

365 Ways to Make 2009 the Best Year of Your Life

Hopefully, my last post has you thinking about making 2009 the best year of your life, notwithstanding dire economic predictions that abound. And regular readers of this blog know of my strong belief that to do so, you will need to have (1) SMART goals, and (2) the right support team.

I have long been big on SMART goals and the right support team. But, because I expect 2009 to be a challenging year, I have been determined to add a tool or two to increase the likelihood that 2009 will truly be the best year of my life.

I have a lot that I want to get accomplished in 2009...in my businesses, in my personal life, and with the launch of my program telling about the story of Scotty and his amazing wisdom. I need to bring my "A game" if I am to score well in 2009.

Recently I read a fine article in Success magazine on how North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams motivate his team. One particular quote from Coach Williams really got me thinking:

"If each of us works every day to be the best we can be on that day and then come back and do the same tomorrow, then we have a better chance of being our very best at year's end."

Hardly profound, at first reading. But, definitely profound when I reflected and was reminded that the total progress we accomplish in anything is the sum of the steps we take toward a goal.

The quality of your 2009 year will be a direct function of the quality of your months, your weeks and ultimately of the days.

Of course, I have long known this. But, I have to admit that in the past I gave up on too many days. Somewhere along the line as the day unfolded, I would give up on it being one of the best days of my life. I started every day with the right attitude...but I did not maintain that attitude throughout the day, even in the face of unexpected obstacles.

Hall of Fame hitters make every at-bat count. I have decided to make every day count. Every day. Every single day. No matter what obstacles I encounter.

And, because I believe that if one is serious about any change, one starts immediately, I adopted this attitude immediately upon reading and reflecting on the William's wisdom. I am comitted to shaping every day into one of the very best days of my life.

What about you? Do you let days slip by? Weeks slip by?

The environment, likely in 2009, leaves precious little room for any of us to do less than our best every single day.

Coming Tomorrow: Step-by-Step to the Best Year of Your Life, the sixth and final post in the series Countdown to New Years. The six part series starts here.

Best Year of Your Life in 2009?

Traditionally, many people resolve each year, at this time, to make the next year "the best year of my life." In view of all of the misfortunes that played out in '08, it would ordinarily be easy for many to reasonably expect that '09 would be much better. But, we go into '09 with a consensus economic view that is as pessimistic as any we have had in the last twenty years, if not since the Depression. So, is it really realistic to hope for "the best year of my life?"

Well, if you measure your life strictly in economic terms, then such a resolution is likely to bring disappointment. However, the notion of prosperity reflected in this blog goes far beyond mere economics.

Ben Stein, the well read columnist of the NYTimes concluded one of his most recent columns with this sage advice:

"We are more than our investments. We are more than the year-to-year changes in our net worth. We are what we do for charity. We are how we treat our family and friends. We are how we treat our dogs and cats. We are what we do for our nation and our community. If you had $100 million or $100,000 a year ago and now you have a lot less, you are still the same person. You are not a balance sheet, at least not one denominated in money, as was explained to me recently."

If you are more than a financial balance sheet, then 2009 can be the best year in our life, at least for most of us. We have the opportunity to:

1) Be in the best physical and mental condition of our life, or certainly of recent years.
2) Have the best relationships ever with our loved ones.
3) Treat everyone with more respect and compassion than we ever have.
4) Do more for our community than ever.
5) Serve our employer or clients better than ever, if we have a job or clients, and if we don't to make the best pursuit we ever have.
6) Etc. Etc.

Yes, if indeed you are more than a balance sheet, 2009 can truly be the best year of your life.

And, I know that if you go into the year thinking anything less, it is highly likely that you will be right.

I am absolutely determined to make 2009 "the best year of my life." I hope you will make a similiar choice.

Tomorrow, I will share with you one of the secrets I recently learned from North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams about how to create a best year of our life.

Coming Tomorrow: 365 Ways to Make 2009 the Best Year of Your Life, the fifth post in the series Countdown to New Years. The six part series starts here.