2008

Well the last day is here! Ae you ready for 2009? I have blogged before that you can tell the health of a company (or a person) on the point if they are constantly looking to the past or the future. I try to keep my eyes on the opportunities of the future,but this is a time to look a little at the past. It has been a great yearwith it's share of difficulties. Between my wonderful wife, kids and family on the personal side and working for a great coompany with great people the work side was great also. Were there bads time? Yes. Were there difficult times? Yes. My thought is why spend any time on these? They happen and will happen again but they shouldn't direct my life. Have a great 2009!

Goals for 2009

So do you have your goals yet for 2009? I share my main 4 that I have set so people can keep me accountable (a good thing to help you keep your goals). They are:
1. Managed service's contracts - 1 per week
2. New client - 1 per month
3. Work out - 4 times per week
4. Work on being more assertive.
To focus on these things and not get hung up on the details I feel 2009 will be another great year for me.

Back to Work

I am not sure who today will be more difficult on, my kids or my wife and I. It has been a great couple of days with the family together. I love my job and what I do , but I love my family more. They are the reason that I get up every morning and go to work, even when I don't want to - which sometimes happens. Do you have a reason? If not you should take some time and find it because sooner or later you will need it.

Family

Well it is the day before Christmas and all through the house the kids were playing. My 12 year old made it home last night and now I feel that Christmas can occur. While he is a little different to interact with than his 1 and 2 year old siblings, he is still a child. At the base of it all they all want love and attention (although he wants it to show me his new football cards and to tell jokes to). Tis the meaning of Christmas to me - the reason I go to work (even though I love what I do) every morning, my family. Enjoy your family this season and have a Merry Christmas!

Goal Setting for 2009

A good friend of mine asked me to post a note to everyone on the importance of goal setting.
I think his note says it all.

Goal Setting for 2009 is due now!

The new year is just around the corner and what are you doing to prepare for maximizing your potential in the upcoming year. Stuart Crawford has published a great eBook and he is offering it for a great price on his website at http://blog.itsuccessmentor.com until the end of the year. For $7.99 you get all the tools you need to set goals that will stretch you, take you out of your comfort zone and grow in 2009. Goal Setting is a critical component to your success and especially today when there are so many obstacles to overcome with the economy, technology changes and other external influences. Focus on what you want to achieve, write them down and execute.

Stuart was recently featured in a Microsoft 5W50 seminar on Goal Setting, you can listen to the one hour session at https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=260603

Christmas Week

Well it is the most special week of the year, at least in my world. Christmas week is always my favorite time of year. I love hearing the story of the manager, eating great food and spending time with friends and family. I always wonder why we only do this one time a year? I know that the holiday only happens once, but the good cheer and happiness at this time of year could be replicated any time. I am going to volunteer May 15, my birthday, for another time we can do it. Easter and Halloween would be great also - spreading the days around. Or we could even do it everyday. Just think what a wonderful place this would be if we did that!

Clients or Friends

Do you have clients that you do business with or do you do business with friends? I think you will find out in the next couple months. Clients do business with you but when times get tough are going to look around. While some friends might do the same, they usually stick with you (even those you might wish you could lose). What is the difference? Do you care about them? About their kids and family? If not why should they care about you?

Back Again

Why do you go to work each day? I know it is because you love what you do (or it should be and if you don't life is too short and you should find something different) but what keeps you going? For me it is my family - I love my wife and three kids very deeply. Over the last fave days I got much closer to them. My two year old came home with the flu and was nice enough to share it with her one year old brother and then with dad - what a great daughter. The point to my story is I took three days off to help them get healthy. Did I get stressed due to lots to do at work - you bet, but if I can't take time to spend with the reason I work so hard now, when will I?

Sick Children

Isn't it amazing the things we do for our kids that we would never do for others? I am a person that if someone is sick I need to get away from them or I will be sick also. Unless it is my children and then I know I need to be right in there for them. My daughter has been vomiting since 2:30 this morning and while only mom can sooth her, dad is in charge of cleaning up. I am a cleaner so that doesn't bother me, bit it is nasty. But I just look in my daughter's eyes and know it is what I need to be doing. She is a little over 2 and scared and daddy's are suppose to protect and make things right, so that is what I am doing.

By the way my wife just looks and me and I tell her - welcome to parenthood.

Important Upcoming Webcasts

A good friend of mine, Stuart Crawford gave me the heads up on a couple upcoming webcasts that will be filled with excellant information for people in the technology industry (and if you aren't in the industry there still might be some good ideas to gain from attending).

The first is on the topic of goal setting, which is very relavent to this time of year. I don't know about you, but I always take a day at the end of the year to evalutate how I did the past year and to look forward to what I want to accomplish for the coming year. The link for this webinar is http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=344.

The second is around a new certification program coming out called the Trusted Business Advisor program. As a sales person, any way I can find to become more trusted by my clients is very important to me. This webinar link is http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=340

Hopefully you will take a listen and learn some new ideas!

Support the Troops

I received this today and thought it was a great program. I did it and it took maybe 5 minutes.
I would love to see everyone send one.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's. Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Needing a Break

Maybe this doesn't happen to you, but I need a rest from the holidays. Thanksgiving was great - the food, the family and the football, but I need some rest after the fact. I figured out that i was in a car more than I slept. Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday's, I just need some RR from it.

Memories vs Dreams

Last night we finally got our Christmas tree up. With a 2 year old and 1 year old this is quite a job to get done! I spent a little time just sitting and looking at the decorated (especially the lights - I love the lights) and thinking about how special this year will be.

Later in the night I was reading Thomas Freidman's book "The World is Flat". At one point he states that you can tell a health of a company or country by how much they discuss dreams versus memories. The more memories the more they are looking at the past and dying, the more dreams the more they are looking to the future. What are you looking at for yourself, your family and your company. It speaks volumes of what is going really on.

Bailout Mania

Watching the news this morning and getting frustrated with all of the companies thinking they need a bailout. I know there are many factors to consider but bottom line is - good management. During good times it is easy to manage (and make money), but during harder times one needs to actually manage! Cut cost, market new ideas, thinking outside of the box. It isn't easy but they is why they make the big money, and why we shouldn't use taxes to bail them out of their problems they don't want to correct.