Taking a different approach this week from my normal messages; I wanted to share
with you some of the tools I’ve started using which are saving me a lot of time
and making things easier on me.

Take a look at these…

In an earlier post this new year, I talked about how to make 2010 a great year
for you.

Well, we’re over three weeks into the year…how’s it going for you so far?

Giving credit where due, I got the idea for this from my business associate
and mentor, Ron Ipach…

Although I’m not much of a cook, I do know that if I want to successfully
prepare something in the kitchen, I follow the recipe…exactly, with no
deviations.

All of us know that when we leave out an ingredient or change something
slightly we’ll get the predicted results, and those results are not what
we thought we’d get when we started.

So it is with success. And, since we’re at the start of 2010, here are 10
“must have” ingredients you’ll want to include for your successful 2010.

And by the way, I’m writing this for me as much as for you.

1. Attitude – It all starts here. Decide now, that no matter what happens,
you will maintain a great attitude this year. I’ve been told that this one
factor is the most important ingredient. Fact is that having a “bad attitude”
puts up barriers for us.

2. Change – Everyone knows that we are in a period of great change. But I’m
not talking external change here. I’m talking about the changes you have to
make, some more important than others, to achieve what you want to achieve
this year.

For me it started over the holidays with asking and answering some tough
questions about my business (and myself) in terms of why I didn’t achieve all
I wanted in 2009. Gives a good perspective on what things to change.

3. Believe – Can’t remember who wrote or said “If you think you can or can’t,
either way you’re right.” To me this is a natural law; it’s true 100% of the
time. When you achieve all you’ve set out for yourself this year, you won’t
be surprised, because you believed it all along.

4. Goals – What are yours? I took 4 days during the holidays thinking and then
writing out my business and personal goals for 2010. Some in great detail. That’s
the first step – if you haven’t done that yet it’s not too late. The second step
is then regularly reviewing (and even speaking) them.

5. Focus On The Money – Dan Kennedy sent a fax recently that stated it this way,
“It’s easy to forget you are in the money-getting business.” I’ve set a goal for
this year to focus at least 75 to 80% of my time on money-producing activities
and either delegating or eliminating non money-producing activities. No cash,
no business.

6. Focus On The Time – Somewhat related to #5, but the fact is we all have 168
hours a week…all of us. The better you can be at focusing on high worth
activities, the better your results will be. My friend Perry Marshall says that
all of us have expertise in $10/hour, $100/hr, and $1,000/hr activities…how
much time are you devoting to the $100/hr and $1,000/hr activities? (NOTE: See
#2 above).

7. Learn More – Make a commitment to know more at the end of this year than you
do now…and then apply your new knowledge. In most cases it will give you a
very sustainable competitive advantage.

8. Model Others’ Success – You can either invent ignorance or copy brilliance.
What already successful people do you know or know of from who you can learn?
No one is a self-made person, period.

9. Ask – Everytime I haven’t asked an important question it’s come back to bite
me. My experience has been that successful people are more than willing (within
limitations, of course) to share. But it starts with your asking.

10. Make Smart Decisions – It starts with deciding to implement these ingredients.
Another smart decision is to surround yourself with information and people that
are also committed to success. Althought the list could go on, a last item is
to commit to yourself that you’ll become a DWIT, a person that will “do whatever
it takes” to make it happen for yourself in 2010.

As a parting comment, I’d be interested in other “recipe ingredients” you have; just
comment below.

Several weeks ago I wrote about today, December 1st, 2009, as the day the new FTC
guidelines would go into effect.

The question for you is: “Have you done what you need to do with your web site?”

As we’re only several days away from Thanksgiving (here in the U.S.), I
hope you’re planning on taking some time away from T.V., other noise-
based interruptions, etc. and think about what you’re thankful for. I
mean really thankful.

Maintain your attitude and focus when the ____ hits the fan.

Regarding my business, I know it’s more difficult and more expensive to acquire a new client today. And our existing clients expect more than they did a year ago.

Do you share anything about yourself with your prospects and customers or clients? How much of your personal life (outside of your business life) do they know about you? How much of what you’re interested in do they know about?

Question 1: In one or more areas of your life (my focus was my businesses) that you say are very or critically important to you, are you where you want to be?

Question 2: If not, why not?

So comes the question: where’s your focus? On what you’ve done in the past, no matter how great the accomplishment? Or on the “What’s Next?”