WHAT I LEARNED THIS YEAR

What a year Huh? Got a lot to say so you might want to either print this one or grab a pad and coffee. Ready?

First let me start by saying the obvious– This year SUCKED! But some actually had a good year. Actually staying even is probably considered a good year. Here’s what I learned this year.

1. I’ve got a great wife and two great kids. This year has been a challangeing one and if you don’t have a spouse and family who are supportive than you are in BIG TROUBLE! See its the bad times and challanges that really show you how strong ( or weak) your relationships are. Anyone can support you when you are doing well… In fact that’s usually the time that you find all of your friends coming out of the woodwork.

2. YOU CAN ONLY CHOOSE TO BE A VICTIM – There is so much going on right now that you need to stake your position and focus on the goals and going forward. While I am writing this I am looking at 3 stones I have had on my desk for the last 20 plus years and have always guided me well!

” WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR THINK YOU CAN’T — YOU ARE RIGHT”

“REAL LEADERS ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE WITH EXTRAORIDINARY DETERMINATION”

“SOME PEOPLE MAKE THINGS HAPPEN- SOME PEOPLE WATCH THINGS HAPPEN- SOME PEOPLE WONDER WHAT JUST HAPPENED”

You might want to re-read those and put them somewhere that is visible to you each day like I do!

3. I SHOULD NOT HAVE PARTNERS- You may know that I have multiple businesses , many exceeding several million dollars in gross receipts. Some I own , some I am partners in. They are in different fields and most have been grown with very little investment into HUGE BUSINESSES.

My wife pointed out to me that I have always worked best when I control my destiny. She’s right!  What about you? Have you asked yourself serious questions like that?

One of the businesses I sold a few years ago is now coming back to me! So you can never ever get tooooo comfortable– The one thing I know is that you should always expect the best to happen but be prepared for the worst to happen.. In other words always have a plan B. At some point you will need it.

5. I AM UNEMPLOYABLE this is another thing I know about myself. I don’t take orders or direction well from people I don’t respect. This is actually tied into BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO! Only listen to positive people who are making more than you and have the qualities you aspire to.

One of my partners in one of my businesses that I always had a tremendous amount of respect for has shown me a very negative side. You just really never ever know so the  lesson here it to always know your exit before you enter– Good thing to keep in mind with your investments as well.

6. Things can go south quick and you need to be prepared! Enough said!

7. DON’T INVEST IN THINGS YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT—This is actually what made Warren Buffet the richest man in the world. My childrens college funds have been crushed and my 401 k is now a  101k. The good news is that I wasn’t invested with Bernie Madoff- but it looks like the same devastation when I look at my statements…

I always invested with what I thought to be “smart” money managers. They tell me everyone has lost a ton of money and of course I know that’s true. But it is still insulting to not only lose money but pay someone for the privilege of losing money. Guess its still better than keeping it all in cash…?????

8.  I had ( in the process of still having ) a BIG MEDICAL SCARE… To be honest I haven’t lead the most healthy lifestyle. — a bit overweight- type triple A personality and a heavy smoker — and oh , did I mention I belong to gym but have only been there 3 times this past year.

Well I just got a BIG wake up call! and am finally aware of the fact that I am not as invincible as I thought. Guess some of that comes with age( mid -forties)  but if you are young you really do feel invincible.

9. ONE OF THE BIGGEST “AHA’s” OF THE YEAR for me as a marketer is that you need to provide value before you ask anyone for anything!

– So there are some of the things I learned — As you can see I have learned most of them the hard way. That’s always been the way I learn– from doing — not studying !

HERE’S WHAT 2009 LOOKS LIKE

– I have a target of losing 20 pounds and improving my health.

- I will be starting a community of serious originators and providing them with a “formulaic” way of generating income regardless of the market or the economy — more info at www.loanofficerformula.com

It’s actually a good site for anyone in any business…

- I will be getting out of some of those bad partnerships I mentioned

- I will continue studying and using the skills I feel are some of the most important to have if you want to be a success in anything ( business/personally)
They are salesmanship- persuasion- marketing- wealth creation and preservation

So what are you going to do ? Leave your comments below.

One of the rituals I perform every December 31st is to write out my plans ( goals) for the coming year. But I don’t stop there! I actually write down every specific of what it looks like having attained them. Then I go on to think about the resources I have and the resources I will need.

Finally I create an exact MAP of everything I need to do in order to get from where I am now to the written goal.

Try it! There is tremendous power in doing this. Then I review this overall plan daily and weekly to see how I ‘m doing. BY THE WAY– It’s totally ok to amend the route or even the plan. Sometimes you achieve a goal only to be let down that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. That’s actually exactly how I am feeling in one of my partnerships.. It’s a goal thousands have and now that I have attained it I am actually very much let down to know this person’s public persona is not their real one…. Oh well – live and learn!

 

Now go ahead and let me know what your challanges and goals are…

OOOPS– I almost forgot — I have committed to reading a book or course a week on the topics I mentioned above– salesmanship- wealth creation- persuasion – marketing.

I’ll keep you posted on what I ‘ve been reading in case you want to grab a copy yourself.

Here’s to a healthy , happy and of course prosperous 2009.

Brian Sacks

PS– One of the best items you “should” get your hands on right now is THE PHENOMENON(tm)
It is a very formulaic strategy for acheiveing more in the next 12 months. Learning these proven tactics really “changes the game” It did for me and I know it will for you too..

www.brian.in12months.com

Of course you can calso check out the resources on the resources page above too.. Hope you enjoyed this post and I would love your feedback!

PPS– This thought really should (and probably will be its own post) but since this year was so crappy it’s worth mentioning in closing.
How you handle failures DETERMINES your success!!!!  Please re-read that!

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