As we enter into this New Year we all tend to have a heightened sense of the opportunities and possibilities that 2009 can bring. The need for goal-setting becomes more obvious and clear. And the great thing about goal-setting is you can keep it as simple or get as elaborate as you would like...

Whcih ones will you use?

No other aspect can be as important as this:

ACTION!

Here's a list of important questions and answers regarding action...

Are you committed to succeed? That's right. Think about that question. Are you committed to succeed?

Very often by asking people, "How many of you are committed to succeed?"  Very often not many people put up their hands. Only a couple. But what I found out in life is this, in life only five percent of people I've met, are truly committed to get the results they want in life, and are truly committed to succeed.

In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want.

Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can't see how it's possible to get what they want -- so they don't even let themselves want it.

What scientists now know about how the brain works is that you must first decide the 'WHAT' before your brain can figure out the 'HOW'. Once you lock-in your desires, your mind and the universe can step in.

Are you ready to get started?

Somebody once made the observation that the person who is wrapped up entirely in himself makes a very small package.  It is also true that the package often contains a time bomb!

Eight years ago I looked out into the Atlantic Ocean on New Years Day with fear in my heart and uncertainty in my life. I had been fired from a "dot.com" company two weeks earlier with only two weeks of severance....

When starting any enterprise or business, whether it is full-time or part-time, we all know the value of having plenty of capital (money). But I bet we both know or at least have heard of people who started with no capital who went on to make fortunes. How? You may ask.

Well, I believe there are actually some things that are more valuable than capital that can lead to your entrepreneurial success. Let me give you the list.

The planning phase is very important in organizing your thoughts to carry out the desired effects.

You might say that this is boring stuff, but you should never underestimate this process. This is like a guideline to steer you into the right direction.

If it is so easy to achieve success, set goals, create a strategy, take action; and if you don't get what you want, you just change your strategy until you get what you want.

If that is all there is to succeed, why isn't everybody doing this?

A loyal reader writes:

How does a fundamentally shy person succeed in business? Most people don't percieve me as shy, but I started out being introverted. I get along pretty well with people at work, and I'm fine in one-on-one situations. But I don't say much at team meetings, and still have no clue how to give effective speeches/presentations. Still can't be in group situations professionally without feeling attacks of paralyzing gut-level fear. What do you think I can do about it?

Generation Y (the young men and women born after 1977) are different from other generations in many respects, from their political views to the careers they choose (or don't choose). Their presence in the workplace is truly making an impact, causing employers to worry, fret and scratch their heads, and asking, "What do I do to attract the 20-something worker, and once I have them, how do I keep them?"

As I am preparing for my attendance to the CoachVille's Third Annual Coaching Conference, I have been considering how I can make the most of my conference attendance. These ten tips will support you in leveraging those conference you will attend in the future and for creating an unforgettable experience!

Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is it lacking the zest and appeal which can penetrate the consciousness of your buyers? If so, you may be driving away folks who could easily buy your products or services. If so, these ten signs from The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z: B is for Boring will support you in raising your awareness of what drives folks away and tips on how you can create a message which will catch fire in the market place.

As business owners, we all know that the key to fantastic sales is to let your customers have a personal experience of you. The difficulty, of course is that to give every customer that experience personally requires a tremendous time commitment of ourselves and our staff. So what do we do?

In today's competitive world of business, it takes moxie and pizazz to sell a great product, idea, or service. This list will provide you with ten unusual and creative marketing strategies which will help you to stand apart from the competition and to increase your visibility.

Customer satisfaction is valuable, but customer loyalty is priceless. In today's competitive world of business, it is becoming more and more important to deliver customer service that is unbeatable. These ten creative strategies can support you in turning your customers into walking billboards for your business.

We experience creativity every time a fresh idea pops into our minds. We recognize creative imagination in everything from a pastel painting to a business plan. By trying these ten tips, you will discover some amazing creative abilities that may surprise you.

They're called Generation Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, and Connecteds. By whatever name, this generation of youth born after 1977 represents more than 70 million consumers in the United States. They earn a total annual income of about $211 billion, spend approximately $172 billion per year** and considerably influence many adult consumer buying choices, so no longer are they the youth that will be seen but not heard -- and marketing professionals need to take notice!

They're called Generation Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, and Connecteds. By whatever name, this generation of youth born after 1977 represents more than 70 million consumers in the United States. They earn a total annual income of about $211 billion, spend approximately $172 billion per year** and considerably influence many adult consumer buying choices, so no longer are they the youth that will be seen but not heard -- and marketing professionals need to take notice!

Radical innovation is going to be a critical component in a leader's toolkit in the future, and this does not mean that you "try to innovate" over a week-end brainstorming retreat. True innovation happens by disrupting the current environment, challenging old assumptions and even turning the culture upside down so that you can take a creative idea, turn it into a product or service and successfully move it to the marketplace.

As a business owner, is your enterprise truly thriving, or are you feeling the pressure from your competitors who are breathing down your neck? If your business is not what you want it to be, what do you think is really going on? Being a business owner is probably one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of life, and at this time of year, we all need a quick business reality check. This article will provide you with a quick assessment of the business behaviors which are contributing to your success or those which might be triggering failure. As you are reading each statement, perform a quick self assessment. Can you answer “yes” to each statement? If not, your business might be under fire, and it’s time to turn it around.

I am convinced that the quality of our living is directly proportional to the quality of our relationships, and it is not uncommon for our relationships to suffer when we are fearful or we feel threatened by another person or group of people.

As I am traveling around the country, I am hearing questions and comments from Baby Boomers which are somewhat on the critical side...criticizing Generation Y for their high expectations, for being able to get the job done quickly and then wanting to kick off early or for Generation Y's casual attitudes about dress and formal communication.

Time is a very precious and costly commodity that many of us take for granted. Few people will readily admit that large parts of our working day are wasted through countless interruptions, procrastination, and clutter. Maximize your life through minimizing what is in it by starting with these ten creative strategies for managing and organizing a more successful enterprise.

I need to make a change in my company…How do I do it, and how do I manage it? This is a question I hear from business leaders every day... yet the question often comes to me after the fact... when people are up in arms and ready to bolt. A change can be something as simple as new stationery or as tumultuous as a merger or acquisition, and while the change is often seen by top leadership as necessary to move ahead of aggressive competitors, this is not always the case for employees. Why? I believe the answer is this - Your employees are not angry about the change itself... they are angry because they are often the last to hear, you did not get their buy-in, their vote didn't count , and bam... Trust is shattered!"