In preparation for a BIG 2014, here are a few “lessons learned” from 2013:
- “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen is – for me – probably the second most important book of all time. (Yes, it’s for women too…)
Having read literally hundreds of non-fiction books, I don’t make this statement lightly. I came across this tiny but MIGHTY book in mid 2013 and it’s impacted my life in ways nothing else has since the Bible. Go out and read it. Then listen to it. Rinse and repeat at least once per month for the rest of your life…(And yes, this book is directly impactful to your life and business when applied diligently.)
- It’s not where you live; it’s how you live where you are. As a busy traveling consultant, it’s tempting to think living in area “A” may be better than area “B”. If I’ve learned anything from living many places, wonderful things can be found just about everywhere. Once you stop fighting against an area, or making unfair comparisons between two different areas, good things happen. It’s all about mindset and attitude. Coming to this realization in 2013 has massively changed the way I look at life in general.
- Good vibes are contagious. Being nice to people is…well…nice. And when I forget this rule (as I sometimes do, especially during morning “grumpy time”), it comes back to smack me on the bottom. (Or head, depending on the day.)
- In corporate and government consulting realms, “value-based pricing” is a myth. Ever hear consulting gurus talk about “value-based pricing”? Yeah, me too. Even talk about it myself from time to time. AND, it’s a great model which can work well with certain clients, and certain situations.
But in the big entity world (corporations, large private firms, governments and military) most are firmly entrenched in the time and materials or “T&M” mindset. Even when it costs them a LOT more money to do so. Many businesses are more vested in status quo processes, than efficient choices. Old billing models die hard in this business, and we have to accommodate that. No more fighting against that tide for me. Instead, 2014 will focus on providing the best value I can, wherever it makes the most sense.
- On the web, speed doesn’t kill; IT SAVES. Earlier in the year, I had a couple sites to optimize. By obsessing on speed, I was able to increase traffic by decreasing load times. In retrospect (considering how much time it took), I was perhaps too obsessed. But I firmly believe all website owners owe it to their visitors to make their sites as fast as possible. It can make a noticeable improvement in traffic, page rank AND revenue.
- Teenagers are people too. Yes, it’s still challenging to maintain strong relationships with the teenage demographic (as it was with me when I was one of them…), but their unique insights and perspective can put an interesting spin on life. Changing my perspective in 2013 added so many wonderful new dimensions to life.
- Fresh pressed, blended, or juiced organic greens is the single best thing you can do for your health. 2013 saw a lot of boosts in the Links family health regimen. We keep detailed records of everything from skin changes, energy levels, ….“regularity”, thought clarity, “youthful glow” and a number of other dimensions.
We added, or increased, a number of dietary factors including:
- More water
- Colloidal minerals
- Mineralized water
- Regular enemas
- A even higher percentage of raw foods
- More, and higher quality raw and organic supplements
- Green smoothies
- Exercise
- And more…
And still, the biggest single difference was adding 16oz to 24+ oz. of organic green juice (not with a bunch of fruit mind you, but green) . Enemas (2013 being my first year for doing these more than a couple of times), came in a close second.
- The power of agreement is a force to behold. I made a conscious commitment to strengthen my marriage in 2013. It has paid off in harmony, happiness, and yes – even in business. I once read somewhere where God’s presence is strongest where man and woman are together in harmonious partnership. This has proven to be true in a huge way in my own life.
- Some of the greatest business opportunities come to those who will present or speak effectively. I don’t mean this in a purely public-speaking-kind-of-way – though it could be. What I mean is people who can articulate their ideas well can go very far. VERY far. Most people are more than willing to relinquish this role of someone else comes along. BE that someone else…
- There are a great many lost iPads in the world. Much to my surprise and disappointment, the “iPad Security” articles are my most popular – by a 5 to 1 margin. All the daily queries about how to find, retrieve, wipe – or worse, “steal” someone else’s iPad are disheartening. Folks, if you have any kind of “i-device”, keep it close to you and well protected. Theft of these is more rampant than even most people would imagine. (I know, I see the daily search traffic on this.)
- Many people are more obsessed with their devices than their own health. Still trying to come to terms with this one. It boggles my mind how many people search for whether it’s safe to run their iPads through airport security scanners. Huh??? What about passing your body through the scanners?
Please – if you take nothing else away from this blog, know that you, your physical person and well being, and that of your family are massively more important than gadgets; which includes passing yourself through airport X-rays and sonar. Please consider that carefully…
- Sometimes in life, you just need to get up and walk around… This year, I spent a lot of time just exploring several miles of area around my home and offices. It’s amazing how much I would have otherwise missed by car! Restaurants, mail drops, and interesting stores are just a few new discoveries I totally missed driving around. I now practice a good local 3 mile circumference walk wherever I go. Try it.
It’s been a truly enlightening, enriched, growth-packed year. I’m looking forward to applying all of 2013’s lessons to a big 2014.
What about you? What are your biggest lessons from 2013?
Here’s to a massively successful and prosperous 2014 and beyond!
Best regards,
Corbin
