Self Employment Tips for 2012

Three.. Two.. One… HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!!
I’m about to say something that goes against everything “New Year”… Forget resolutions!.. I dropped most of my bad habits a couple years ago, and minus a couple generic resolutions like shedding a couple pounds, or working harder, there’s not a whole lot I want to change.. I’m in love with my industry, and I’m happy about the potential of my future, so this year, for me.. it’s all about Aspirations..

Be the Change
Instead of focusing on things we should change, I say we should let our aspirations manifest in our everyday life, and start living like we’ve already achieved our goals. After all, if you want to be successful, you have to start acting like you already are. This doesn’t mean slack off and act like a big shot… lol. It simply means that we should try to change our mindsets, and become the person we ultimately want to be.

Make your Agenda your Boss
If I had to give one bit of advice on how to have a more successful 2012, I would have to bring up something I started doing in 2011.. I started scheduling my goals… and I mean down to the minute! I would have to say that I’m a more schedule driven person when I have someone telling me what needs to be done – (this is not a good quality for a leader to have!). I found that when I had a big list of things to do in a day, I would start with one task and spend to much time with it, pushing every other task down the list, throwing off my whole day, and then finding myself feeling as if my day was a lost. I have often told others that if I was my own employee, I would fire myself… so in an attempt to better myself, I started treating myself as my own employee. I gave myself a very detailed daily schedule and follow it down to the minute, allotting each hour of the workday a different task. If I do not finish a task in my given time frame, I will force myself to move on to the next task and continue on with my day. My results the first day changed the way I work now, because even if some tasks were not completed, the majority of them were, and I now end my work days feeling more accomplished and successful.

Reward Yourself
For someone that enjoys their job, it’s very easy to become a workaholic and end up getting burned out. I know how easy it is to become wrapped up in a project and go non stop until it is finished.. As hard as it may be to turn your back on a project, I think it’s a must… Force yourself to take some time off and do something you enjoy doing. More times than not, you will come back feeling refreshed, and with new perspectives. A wise man once told me, success has nothing to do with happiness, and in order to be truly happy, you have to have a good grasp on your work/family life, because working hard and playing hard go hand in hand.. so make sure you know your priorities and never neglect either side.

Stay Motivated
I have had much more failure than success in my lifetime.. Here’s one of my favorite quotes: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill. Try to keep one thing in mind, failure isn’t as bad as it sounds, because your still getting first hand experience and knowledge out of it. When you do not succeed, keep your chin up, learn from your mistakes and try again. I like to surround myself with pictures of things motivate me, like family, places I would like to travel to, and even that big mansion on top of snob hill. Once your truely motivated, your unstoppable, so find out what motivates you, and go for it.

Stop being a “Lone Wolf”
There is nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment, and knowing that you did it all by yourself. When I first started in the marketing industry, I was bull-headed and didn’t want anyone’s help. I felt like I could be successful on my own, and asking for help was a big sign of weakness. Boy was I wrong.. Threw the years I’ve learned that surrounding myself with positive support, and other people in my industry, was a major benefit. Seek out people you trust, and respect, build a good relationship with them, and never turn down a collaboration. It’s all about who you know… NOT because of where they can get you, but because of the support, advice, and insight they may be able to provide you with. Let your new comrades know that they can come to you for advice anytime they want, and do your best to help them as much as possible.. 9 out of 10 times, that assistance will be rewarded somehow or another.

The sky is the limit this year people.. Remember when dad told you that you can be anything you want to be? Well, even in today’s economy, and strong competition, he still right.. If you put in the hard work and strive to accomplish something, there is no reason you cant make it happen. Make 2012 your oyster.. Never stop trying and always stay motivated. Believe in yourself and stay the coarse – it will payoff eventually… Happy New Years everyone and good luck with all those aspirations!

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