THE GREATEST LESSON OF 2015

We are nearing the end of the year and one of the
most important (and profitable) investments you can make is
to review the past few months very, very carefully.
Humans are creatures of habit. We are examples of Newton's
law that, "a body in motion tends to remain in motion." We
tend to plunge ahead, repeating yesterday's mistakes and
failing to learn from experience. We take great pride in
the fact that we "can" learn, but my observation is that
we rarely do.
We tend to assume that what worked last year will continue
to work next year. We know that we should be innovative,
creative and original, but in our daily work it's easy to
get trapped in old habits, whether they serve us or not.  

When Jack Welch was the head of General Electric,
he insisted that half the company's profits come from
products and services that were less than five years old.
Why? Because he knew that yesterday's methods won't fit
tomorrow's world.
Take time to review the following questions: 

1. What worked best this year? What surprised me, inspired
me or taught me something new for my work or my life?  

2. What did not work, or is working less and less well?
What was less profitable or effective than I expected? What
should I drop in the new year?
3. What's new in my field? What are my colleagues
doing that I should apply to my business?  

One of the BEST things any professional, business owner or
manager can do is invest in seminars and conferences. The
chance to "see the forest for the trees" is incredibly
valuable. Conferences generate new perspectives, and new
ideas create vast new opportunities! Invest in yourself!