62 WAYS TO MAKE 2012 YOUR BEST YEAR YET - by Robin Sharma

1. Remember that leadership isn’t about your position. It’s about your influence.

2. Get fit like a pro athlete.

3. Lift people up versus tearing people down.

4. Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.

5. Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.

6. Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.

7. Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).

8. Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).

9. Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.

10. Read “Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist“.

11. Watch “Man on Wire“.

12. Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.

13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.

14. Say “please” more.

15. Say “thank you” more.

16. Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.

17. Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of the world is asleep.

18. Read “As You Think“. At least twice this year.

19. Be willing to fail. It’s the price of greatness.

20. Focus less on making money and more on creating value.

21. Spend less, save more.

22. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.

23. Be the most positive person in every room you’re in.

24. Run your own race.

24. Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.

25. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.

26. When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationery. In time, they’ll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.

27. Read “Atlas Shrugged“.

28. Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.

29. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.

30. Honor your parents.

31. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It’s one of life’s best sources of happiness.

32. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).

33. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.

34. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.

34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.

35. See part of your job as “a developer of people” (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).

36. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you’re real, they’ll fall in love with you.

37. Be authentic versus plastic.

38. Read “The Alchemist“.

39. Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.

40. Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).

41. Eat less food.

42. Drink more water.

43. Rest when you need to.

44. Read “SUCCESS” magazine.

45. Write your eulogy and them live your life backwards.

46. Demand the best from yourself.

47. Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

48. See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).

49. Be obsessed with learning and self-development.

50. Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).

51. Smile. It’s a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.

52. Reflect on the shortness of life.

53. Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.

54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.

55. Read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin“.

56. Be of deep value to this world.

57. Own beautiful things but don’t let them own you.

58. Use excellent words.

59. Laugh more.

60. Don’t complain, gossip or be negative.

61. Plan as if you’ll live forever but live as if you’ll die tomorrow.

62. Feel free to pass these lessons on to those you want to help.

Written by Robin Sharma, January 3, 2010. For more information visit robinsharma.com. Robin’s new book “The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable On Real Success in Business and Life” will be published by Simon and Schuster in March. Many of the ideas above come from it.

The season of compassion

As we grow older we become more tolerant, more flexible, more open in our views, our consciousness is expanded, we show greater understanding, we are more appreciative, more grateful, caring and loving. For who? But for ourselves, of course. First and foremost. And then for the other people. We feel content. It took me forty two years to be able to say this word and mean it. It took me forty two years to say the word ‘happy’ and mean it. Feel it my body, not just understand it rationally because I read so much about it in the relevant manuals. When you come to terms with you are, accept your life as it is, your job, your boss, your friends, your family – JUST AS THEY ARE – and you are fine with it, then you are  content. You can bury the old wounds now, let go of unfulfilled dreams, forgive the people that hurt you in the past,  and move on. Let go of all the old baggage as the year changes and start fresh and new, feeling aspired to go after your new (or old) dreams, to be creative, to be excited by life, to be exciting and inspirational, to share love, kindness and compassion with everyone. For me, that’s the way to approach the new year.  As this year is  coming to an end, I’d like to find some time in my busy social agenda and do this exercise I found at Robin Sharma’s website about making the next year better, or something like that. He gives very clear instructions about following five or six steps to complete your plan for the year to come and I won’t get into much details now, I’m sure if one looks on his website, they’ll find the relevant video. But I find it very inspiring and helpful and I’ll do that soon, I might be posting the results here since I did, after all, promised on my last post that I’ll come up with my own dream by the time I’ve posted again. 

Having a quick look at my year I have to say that’s it’s been a smashing good year, with  its ups and downs and love stories and dramas and turmoil and happiness and a good mix of moments of a not-so-dull life. I’m excited about the year to come, about spending holidays with new friends, about the quiet moments by the fireplace in peace and tranquility and about all the things that I’ve achieved and I’m finally kind enough to myself to give me credit for. Go girl!

And so, as passion is replaced by compassion, this holiday season I wish for everyone to share and receive love, kindness, joy, laughter, and lots of presents! Recession or not, it is, after all, Christmas!

Con mucho amor,

Tabitha