If you have seen the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, you know the story of a man who sacrificed his own dreams to help build others.
George Bailey gave up traveling the world to keep the building and loan business going so that people would have a place to live.
After his uncle lost a large sum of money (actually stolen by the villain) and facing possible jail time, Bailey thought the best thing he could do was to leave his life behind.
But God and Clarence had other ideas. Clarence, his guardian angel, showed him what life would be like without his influence.
In the end, word got around town that George needed help, and the whole town chipped in money to help their friend in need.
At the end of the story, George’s brother Harry proposed a toast, “A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town.”
Following the toast from Harry, the crowd began to sing the song Auld Lang Syne. This song has perplexed me for years.
“…The phrase ‘auld lang syne’ roughly translates as ‘for old times’ sake’, and the song is all about preserving old friendships and looking back over the events of the year.”
Source: Scotland.org
I even wrote an article about it a couple of years ago right here at MainWP.
George’s guardian angel left him with these words, “Dear George: Remember- No Man is a Failure who has Friends.”
So my friend, as we prepare to cross the threshold into 2020, a new decade, I am leaving you with these 5 things to remember.
Remember the good, forget the worst of the past
It is far too easy to focus on the things that went wrong. I know I do. I can remember the dark times in 2019, how I felt at times, the struggles with health.
It would be better for me to remember that I kept on grinding and eventually launched my first-ever digital product. Not only did I launch the product, but I also grossed over $2K for my time and effort.
Take time to manage your self-care
While we are grinding to run our business, get new leads, and delivering on our contracts, don’t forget your self-care.
We need moments of rest. We need moments with those we love.
This past weekend, I visited my friend in a nearby town. The visit helped me reset. I had a great time, and I really think it helped me take care of myself.
Other things I do to help is listen to music and spend time with my pet. I need to add more activity to that list in 2020. How about you?
Eliminate famines with recurring income
One thing that never seems to end is the number of famines that come with our businesses. Go a few months without a new project, and suddenly, we have cash flow problems.
Find a way to eliminate that. Frankly, there are several ways to do that.
Some have set up WordPress maintenance services using MainWP while others use productized services.
Perhaps you can use consulting to help fill in the gaps. There are a plethora of ways to help minimize and maybe even eliminate the famines.
Learn your why and use it as a rallying cry
What is your why? Why do you go to work each day? I don’t think there is just one why. There is usually more than one.
Maybe your why is to take care of your family, although I suspect that is most of us. Perhaps you want the freedom of having your own schedule so that you don’t miss memories with your children.
Maybe you are like me and have always made the plans even if only in my head. I am rarely satisfied with the way others do things, and it frustrates me.
Maybe you are passionate about serving your target market. Perhaps you found a solution to your own problem, and now you are sharing it with others.
Learn your why and use it as a rallying cry.
Remember that the essentials have never changed
In business, the essentials have never changed. Even though we are about to cross the threshold into 2020, business is still about relationships. We can do all the fancy marketing stuff, and we can spend our money on new tech toys, but in the end, it is about listening to our customers and giving them what they need as well as what they want.
As my friend Rob likes to say, “Business is like dating, it’s a relationship.”
Go and do business. Go and build relationships.
Wrapping it up
So, as you go into a new year and a new decade, I hope your new year is filled with wonder and amazement. I wish for your success.
And as Casey Kasem used to say at the end of each America Top 10 episode, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”
