Thank goodness 2009 is over! What a tough year it was for all of us. But… we survived!!

Now it’s time to start thinking about 2010 if you haven’t done so already. One of the best ways to get your New Year started off in the right direction is to finish up 2009 and bag it for good. In other words, “Clean Some Things Up” and get a clean start in 2010. Listed below are some good tips to help us complete that clean up and set ourselves up for Great Success in 2010.

1. Clean that Computer up!

  • Now is the time to clean up all those old e-mails.
  • Go through your Contacts and make sure they are all correct and needed.
  • Purge your My Documents file. Transfer all of the documents and files you want to keep to your Server, an external hard drive or to a thumb drive for safe keeping.
  • Check your computer out for performance issues. Do you need a new one? Is it time to transition to a laptop? Check your memory and see if you may need to add additional memory. How about your virus software? Is it up to date? Have you defragged your hard drive recently? How about your software? Do you have the most up to date versions? Great sales going on right now, and it is the perfect time to upgrade.
  • Finally, it’s time to update all of your Social Networking sites and information. Do you need to un-friend some folks on Facebook or My Space? Do you have all the right contacts in Linked In and other Business Networks? How about your Profile? Is it correct and up to date and do you have an up to date photo?

2. Calendar Transition

  • Now is the time to decide if you are finally going to go completely electronic or continue to use a paper based calendar. If you decide to go electronic, learn to use your smart phone calendar option correctly, know how to sync and make sure your e-mail is connected properly. If you decide to continue to go with paper, it’s time to go on-line or to the local Office Products store and get a new one for 2010.
  • Get your calendar ready for 2010.
  • Transfer any recurring appointments or dates like birthdays, anniversaries or business meetings.
  • Outlook is probably what most everyone uses and there are some great tools available within the calendar option for color coding and labeling appointments and meetings so you stay more organized.

3. Get Organized – Clean up those Paper Files

  • There is nothing worse than to have a bunch of old files sitting around. Make sure you use a new storage box labeled properly to put your old 2009 files in. Remember keeping those old documents does come in handy. Always try to keep two years of records nearby. You probably will need them.
  • Not to be politically correct here, but now may be a good time to reduce your carbon footprint and start moving toward a paperless record keeping process by going completely electronic with your files.

4. “If you don’t have a Plan for 2010 you definitely won’t achieve it” (In other words, it is time to set your Goals for 2010!)

  • Look at your 2009 Goals and your Plan and see what worked and what didn’t. Where were you successful and what do you need to change?
  • Keep your Plan simple. I find just setting five key goals that I can accomplish helps me to have a better focus and a better chance of succeeding.
  • Set 5 Business Goals and 5 Personal Goals. Just a reminder that you should always do an evaluation every month to see where you are and adjust your plan if you need to.
  • Stretch yourself in 2010. You probably worked harder in 2009 than any other year so you have yourself set up for a great 2010. Don’t take the easy road but set some lofty goals that are achievable!
  • Some suggestions: revenue goal, income goal, total sales, health goals, community service goal and a goal to help your company be more successful.

Final thoughts

As I said, 2009 was a tough year for all of us. The economy was atrocious. Many people lost their jobs. Most all of us suffered monetarily and had to tighten our belts. But there is a silver lining in all of this. We have survived! We learned some things about ourselves and we probably became better at what we do. So now that we have gotten through 09, here are a few thoughts for 2010.

  • Be Positive! There is a tendency to be cynical when times are tough. Make up your mind that you are going to have a positive attitude and be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Attitude is half the battle or more in being successful
  • Build relationships in the new year. Find new people to associate with. Genuinely show interest in them and their lives. We all need each other. We just saw how much in the last year.
  • Take responsibility for your success. Don’t blame everything around you when things get tough.
  • Live a life of gratitude. There is always something we can be grateful for. Think about it!
  • Be where we are and be committed to serve others. If you don’t like where you are, change it. If you do like where you are, get better at what you do and make everyone around you more successful.

Finally… some words to live by:

5 Laws of Success

Law of Value
Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

Law of Compensation
Your Income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

Law of Influence
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.

Law of Authenticity
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

Law of Receptivity
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

Posted by: Tammy Russell Carroll, CRP, GMS, Broker, ABR, CRS, GRI, SRES, e-Pro
VP, Corporate Real Estate Services
Bob Parks Realty