THRIVE through it!

Welcome to 2010!

The decade-ending 2009 is best viewed through your rearview mirror, and fortunately for us all, a new year is now. It has been my experience that a car is driven best from the driver's seat, with both eyes open wide, and you free from distraction looking squarely through the windshield and road ahead. As such, I am hoping this finds you in the drivers seat, packed full of the knowledge and experience you have gained over these past few years, and ready for your trip. What trip you ask? Your best year yet! Have you decided that 2010 will be your best year yet? Well - have YOU? All it takes to have your best year yet is YOUR DECISION to do whatever it takes to create the success you desire.

In late 2008, my partners from one of my businesses (BNI Miami-Dade) decided that we would "refuse to participate in the recession", and we wore maroon buttons with our logo to every meeting and event we attended in 2009. It was more than just a catchy slogan to us, as we truly believed in the possibility that 2009, despite all odds and obstacles, could be our best year yet. You know what? IT WAS! We ended 12/31/09 as the #1 rated franchise of BNI in the world, out of 372 franchises in 42 countries. No - I am not kidding, nor exaggerating - this is fact. If you don't believe me, contact our CEO Norm Dominguez at norm@bni.com, ask him which franchise ended 2009 #1 in the world on Traffic Lights, and who the Executive Director is, and if you reference Jeff Stay in the subject title, I am confident he'll respond.

So - I ask you again: have you decided to have your best year yet in 2010?
I know, I know.... we have tragedy happening in an already impoverished Haiti, a group of dictators seizing anything democratic in a beautiful country known as Venezuela, and an Iranian state determined to secure nuclear capabilities, for what is obviously military uses. As if that's not enough to send you into a depression, let's share some other reason(s) WHY you should have doubts, fears, and pessimism - provided to us courtesy of every news medium on planet Earth:

1-"we are in what is being called The Great Recession"
2-"we are in a long, protracted and difficult war"
3-"unemployment is above 10% in most major cities, and closer to 20% if you count those who are underemployed, or who have stopped looking"
4- "ObamaCare is on the verge of passing the U. S. Senate, and is that good (or bad) for America?"
5- "banks are handing out billions in bonus payments while the rest of us suffer"
6- "it's tough out there right now"

Shall I continue? No, of course not. So, if you're looking at the title of this article, and you're wondering impatiently what "it" is - let me explain. IT =the bad news. Each of these subjects 1-6, including the paragraph prior, were headline news stories from our area, from every area of the world today. In fact, they've been relatively similar since the "downturn", "slow down", or "bust" began, whenever that was. Do you know the one thing that hasn't changed in all that time? MY REACTION to the bad news! I have repeatedly decided, each and every year, to "THRIVE through it", and I sincerely hope after reading this, you will, too.

We are under assualt at every turn with pessimism, negatively-spun realism, or just plain negativism, and yet nobody is screaming aloud ENOUGH ALREADY! GIVE ME IDEAS, GIVE ME TIPS, GIVE ME TOOLS, GIVE ME EDUCATION, GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY AND GIVE ME HOPE! But they should be, because if we let the news media, including the t.v., newpapers, magazines, blogs, and locals publications control our mindshare, then we're always going to be talking about doom and gloom. How does that help anyone? It doesn't, but we remain addicted. Why? The answer to this question is not my field of expertise, so I'll avoid answering here; however, I'll tell you what is my field of expertise: CREATING SUCCESS. In fact, it's my business to help others in business to be more successful, which is the purpose of STAYSUCCESSFUL. (http://www.staysuccessful.com/)

How can you "THRIVE through it" in 2010?

T- tomorrow is here, so tackle that big problem from 2009, stop waiting and call on that dream client, and realize that the single best decision you can make right now, is to commit to your success - TODAY.

H- help others, passionately and with compassion to achieve their goals and dreams, and they in turn will help you to achieve yours.

R - remember the little things every day, such as a call from a friend, a card from a family member, or a hug and a kiss from your loved one.

I- invest in your business, and in yourself, by attending a seminar, listening to a CD (or an old cassette tape), or continuing your education.

V- ibe is the personal music you create, every minute of every day, in your business and in your life - so have you asked yourself lately - what the vibe that I am conveying to my community?

E- xcellence is not a destination, it's a journey that lasts forever, so when you succeed (and you will), re-load your goals, re-set your plans, execute your best intentions and THRIVE!