This was my first full year in business and I’ve certainly learned a lot. Here are my top takeaways of the year, which I’m sharing in hopes that they may be helpful to other business owners.
11. We can
do more collectively than by ourselves. One of the great things about social media is the opportunity for collaboration. Reach out to those around you to gain insight and open up the narrow-minded thinking we often create on our own.
10. Trust your gut. This is an ageless maxim, yet often we still fight it. So many times this year I’ve had a uneasy feeling about something, but I did it anyway. Many times, it turned out I should’ve trusted my gut.
9. People are more alike than different. We are all human beings at the core. We all have fears, insecurities, worries, a need for love and acceptance, dreams, hopes and aspirations.
8. Get out of your own way. We are our worst critic and because of that, we often self-sabotage. Are you taking the long way to your destination just because it's what’s familiar? Sometimes, we have to get out of our head and out of our way to see things clearly. Take time to let yourself pass by.
7. Control is an illusion. I have a gazillion details to manage and often try to micro-manage my way through all of them. When something falls out of line, I get flustered. You think I’d know by now that control is an illusion and to just go with it! Still learning this one, but acceptance is the first step!
6. Stop being scared. Fear holds us back from achieving what comes naturally to us.
5. Love what you do. And do what you love. There are aspects of owning a business that just plain suck, but it’s important to focus the core of our time on our passion.
4. Everyone puts their pants on the same way in the morning. I remember my Dad telling this one, yet, I still get star struck by celebrities. And there are tons of them in the social media world. Even I have to remind myself that they are people – human beings, the core of what makes social media powerful.
3. Those I respect the most don’t expect fame and fortune. They just want to put their knowledge to good use and help others.
2. Everyone will have an opinion/theory/advice about social media and its use in business. The best leaders will embrace new ideas and facilitate open dialogue from all sides, while still being able to measure and continually refine the results.
1. Learning never ends. In order to grow, we cannot accept complacency. Continue to learn and evolve.
What did you learn this year?
