If You Do These 5 Things, 2016 Will Be Unbelievable.

You want a great 2016? I'm here to make it happen.If you own a business, work for an organization, or are in transition, these five things will make 2016 shine:

#1 — Take small steps in 2016.

Everyone wants to make big changes in their life — it's built into our genes and personality. We all want to evolve into something better. More money, beautiful body, better health, more clients, or a big promotion. Unfortunately, most of the time, it doesn't happen because we want it to happen NOW.

Instead of making that huge long jump towards our goals, why not break it down into smaller tasks, activities, or steps? Going for that big promotion? What can you do right now — today — to help your boss, your team, or your department grow? What new thing do you need to do? What old thing do you need to stop? Small steps quickly build into major gains and people will notice quickly. Read this.

#2 — Your schedule is your life in 2016.

You can never add more time to your life — we only have 24 hours each day. So instead of trying to 'trick' more time into your life, try to stick to a solid schedule and track the more important events that do make a difference in our career and business.

Try to cut 10% of your lower-level activities every day and stop wasting time with surfing, chatting, useless meetings and less industrious activities. If you cut just 10%, you will garner almost an hour back into each workday. Just think if you had an extra hour to do some really cool stuff for your boss or clients! Read this.

#3 — Get out and meet lots of people in 2016.

Stop cocooning yourself at your desk behind your monitor. Make a firm commitment to get out (at least) once a week to connect with people outside of your current social circle.

Why? The more people you meet = the more friends you make = the more open you are to opportunities = the more success you will see. If you do this once a week, you will add 52 new friends to your contact list. I want you to make a list of FIVE people who you need to meet in the next five weeks. Get out there! Read this.

#4 — Work on yourself in 2016.

Mentally and physically. You can always get better — more knowledgable, more in-tune with the times, more healthy and active, more connected to what's really happening in 2016. I'm a boomer/millennial and it drives me nuts to see people my age who don't know how to work their technology, don't listen to important podcasts, or keep up on what's happening outside of their workplace.

Make a firm commitment to grow your brain and body. Join a gym, hire a personal trainer, go back to school, listen to podcasts, read a book, try a series of courses on the web, or just start stretching (your body and mind). I want you out for a 10 minute walk at 3 PM every day. And Watch this. (one of my favorite videos - by Casey Neistat - it gets me going!).

#5 — Be grateful for what you have in 2016.

When we are in building mode during the first few weeks of the new year — we tend to forget how lucky we all are. That we have a strong roof over our heads, we are never hungry, we have our health, we have people who love us — this list can go on and on.

Make a point each day to get up and write down three things you are grateful for each day. It could even be a beautiful sunrise, a bird on a tree, or getting to work in the snow without mishap. The more grateful you are, the more you will appreciate your life, your family, and friends. And they will appreciate you. Read this and this.

ALSO - Check out The Five Minute Journal — I have one and it has made an incredible impact on my life. 

#6 — EXTRA CREDIT: Start hugging TODAY.

Get out there and hug people! If you see someone you haven't seen in a long while — give them a great big bear hug! I know I might be venturing into the edges of 'sexual harassment' at work territory, but on a personal note — start hugging everyone. Not only will you love it — they will appreciate it! Read this.

If you liked what you read...

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10 Tips To Recover After A Crisis.

Last year, my home and business were hit by a terrible snowstorm (Irene) which knocked out power for over eight days. Even though I had access to cell phones and internet, it played a mental and physical toll on me. As the main provider to my household, it affected me mentally — WHY? — our situation was totally out of my control. Even though we had a generator with power, heat and food, life was way from normal. The mental toll played out personally and professionally. I constantly worried about any further impacts to our situation, sustained boredom, and how it was playing on my clients.

Guess what? Everything was fine — I just had to refocus my energy on positive actions which would move me forward. So here are 10 tips to help you cope with a natural disaster which might affect your career or business:

1. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

When life knocks us for a loop, we tend to roll with the punch and stay down. If you know boxing, you only have 10 seconds to get back up before the fight is over. That means you need to get back up ASAP and realize there will be light at the end of the tunnel and wallowing in our own misfortune will not get us there.

2. Keep busy.

Fill up every day with things to do. Why? It doesn't allow you to worry about what didn't happen or occur during the emergency and it gets you back on the horse ASAP. Think about tactical, strategic and communication activities — what actions will bring the most impact. In addition, if your boss or clients see you humming along like a rocket, they will be impressed!

3. Stay in contact with your clients, boss, and team.

Communication is key. Reconnect with everyone, ask questions, and see how you can help. Give them tips on how to recover. Or just LISTEN. Most people just want to talk, vent, and look for answers — it is great that you are there for them.

4. If you can't do tactical duties, work on strategic stuff.

If you're held back by others or processes beyond your control, do something else. Remember that project or initiative you never have time to work on? Now you have time - do it!

5. Reach out and engage people you usually don't connect with.

Broaden your contact sphere and reach out to people you normally don't talk to. I promise they are looking for a shoulder to cry on and you are there to listen. Also — they are a week behind too — see how your abilities and business might help them solve their problems.

6. Try to help, inform, and impact everyone you meet.

Everyone. People on the street might need a jump for their car, your neighbors, other people in your office building, etc. Right after the emergency, most people need help getting themselves, their career and their business back up and running. This is the time to reach out.

7. Did I say keep busy?

Don't stop for anything, keep busy and your mind thinking of new ideas how to move forward!

8. Get your name out there to see if you can help.

This is the best time to market yourself. If you're a business — increase your marketing by 100%. Get onto social media — blog, tweet, facebook, etc. Get your name out there. If you work for an organization  — market yourself — who can you reach out to and help them with their project? Reach out to your boss and show them what you've done so far.

9. Get your head straight.

It's over. Move on and stop venting how bad it was. Whine for one minute and then move on with your life. It's behind you. Don't let it continually affect you over the coming months.

10. Rocket out of your current position and fly forward.

Set up the launch pad, fuel your rocket, and hit the ignition switch. Use this calamity as a reason to rocket your business or career into the stratosphere. Start thinking BIG!

20 Tips To Tune Up Your Life.

A number of weeks ago, one of my favorite sites (Reddit), posted an open forum on what small areas of your life you can subtly tune up where it delivered an incredible result. Here are the BEST of the 5000+ entries from people all over the world:

I gave up soda two years ago. I used to drink it like water. Now I drink water. I sleep better and have lost 5% of my body weight without another major change.

Going through my closets, shelves, etc. and getting rid of things that I haven't used or don't really need. As it's often been difficult in the past for me to part with "things," it's become necessary in order to maintain my sanity.

More risk taking, made me feel more alive. Just jumping in and doing something different, getting myself out of my comfort zone. Engaging in conversation with strangers, got me way more friends than I've ever had previously. Also leads to some powerful stories.

I threw out all my old socks, and bought 10 identical pairs. My life is so much easier.

I cut out sugar and vastly increased vegetable intake.

I started working out and trying to eat better, and girls notice me way more now. It was hard work, but I love being fit. It feels much more natural. A funny response to this tip: “Now if you just get a suit you'll be unstoppable.”

I started flossing on a daily basis about a year ago. I'm normally the guy who goes to the dentist and gets the lecture about taking better care of my teeth. The last time I went, the hygienist finished, looked me in the eyes and said "Your oral hygiene is excellent."

I got rid of all my credit cards 2 years ago. I am more careful with how I choose to spend money.

When I see people I know, even acquaintances, I act like I am genuinely really happy to see them and give them a big smile. Someone else did this for me once. I was hooked.

I quit playing video games and ‘surfing’ the web. The days are so long now I have no idea what to do with them. I actually started writing my dissertation and exercising out of sheer lack of anything else to do.

I started waking up at 5:00 AM so I can get in my personal time to read/work on projects before everyone else is awake to distract me. I used to dread waking up early, now I look forward to that time every night when I go to sleep. FYI - I go to bed at 10:00 PM.

Started dressing nicer. People really do notice.

Recently, I've been sitting up straight. I'm tall so I have a tendency to hunch over and slouch when I'm sitting. The posture makes me feel less sleepy and more alert, which is odd because I can't figure out how that works. The trick for me was to roll back my shoulders and the rest kind of follows.

I left my job in a cubicle to teach preschool. It's a lot less glamorous to tell someone that I work in childcare but it has really affected my lifestyle. Surprisingly, I'm a lot less drained at the end of the day. Something about staring at a computer screen for eight hours is just tiring. Now I come home and actually have energy to do stuff. I'm happier, and most importantly I don't dread work on Sunday evening.

Regular meditation. It definitely takes some patience and practice, but regular meditation has amplified my living experience substantially. I am more engaged in the richness of life as a result. I can glide through tasks with pleasant ease, and never feel like I'm flustered or frustrated. It's hard to explain the subtleties of how practicing meditation has improved my overall well being, its as if people, places, goals, tasks and basically everything else has changed around me plus I have a more confident outlook. HERE is a great beginners guide (direct .pdf download)

I stopped caring about what anyone thought about me. I went from being a shy kid, to a successful, confident, happy man!

Here’s my favorite (one person did this!):

• Remind yourself where you want to be, what you want to be doing, and envision yourself getting there throughout the day. If you have a solid vision, you can make it reality.
• Start the day with some change in a pocket you normally don't keep change in. Every time you say something nice to someone move a coin to another pocket. It is a powerful thing to know at the end of the day that, if nothing else, you made a few people feel good about something.
• Cook dinner for your friends once a week if you can. There is no better bonding than regular dinner as a family.
• Introduce yourself to everyone you come into contact with at social events. Everyone has a story to share and most have the desire to collaborate. You'll never know who you might have met and what you could have accomplished together if you don't say hi and they don't know your name.