Being that this is my first blog post of 2014 for the Personal Branding Blog, I’d like to take a moment to get personal. As I enter my second semi-century I have been working for going on 30 years now in various roles as an engineer, a sales rep, a marketeer and predominantly as a business development and alliances professional. I’d like to think I learned a lot. I’d like to think I have a lot to share. I’ve tried and will continue to try and share what I have learned over the years in these blog posts. I want to thank those that have continued to read, comment and encourage me. Your ideas and feedback are an inspiration. You catch my attention.
As we enter 2014 there are numerous changes happening all around the world. It seems as though the world might actually be spinning faster. We all have challenges keeping up with the latest news and trends. I hope this post helps you think about taking a step back and that you consider slowing down or at least looking around a little bit before speeding off to the next thing. I’m recommending three things to catch your attention in 2014.
I want to use this post to recommend three things for you to consider. Three things to be thankful for, prepared for, and as you go about your business to be aware of in 2014.
I hope these three things catch your eye and capture your attention and cause you to take action. Whether you are utilized as a chance for reflection, redemption or rediscovery is up to you.
In 2014… I’d like you to think about Humility, Serendipity, and Giving Back,
To me each of these three are related and inter-dependent upon one another.
Humility
I have been humbled many times in this past year by so many things. Incredible acts of kindness, people that have gone out of their way to make a difference. This relates directly to the third point of giving back and that’s for a reason. Humble people don’t need to prove themselves to be superior to others. They are comfortable in their own skin and are willing to share what they know.
The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient. ~ St. Augustine
Serendipity
No matter what someone says… things happen for a reason. Call it whatever you want, but be aware that there are times when serendipity just happens. Enjoy it. Seek it. Revel in it.
There’ll always be serendipity involved in discovery. ~ Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com
Whether it’s in personal relationships or in business there will inevitably be situations where serendipity intervenes. Enjoy it. Seek it. Revel in it.
Giving back
There are so many ways to give back. It can be as simple as holding a door open for someone or offering a smile. Or it can be as elaborate as you can imagine and deliver. The point is… seek at least one way every single day to give back. Do Something. Do Anything. Just Get Started.
If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you’ll end up not doing nothing for nobody. ~ Malcom Bane
There is no wrong way to give back. Just do one thing every day and you’ll see.
That’s it — Three things to catch your attention in 2014
It’s pretty easy and fairly obvious. Your success is directly tied to others. By embracing humility, serendipity and giving back, I think you’ll find 2014 to be your best year yet. Enjoy it and Revel in it. Then Share it.
You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. ~ Zig Ziglar
