Well, folks, we've made it to the end of the year and what a ride it has been. 2005 was a great year for me personally and professionally. I saw my business grow almost as fast as my kids. Both gave me great joy and just enough trouble to keep me on my toes. I heard from people this year who were making tremendous progress building their eBay and online businesses and I heard from others who were just getting started. I heard from people who were thriving and I heard from others who were struggling. I heard from some who were making thousands of dollars a month and others who were fighting to pay the bills. Some people asked for my advice. Some people asked for my money. Some damned me because I am successful and they are not. My message to them all was the same: It's not up to ME. It's all up to YOU. YOU Have To Keep Moving Forward In business as in life, you must keep moving forward to be a success. You must have goals and you must have a plan. There is no such thing as an "idle success." Successful people are not satisfied to just stay in one place. They are not satisfied with what they have. They know that when you become satisfied with what you have, you will always have just that. Successful people are always looking toward the future and moving forward. YOU Must Never Give Up When life knocks you down it's easy to wallow in your own sorrow. Life becomes a pity party and you are the star. Finding a successful wallower is like trying to find Bigfoot: there is no such thing. When you fall off the horse, get back on. When life knocks you down, you have to get back up. In the words of my friend, comedian Ron White, "When life gives you lemons find someone life has given tequila and have a party." Never, ever give up. YOU Can't Let Your Circumstances Dictate Your Outcome At one time I was dead broke and working 3 jobs just to survive. I was living on coffee and cigarettes and sleeping 3 hours a night. It would have been very easy for me to let my circumstances get the best of me, but I refused to give up. I set goals for myself. I created a plan. I took action that would get me out of those circumstances, not keep me there. Only YOU Can Truly Motivate YOU The only person who can motivate YOU to take the action necessary to be a success is YOU. Too many people are looking to others for motivation when only self-motivation really works in the long term. When you were a kid your mother motivated you to get out of bed and go to school and make good grades and come home on time. Well, you're a grown up now and you have to be your own motivator. You have to make yourself take action. You must have the drive and determination to do things on your own. Without motivation and action, you will fail and it will be your own fault. No One Can Do It For YOU The only person who can make YOU a success is YOU. Others can provide you with advice and tools to help make your journey more fruitful, but in the end it is up to YOU to make YOU a success. It is up to YOU to start your business and learn to market your product. It is up to YOU to make sales and carry the money to the bank. If YOU won't do it for yourself, no one can do it for you. YOU Make Your Own Luck Finally, remember this: there is no such thing as luck. YOU make your own luck. Luck occurs when opportunity and action collide. So if you're waiting for Ed McMahon to show up on your doorstep and proclaim, "This is your lucky day!" you are going to have a long, miserable wait. Ed can't make you a success. I can't make you a success. It is all up to YOU. Now get off the couch and make 2006 a Great Year!
