Over the past few years I have learned some very valuable lessons, and with 2010 coming to an end, I thought this post would benefit you for the new year and years to come.

These lessons can be applied to any area of your Business and life.

This is a special post to me, and it will be for you too. It’s not intended to be biased, but rather lessons I have learned, hence what the title suggest.

I have listed these valuable nuggets below. Enjoy!

1. Keep it simple. Less is more.
   
   
2. End the habit of being a perfectionist. The most important part is to get it going, and then making the changes, tweaks and improvements.
   
   
3. An idea is nothing until breath some life into it.
   
   
4. Build relationships first before you ever try to sell anything. People will naturally follow those whom they know, like and trust.
   
   
5. The latest tools aren’t going to make you an expert if you don’t know how to use it.
   
   
6. Share your knowledge. I once heard a variation of the “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. The variation is “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can sell him fishing equipment.
   
   
7. If everything seems slow, you’re distracted. Distraction stops you from getting more done. If possible, eliminate as many distractions as you can – your phone, instant messaging, unnecessary websites and windows opened. Make sure people know you’re busy.
   
   
8. Keep learning. In life you either grow or you die, just like a plant. Knowledge cannot be bought, it needs to be learned.
   
   
9. Make your customers happy and they’ll keep buying from you.
   
   
10. Saving money isn’t about the amount you save, but the habit. Start saving any amount, whether it’s $5 a week or $1000 a week, it doesn’t matter. It’s the habit that matters. The law of compounding will take effect.
    
    
11. Doing more hours doesn’t necessarily mean more work done. Don’t overwhelm yourself with work just for the sake of it.
    
    
12. Building your list should be your number one priority. Your list is an asset for life.
    
    
13. Don’t spend too much at the start. Do what you can yourself first and then consider outsourcing.
    
    
14. The “fail fast” mantra should fail. It should be reworded to a more positive saying, like “launch and learn”.
    
    
15. Don’t worry about trying to compete against your competition and trying to be bigger and better. Stick with your unique selling proposition (USP).
    
    
16. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. You can’t satisfy everyone but you can satisfy a good number of loyal customers. Seth Godin’s post says it all.
    
    
17. Don’t make project management complicated, that’s when trouble starts to happen.
    
    
18. Buying established websites is a great ROI. Go to Flippa.com and you’ll find a vast variety of established websites.
    
    
19. The best way to get through your to do list is to break it down in to smaller, manageable bite sized tasks.
    
    
20. Setting a goal that’s too much ahead of time puts blinders in your path.
    
    
21. Videos are the way the go. We live in a very interactive world. Take advantage of what the Internet has to offer.
    
    
22. Switching to a Mac has helped me get more done.
    
    
23. The advantage of having an internet business is that you’re not restricted to just working from home. I can be anywhere in the world while still making money, as long as I have my laptop and an Internet connection. I’ve setup my laptop to have everything I need to run my business.
    
    
24. The possibilities are endless when you think of the opportunities around you.
    
    
25. Don’t take on more than you can handle.
    
    
26. Going back to the basics of exchanging value always works.
    
    
27. Always think “What’s in it for me?”
    
    
28. Speaking slower and with emphasis makes your speech more clearer and powerful.
    
    
29. The law of reciprocity is a golden rule to living an abundant life.
    
    
30. SEO isn’t complicated. People make it more complicated than it is.
    
    
31. If you can’t handle your current state, then you won’t be able move ahead.
    
    
32. When nothing else seems to work, there’s always faith. Always have faith in what you do. Trust your instincts.
    
    
33. Sometimes it’s best to just let go.
    
    
34. Being able to handle your low and negative moments is your true measure of overcoming obstacles.
    
    
35. Spending less time on Facebook, checking everyone’s status and photos has helped me get more done. I only check once, at the end of the day. Period.
    
    
36. I turn off and close everything and only have what I need, opened. If I’m writing a new report, I only have my text editor opened.
    
    
37. Your mastermind group will help you move forward. You’ll leverage on other people’s strengths, and that’s what will accelerate your success by miles. You’ll surround yourself with like-minded people who’ll inspire and keep you accountable.
    
    
38. There’ll never be another Facebook.
    
    
39. Basecamp rocks.
    
    
40. A market can never be saturated. Anyone can get a piece of the pie.
    
    
41. There’s plenty of information if you just search on Google.
    
    
42. You shouldn’t have to prove yourself to anyone.
    
    
43. Worry about the bigger things rather than the smaller things.
    
    
44. Dropbox makes life easier.
    
    
45. You can create any type of site using WordPress and its constant, ever-growing range of plug-ins.
    
    
46. People used to be skeptical about starting a business online, now people are interested in learning.
    
    
47. Have a central location/website where you have your documentations, videos and how to’s to train people you outsource. It’ll save hours of your time.
    
    
48. Batch your work. Do emails all at once. Make all phone calls at the same time. Update your WordPress blogs all at once. You get the point.
    
    
49. Unless you’re bored, most people aren’t willing to spend the time to fiddle around. If you can provide a “ready-to-go” product/service, you’ll sell lots of it.
    
    
50. Find something that works. Do it. If it gives you results, systemize it and outsource & delegate as much of it as possible.
    
    
51. People are willing to do anything for a low cost if you look around. Check Fiverr.com.
    
    
52. Encourage visitors to share your content. You can use share buttons on your site, or simply tell your visitors to feel free to share.
    
    
53. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the pyramids were built stone by stone, layer upon layer. Start somewhere. Take the first step. Get something out there for people to see. There’ll never be “the right time”.
    
    
54. Do something each day to move your business and life forward, even if it’s just a small bit. You’ll end up with massive improvement in a short time and build momentum.
    
    
55. In times when I’m stressed and under pressure, I get away for a moment, take deep breaths and reflect back on what’s important in life. It helps clear the mind so you get back with better focus.
    
    
56. Always be grateful for what you have and where you are at this present moment. If you’re not grateful for your current state, then you’re putting barriers which will stop you from attracting more into your life.
    
    
57. A sure-fire way to accelerate your success is to study those who are already doing what you want to achieve. Success leaves clues!
    
    
58. One thing I like to do is to learn mistakes from others so that I don’t make the same down the track.
    
    
59. Stop wasting time. Being organized is a key characteristic of achieving high.
    
    
60. A key way to grow is to stretch your comfort zones. Being “comfortable” won’t let you stretch to your fullest potential.
    
    
61. You can apply the Parkinson’s Law and Pareto’s 80/20 principle to everything you do. Parkinson’s Law dictates that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
    
    
62. Nothing is a coincidence. There’s always a reason why.
    
    
63. What ever you find works should be done over and over and over and over and over again until it doesn’t work anymore.
    
    
64. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, sooner or later you’ll get bored.
    
    
65. Every morning when you wake up, ask yourself “What am I grateful for?” This will surely start your day with purpose and lots of energy.
    
    
66. Focus on what you can control.
    
    
67. Create a blog and start posting. I found that people do look and read but often don’t comment. The main idea is to get into the flow of sharing.
    
    
68. Find and connect with people in your industry. Joint-venture partners will help you grow your business dramatically as it has for me. I have a small group of JV partners but we always help each other grow, and it’s great to just have people who understand what you’re going through.
    
    
69. Life isn’t always about work. Balance your work and life areas. You want to make sure you stay sane. Make time for family, your social life, your partner, health & fitness and of course, yourself.
    
    
70. The best way to show someone you genuinely care is to share valuable knowledge, content, ideas or simply being there for them.

I hope you take what I’ve learned and apply it to your work and life. As valuable as they are to me, I’m sure they will be for you too.

Apply these now and for the years to come, and you’ll surely improve your life and business.

I encourage you to feel free to comment, share your own “lessons” and/or share/like this post using the buttons below. As always, I’d love to hear from you.

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