Monday, December 1, 2008

Tyler Perry, writer, producer, director, actor, was recently interviewed about his recent movie, The Family That Preys. He was asked if he expected the movie to be such a big hit. He answered that he indeed expected his movie to be a hit. He said that?s the way he lives his life.

Brazenness, hubris, pomposity? No. His confident attitude makes sense. What if he made a movie and expected it to be a dog? Who would invest? Who would act in it? Who would pay $10 for the privilege of buying a $5 soda and $4.95 bag of oversalted popcorn to see a movie that the producer, director and writer had no faith in?

Yet, how many times do we lose faith in ourselves? How many times do we put ourselves down? How many times do we apologize for our efforts? How many times do we say, ??Tweren?t nuttin? when we get a compliment.

As December begins and the year ends, embrace your efforts. Be proud of your accomplishments no matter how small. When you start a project, expect that it will be a success. Of course it will. You?ll have a hit on your hands. You?ll be wearing Armani on the red carpet of your life. Why else would you be involved? When you receive a compliment, say, ?Thanks.? Then shut up. Don?t explain. Don?t mitigate. Don?t say, ?You, too.? Just be gracious and soak it up. You deserve that compliment and when you say, ?I could have done better,? you?re calling your complimenter a nincompoop.

For many, December is wind down time. People reduce their efforts in whatever endeavor they?re involved in. Only those who have to make sales quotas are ramped up during December. December is the time to set high goals. December is the time to get a jump on January.

Imagine if it were actually January 1 instead of December 1. You?d be full of plans. You?d be full of hope. You?d be enthusiastically leaping into your resolutions. Why wait? You can start 2009 today. You can put the same excitement into your life and work in December that you usually reserve for the New Year.

Will 2009 be an excellent year? Of course it will if you believe it will. It?s going to be such an exciting year that you can?t wait to leap into it. There are scary things outside your cozy bed that will be around in 2009. But, unless your life goal is to be able to say, ?I told you so,? negative thinking cannot make 2009 better.

Perhaps you?re thinking that if you get all enthusiastic about the New Year and fresh beginnings today instead of waiting until January 1, you might deplete your gusto when 2009 rolls around. Take that chance in order to make December 2008 the best month of this year. When everyone else revs up come January 1, you?ll be carried along in the excitement. Like Tyler Perry, expect success. Why would you live your life any other way?

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Karen Susman speaks, trains and coaches internationally on Communication and Wellness topics. Her programs on Networking, Communication Styles, Presentation Skills, Stress and Resiliency, Humor and Life Balance are essential topics if you want to boost productivity and your bottom line.

Check out Karen?s guidebooks on Networking, Time Management, Humor and Building Community Involvement at www.karensusman.com/products.htm. Contact Karen at karen@karensusman.com or call toll free 1-888-678-8818. You?ll like what you hear.