Today I had great (work) expectations. I had a schedule to follow and a list of things to accomplish. By 8am, all of that had been long since forgotten.

Not to discount any holidays (they are, after all, considered holidays for very good reasons), but every year we’ll have another 4th of July, another Easter, another Labor Day. Never again will we have another inauguration of the first African American President of the United States. While Barack Obama has set the precedent for “minority” presidents to come, this day is a one-time deal. Forever.

Regardless of political affiliation, this is something to be celebrated.

The emails and projects can wait another day. Dozens of years from now, I know I’ll never remember my work correspondence or what projects I was working on today.

Instead, I’ll remember watching live as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn into office and extended an olive branch to the world. Present in the VIP stand at the ceremony: Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, The Boys Choir of Kenya, and Oprah Winfrey among countless others. Millions of people from all walks of life merged on the National Mall to watch this historical moment, live.

For the first time in United States history, I felt that this presidential inauguration wasn’t just another white man celebrating his glory. As I looked to the stands at both public events, I saw diversity. For once, I didn’t just feel hope for minorities- the hope that they too, could someday be someone important in this country- I finally felt as though the day had arrived.

Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States of America, is proof that the barriers are being torn down at a rapid pace. Anybody can become who they want to become in life.

I wish Martin Luther King Jr. were here to witness this moment in history.

Dream big.

Setting Goals

You can’t help it. The end of December signifies not only the end of a calendar year, but the opportunity for a new beginning. It’s a time for both reflection and projection. You ask yourself: What did I accomplish this year and what do I want to work on or change for next year?

Think of goal setting as an extension of your business plan. You wouldn’t drive from California to New York without a road map, would you? You might eventually get there, but why waste valuable time, money, and energy blindly navigating. Make a plan, it’s your roadmap to success.

Goal setting is important for setting the tone and path to life and business. Think of it as future vision. Stating your goal and/or vision will keep you on track and keep the distractions at bay as you navigate through the jungle of life.

Carve out time and space to set your goals. Today, tonight, tomorrow, or this week. Do it all at once or in several short sessions. Some need a quiet place with ambient music whereas others are perfectly content goal setting in the middle of a wild party with Dance Dance Revolution and Beyonce blasting in the background. Whatever floats your boat, just do it and don’t wait.

Before looking to the future, it’s important to reflect on the past. Goals met should be celebrated in a big way while failures need to be examined. If you don’t assess what you’ve accomplished and what you’ve put on the back burner this past year, you’ll waste your energy in the upcoming year when old patterns repeat.

If you have goals or visions from this time last year, pull them out and examine what you wrote. If you didn’t write anything down, start brainstorming and thinking about what you did or didn’t do over the past year.

Write, write, write. We’re so glad the Egyptians wrote on pyramid walls because we have a record of what their lives were like and how they lived. Same goes for you. Write down your goals/vision so you have something to look back on, celebrate, or change. You don’t know for sure unless you have a record.

Look to the future and dream, but keep it realistic (I know, The Secret followers will have my neck at this one). I say this because I care and don’t want you to be disappointed. Think big, but more importantly think in manageable baby steps.

Put your mind to it and believe in yourself. It’s one thing to write it down and say that’s what you want or should do. It’s a completely different thing altogether to actually believe in your power to accomplish your goals (which is another reason why you should keep them realistic).

Take action. Each day is another moment of living your vision or stepping toward your goals. Without action, nothing happens. That’s the real secret and it works for me.

• Needs to be more than: “I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore.”o If X can do it, so can I, may or may not be true

• Remember having a passion for something is not enough

• Be careful of: “So I can be at home with my children” or “So I will have more control of my time”.

• Be sure you are clear

• Don’t try to be too much

• Don’t group things that are different

• Too much and too different make you look as if you’re not good enough at something specific

• Can you translate your product or service into a benefit

• If this is not clear you will be wasting time, effort and money marketing and selling

• Everyone or anybody are not good answers

• Banks say this is the number one question loan seekers cannot answer

• It takes research to truly answer this

• Your product/service doesn’t make them spend money; their need or desire does

• It takes research to know what makes them spend money

• Not understanding this will cause you to waste a lot of time and money and possibly to fail

• They must have a reason

• Typical reasons are social consciousness or money

• If they do not care, use another marketing angle

• Research is necessary to know this

• Because research is necessary, you must do it or have it done to be successful

• Marketing and sales must be done whether you like it or not

• You must do it or pay someone to do it

• First, do you know how much you need?

• If you plan to start part-time or on a shoestring, be sure you can be successful

• If you go to a bank you must address the other questions in this list

• Remember that with investors of any kind you lose some control

• Passion and Good Ideas are not financed, potential profit is financed

• Do not expect to receive grants to start or run your business – they do not exist

• Just because prospects, banks, investors, employees, etc. should doesn’t mean they will

• Believing that people will because they should sets you up for failure or at the least disappointment and frustration

• Research is vital to know if prospects and banks/investors will do what you think they should

• Don’t start a business in a field that is already crowded unless you have something very unique

• Don’t start a business in a field where people are not succeeding unless you know why they are not succeeding and you know (not think) you can do better

• If you do not know your competition how will you compete?

• Be sure you have enough money, time and people to compete

• Research is necessary to understand the competition

• A good question is “Do I have the stomach for it”

• Another good question is “Do I have the stamina?”

• You must do the research, understand the situation and develop the plans so that you know what it will take to start and run a business

• The research will also help you put passion and expectations in perspective

• This is very important, but is specific to your business type and your situation

• The need for this understanding is why research is vital

• The need for planning is why you hear “Do you have a Business Plan?” all the time

• Can you hear these words and move on to the next loan officer or prospect?

• Can you use these words to help you decide if you need to modify, redirect or fold your tent?

• Can you take these words as opportunities and not obstacles?

• If a prospect has a process can you accept the fact that you must follow it, will you allocate the time to do so?

• Do you understand that the directions or hoops are part of the “test”?

• Do you recognize that the directions or hoops do not have to make sense to you?

• Remember that the customer is always right