As I wind up the year, I am already thinking about next year. Mainly because I’m getting ready to go on a speaking retreat with Larry Winget and Joe Calloway.

One mistake that I have made in the past is that I didn’t put the business paramount to everything else. In order for me to take my business to the next level, I need to put my business above everything else. I have so many expectations from my business. I want to have fun, I want to make money, I want my business to show me the country, and I want my business to introduce me to fascinating people.

In the past, I have been focused on the list. What is going to make this all happen? Focusing on making sales and marketing paramount to everything else, even my own desires? In the past, I tried to have my cake and eat it too. That didn’t work. I was focused on hanging out, watching football, meeting the media, and other activities. It’s like being in a relationship. There are times when your own wants and needs are paramount, but usually in order for any relationship to work, what is paramount is the relationship itself. It’s bigger than the two people involved. Sometimes you need to skip the parties and just have the hard conversation if you’re trying to make a business decision.

What is paramount is the business itself, not one individual in the room.

Timelapse - Lighthouse (Oct 2012) from IMK Digital Multimedia on Vimeo.