2010 is finally here, and I hope you’ve had a chance to take a few days off and hang out with your family and friends.

Over the past couple weeks I personally went into hibernation, and tried to stay away from technology as much as possible. It’s tougher than I thought to get away.

Facebook. Twitter. Blogging. Podcasts. Skype.
Cable television!

There’s a ton of chatter out there and it seems like especially around the holidays, that everyone is trying to get your attention.

And now that we’ve gotten over the hump of the holidays, there is a lot of optimism in the air, and a lot of predictions for the next decade.

One of my clients told me that “2010 is going to be a great year for those who work hard”.

And another one told me that in sacred numerology, 2009 was a really hard year but 2010 has a lot more going for it.

Take it for what you will, but I have a good feeling about 2010 and the start of a new decade.

There’s also a lot of information floating around about using social media to make a ton of money. I’ve been in the social media game for a couple years, but really hit it hard in 2009.

I started Twittering (sorry, tweeting), Facebooking, Linked-inning, and all the good stuff. Maybe you have too.

And like any experiment, I gave it some time and started to take note of what was working and what was not working.
There were some bumps along the way.
There were some surprises.

But if there is one major lesson that I learned, it was
this:

What you put into it, you get out of it. That’s the simple truth.

Funny, I should have known that already.

Honestly, I don’t spend a lot of time on Twitter. It’s kinda a time suck. Same with Facebook. But both of these resources contributed to strengthening current relationships, reopening old relationships, and even getting a couple of sales.

But they’re just tools. Just like a hammer.

You can use a hammer to build a fence, or you can use it to smash a window.

Or you can let it rust in the garage.

Same goes for your online reputation.

Whenever a new system is created for getting more website traffic, building your e-business, or simply increasing your conversion rate – you always hear how it is the game changer of the century.

Stuff like “This is finally the missing step to you being an internet millionaire. This is finally the missing piece to your exit strategy from your current job.”

And on and on.

But what heppens in the real world is that we get busy, and we don’t use the tools at our disposal.

Then you end up not getting the results you want.

Trust me, I’ve made this mistake. I’ve purchased books and courses (and systems) that have sat on the shelf, collecting dust.

But I’ve also found that when I crack the books open and really start to apply myself, the results come faster and faster.

So there’s a choice for the new year. Sit on the shelf, collecting dust. Or take action.

Which will it be for you?

Let’s resolve to take action and kick butt in 2010.

Until next time,
-Wally

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