Hello 2010! A new year. A new decade. Where in the world did 2009 go?

I spent some time this weekend reflecting on last year. For me, 2009 was a year of ups and downs and in particular I can describe the last five months as challenging, emotional, frustrating, liberating, encouraging, interesting and educational. (You know the normal life of a woman entrepreneur trying to balance it all!) Despite all the challenges there has actually been quite a bit of good that’s come out of the last quarter of 2009. So in order to start out 2010 on a positive note, I decided to sit down and come up with the top 10 positive things I learned in 2009. It’s a bit long, so I’ve decided to break this into a special 2-part blog entry. Here’s part one:

1)   It’s good to be alone sometimes. I’m a Leo and typically Leo’s do not like to be alone. I’m no exception. However, the past five months have taught me that being alone sometimes isn’t that bad. It can actually allow us to focus on the most important aspect of our life – ourselves. And like most women, or women business owners, that’s not something we take advantage of enough. Time away from friends, family, and the stress of everyday life should be something on our daily “to do” list. Sit outside for a few minutes, go for a walk, treat yourself to a manicure, spend the day (or weekend) at the beach by yourself. Whatever it is – escape it all. What’s the worst that can happen? A clear head? Some much needed pampering? A new found appreciation for what you have around you? Sounds good to me!

2)   The importance of being financially independent. Maybe this is something all of you already know and have in place but for me I never took finances seriously – and it’s a serious matter. Here I am in my 30’s and if something were to happen to my husband could I support myself alone? I realized five months ago that wasn’t the case. Even worse, I thought ignoring the fact that my finances were so out of wack would somehow make everything ok. Wrong. So I finally woke up and decided to do something about it. I started by reading a book highly recommended by Liz Bollinger called “Debt Proof Living” by Mary Hunt. I also hired a financial planner. Two small changes that have affected my life in a major way. I encourage all of you if you don’t have your financial plan in place for 2010, to start looking into it. In these tough economic times, you’ll be glad you did.

3)   I work way too much. Being a business owner is tough – especially when you’re the only one juggling all the hats of running a business. In August I received a wake up call the made me step back and look at the amount of time I devote to my business and the important aspects of my life I’ve been neglecting. What I discovered was the lack of “quality time” I spent with others, my health wasn’t to par, and I was beginning to get burnt out doing something that I love. So, with the help of my business coach we decided to put a better schedule in place. I thought it might be a difficult process, but I’ve learned to manage my guilt of putting myself first for the sake of my sanity. Some weeks the schedule doesn’t work (i.e. over the holidays, sleepless nights, or if there’s numerous networking events that week), but I try to keep it in place as much as possible and I’ve seen very positive results so far. Is your schedule affecting your life positively or negatively? Are there changes you might need to make? Recognize the signs now.

4)   Risky Business. I love owning my own business. Unfortunately, I could probably have figured out ways to do things more efficiently a lot sooner if I didn’t have that little voice in my head saying “are you sure you want to do this?” or “Is this really the right move? What if you can’t afford it?” I can’t understand why I have such a fear of taking risks but in 2009 I realized it’s something I need to confront. If I don’t it’s going to be something that stands in the way of my success. So, what’s positive about me telling you this? The fact that I realized, and have admitted to, having a problem. Now, the challenge in 2010 is finding ways to overcome this fear. I guess it’s time to hold my nose and take a leap.

5)   I have a fantastic support system. My family, friends, dogs – are such an important aspect of my life and without them I would not be where I am now. They give advice, listen to me gripe, wipe my tears and help me celebrate. They improve my well being (and my self esteem) and I’m very lucky to have each and every one of them in my life. I hope you all have a similar support system you can rely on.

Thank you for reading! Part two will launch on Monday – stay tuned! In the meantime, for any questions, comments or suggestions on how to make our blog better, please email us at info@bizechicks.com or for more information on biz-e-chicks please visit www.bizechicks.com.