2009 Year in Review - A Year of Change & Adjustment

For me, 2009 was all about change and adjusting to that change.  Personally, I made a major career change in July when I resigned as General Manager at Prudential Americana Group, REALTORS to pursue my passion for coaching and training on my own.  Many people thought I was out of my mind to leave the security of a great position in a successful company in the middle of the worst economic downturn and recession since the Great Depression.

It was the best decision for me and at a perfect time.  I am happy to be doing what I talked about for years...finally!  I am living my passion.  I look forward to an amazing 2010 - on all levels.

While I was googling 2009 year in review listings, several themes emerged for me:

• The economy, recession, housing crisis, bailouts, recovery, stimulus plans...and the polarity.  Crisis brings out the best and, unfortunately, the worst in people.  
• Power of Social Media in our lives:
  
  1. Twitter and the Iran Protests - Election
  2. Overall explosion of Twitter (News, TV personalities, Businesses...)
  3. Facebook has over 350 million active users
• We, as a collective culture, feed on the drama and the tragedy ...and the media loves to serve it up 24/7...
  
  1. Reality TV shows
  2. Octomom
  3. Jon & Kate plus 8
  4. Sarah Palin
  5. Bubble Boy
  6. Tiger Woods
  7. Ft Hood Massacre
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. .... just to highlight a few events and trends

How about a couple of positive highlights... from my perspective:

• Susan Boyle story was one for me.  Amazing, brilliant, uplifting, emotional, inspirational, a true wake-up call and lesson for us all to take that chance and to not let anything or anyone hold you back.  Over 100 million views on YouTube. Here's a link to the video on YouTube - embedding has been disabled.   Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009
  
  Her debut album is amazing... Get it! 
  I Dreamed A Dream
  
  From Billboard (12-23-09): "I Dreamed a Dream" has now sold a total of 2,465,000 copies and is the second-best selling album of 2009. Only Taylor Swift's "Fearless" -- with 2,933,000 sold -- is standing in its way. And with two weeks left in the 2009 tracking year, anything is possible.
  
  Check out this documentary - "Susan's story so far". 
  
  
  
  
  

• President Barrack Obama.  Wonder what our world would be like if we all focused on progress and took action steps TOWARD what we wanted rather than continue to spew or buy-in to the negativity, hate and criticism?  Change is only going to happen when we all decide to do something about it...not the politicians... the people.  I voted for and continue to support and believe in Obama's leadership.  I also know it is going to take time, patience and right action to get there.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Miracle on the Hudson.   Captain Chesley Sullenberger, known as "Sully," was the epitome of "Calm Under Extreme Pressure".   For the first time in 50 years of commercial jet flight, the pilots of US Airways Flight 1549 successfully executed one of the most technically challenging maneuvers, landing a jetliner on water without fatalities.
  
  Listen to his voice on this air traffic control tape and watch the animated recreation of the incident:
  
  

A look back at events of 2009 ... the highs, the lows, the in-betweens.

Time - The Top 10 Everything of 2009

Yahoo - 2009 Year in Review

And, finally, if you haven't seen this Annual Video yet from JibJab (the same people who bring you the Dancing Elves videos)....Enjoy: