The market is back; the stock market has made significant gains in the past few weeks. Phew! I’m glad those doom and gloom days are over and done with. Now we can get back to business as usual.

But then, as you wake from your nightly slumber with a relaxed and calm demeanor, you realize you were dreaming. The reality is looming by the closet door, waiting for you to get dressed for another day in today’s unstable economy. This is your moment each and every day to make a choice between listening to the national and local doom and gloomers or taking control of yourself, your company and your financial destiny. We are all in uncharted financial waters. Every day we are subjected to the print and electronic media outlets stating the same thing over and over about the economy. Here’s an idea: Stop watching the news. By not watching the national and local news you will have an hour each day to work on you.

When was the last time you committed to investing in your personal growth and development? Let’s look at you while standing in front of a mirror. (Make sure you are alone.) Here are a few questions to ponder while you are checking yourself out. What do you see in the mirror? Do you like what you see? How would a person describe you after meeting you for the first time? How does the world see you? Do you think your future clients would like what you see in the mirror?

Has it ever occurred to you that you could make a significant difference to your life and others around you if you invested some effort? Most successful people will tell you they had help from a few key people in their lives that were committed to pushing them to grow beyond themselves, and helped them to reach their fullest potential.

This may sound like a good idea that probably will pay off in the future with big dividends. You also may be thinking, “Committing to the effort to make myself better will take time away from my business and I don’t like the idea of change.” Nice try. Remember you should be working on self improvement during nonbusiness hours. Furthermore, changing is tough, but to be in the remodeling business you have to be tough. Let’s face it, you can cause great things to happen, but you can also guarantee that great things do not happen.

This is something you’ve probably heard before. I am sure Tony Robbins is better at motivating people to take personal action than I am. But what is it going to take this year for you to take a good look in the mirror? When will you admit and commit to addressing your personal and business issues so you can become all that you can be?