Christmas is just around the corner and “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be showing multiple times throughout the season.  I want all business owners to watch this movie and learn many valuable business lessons that George Bailey teaches us.

Lesson #1:  Never hire a relative that needs a string around his finger to remember things.

Lesson #2:  Bragging about family members will only get you into trouble.

Lesson #3:  If we listen to our insurance agent, we are all worth more dead than alive.

Lesson #4:  Vandalism and past crimes can come back to haunt you.

Lesson #5:  Never keep an auditor waiting.  

Seriously, the real lesson to be learned from that movie is that although everything looked dismal and grim for good old George, he really did have a wonderful life.  He just needed to put things into perspective and actively choose to see the good instead of the bad in his life.

I firmly believe that attitude is the most important indicator of success.  I see it everyday.  If people have a “can do” attitude, their business wil probably be successfull.

Charles Swindoll was credited with the following thoughts.  “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company…a church…a home.”

“The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day.  We cannot change our past…we can not change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude.”

“I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.  And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.“

This holiday season, let us also strive to see the positive in the business community.  Let us not dwell on political controversies, layoffs, or the budget crisis.  Let us be thankful for the economic development efforts and the support of our local businesses, nonprofits, and the educational resources available to all of us.  I wish you a happy holiday and fruitful new year.