There hasn’t been one day in 2009 when I got bored. As my world kept changing in every aspect that could change, I kept experimenting, adjusting, learning and meeting new people. So reading along the lines I have written and published all year and trying to find the essential words for 2009 was quite an interesting experiment. It reminded  me of where I’ve been, what I have discovered and of how this particularly full year has altered my views on certain aspects, including my thoughts about who I am and what is important for me.

Joanna Young’s challenge to find the essential lines and the essential posts of 2009 wasn’t easy easy. But it was fun and I managed to find the essential lines for both me and the readers of this blog. An important lesson that I see as the most important of the year that’s about to pass. It’s not something new, it’s not at all complicated…

“Sometimes we are reminded of the big secrets in the business world by what appears to be the most unrelated situation.”

And along these lines not one, but two posts stand out. Both describing important skills and lessons that have to do with marketing and promoting your business. Both showing how I learned about them in what seemed a completely unrelated situation.  My teachers? Bikers and stray dogs! The two posts I’m referring to are:

5 Social Media Lessons You Can Learn from Bikers

What feeding stray dogs taught me about word of mouth marketing

While I am the first one to admit that riding a bike and playing with the dogs are not the best moments to think of business connections, these lessons are still valid and they are essential. We are so focused on business tips and tricks, on case studies and examples, on checklists and plans, on tasks, schedules and success recipes that we easily overlook what’s right in front of us. An business seminar is hardly the only place where you can learn to be better at what you are doing. A business book is not the only piece of writing that can help you enhance your skills!

I challenge you all to join Joanna’s group writing project and analyze what you have posted in 2009. What are your essential lines? And which is your essential post? Write your entry by Spetember 27 and make sure you tell Joanna about it!

2009 has been a year full of changes, adjustments to new circumstances, learning new tricks, returning to the basics and learning something new almost every day. It’s been a wonderful and hard year at the same time, and frankly I have no idea when it has actually reached its finish line. It seems that only yesterday I was taking Robert Hurzek’s challenge to share what I had learned from 2008…

Now that we’re in mid-December, I am once again responding to Robert’s challenge to go through this years’ posts and pick what I believe to be the highlights of each month of this challenging yet always surprising year.
January – Investing in relationships always has excellent ROI

This very post has been a tribute to all the wonderful relationships I have built through my blog. The friends I’ve made, the new things I’ve learned, the support I’ve always counted on, it’s all worth sharing and cherishing.

February – 5 Ways to Make Sure You Never Get to the Second Meeting

In a year with a down-turning economy, everyone kept chasing new business. And some chose worse methods than others, making sure their efforts were in vain. Here was one of the worst examples of a business meeting from 2009. Read, learn and never act like this!

March – Can Twitter create real value for your business?

After spending quite some time on Twitter, analyzing how it works and what it can actually do for businesses, I finally wrote my conclusions.

April – Twilight star needs real online personal brand strategy

Addicted to PR? I should think so, if I am able to find a PR lesson while trying to find out some information about a book and movie series that I love

May – 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Learn Social Media Skills from Stars

2009 has really been the year of stars and VIPs taking over social media outlets, especially Twitter. While some sort of try to start meaningful dialogues, at least once in a while, most of them are here to broadcast and virtually shake hands with those as important or as famous as they are. If you’re going to choose a social media model to follow, stars are not very good teachers!

June – Dearest Michael, Thank You for Everything!

Michael Jackson passed away. Nothing happening in this month seems as important as this event. And all of us who have been touched by his music needed to say goodbye.

July – 5 Social Media Lessons You Can Learn from Bikers

Bikers are indeed an interesting group to watch and learn from. Even when it comes to social media! I actually got the idea for this post while riding a bike Fun and rich in learning opportunities!

August – Why press releases should not be a treasure hunt!

The pressure to innovate, stay interesting and relevant sometimes drives us to go too far and turn an effective tool, the press release, into a complicated piece of writing that you need a key to decipher. The lesson? Innovation at all costs is not the answer.

September – Guilt trips and business emails

A lot of people write business emails to potential customers without knowing how to do it exactly. Trying to guilt customers into choosing your products or services does not really work!

October – Why outsourcing PR services is really a bargain

Companies who could really use PR services sometimes choose not to outsource, as they have the impression this would be the most expensive solution. The truth is outsourcing is sometimes a real bargain and I have proof

November – What feeding stray dogs taught me about word of mouth marketing

Everyone and everything around you can teach you something if you keep your mind open. Here’s what feeding a few stray dogs taught me about word of mouth marketing. They are 5 and sometimes 6 right now and we are trying to figure out a way to not take in new ones…Unfortunately we can’t help them all.

December – 5 surefire ways for tech support to make customers drop like flies

2009 also holds a sort of record when it comes to conversations with customer support. Especially the second part of the year! This post sums up all the top mistakes my friends, colleagues and I have run into.

What have you learned from 2009? I am sure you have great lessons to share! Why not join Robert Hruzek’s What I learned from…. group writing project and tell us all about it? It’s easy:

1. Write a post (or send me the link to an existing post) on your blog with a link to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now). By the way, feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like.
2. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (To make sure I don’t miss it.)
3. Don’t miss the deadline!!! Sunday, December 20, at midnigh (which is GMT-5 time).