November 4, 2007 was an incredible day for me. It was the day I won the Glazer-Kennedy 2007 Info-Marketer of the Year.

So why is this important and why should you care? Both of these actually have the same answer - which is, there are some important lessons in how I went about winning this award that can help you in your business and personal life.

You see, I wasn't a shoe-in on any level. Of all the info-marketers in the room, my six-figure income, while respectable, is certainly not the highest, nor even in the middle range of what many successful info-marketers make. I also had some pretty stiff competition from other, more well-known info-marketers.

But, despite these obstacles, I was the one who took home the prize. How did I do it? Check out the five keys below.

1. I was determined to win. Never, ever, discount your attitude and mindset. From the very beginning, when I first found out about this award, I made up my mind I wanted to win it and was going to do whatever it took to do that.

What about you? Are you determined to succeed in your business? Are you determined to achieve your 2008 goals? Were you determined to achieve your 2007 goals? If you weren't, how did that end up working out for you?

If you find yourself consistently missing goals in your business or your life, take a moment and check in with yourself. Are you as committed to your goal as you could be? If not, maybe that's part of the problem. The key is to DECIDE and then ACT upon that decision.

2. I wasn't afraid to work hard. I spent an entire Sunday pulling together my application materials. Once I discovered I was a finalist, I practiced and practiced and practiced my presentation. Even while I was at the event, I skipped an evening of networking and relaxing to go to my room and practice some more.

Now, I'm not for a moment advocating an "all work and no play" lifestyle, or having your business take over your life. What I AM saying is there are times where you do need to work hard to get where you want to go (just like there are times where you need to unplug and unwind). Your challenge is knowing the difference between the two and acting accordingly. (More on that below.)

3. I was strategic about how I worked. This is the key to knowing when to work hard, what to work hard on, and when to kick back and relax.

Before I dug in and started pulling things together, I took a step back and thought about my goals. How could I present my materials and myself in the best possible light so I would stand out from the crowd? Once I figured out the how, then it was easy to jump in and get it all done.

The request for entries was in a sales letter format. So I formatted my entry just like the request, with a bright red headline which read: "They Laughed At My 'Profession' - Until I Started Making More Money In 1 Month Than They'd Made In The Last Year! All Thanks to Glazer-Kennedy-Style Marketing." My full contest entry reflected the principals that I had learned from the company offering the contest.

So how do you approach a big project? Do you take a step back and plan first, so you know you're focusing on the right things in the right order? Or do you just jump in headfirst and flail around? If it's the latter, then chances are you probably find yourself working a ton of hours and not getting much done.

I know it can be very tempting to skip the plan and get straight to the doing, especially when it's a big project. And planning can feel like nothing is happening. But trust me, making time to plan is the quickest way to get things done.

4. I asked for the vote. I was chosen as one of four finalists, then at the Info Marketing Summit I did a 15-minute presentation to all the participants. The participants then cast the vote for the final winner.

Actually, not only did I ask for the vote, I explained why they should vote for me and why should I win it.

Believe it or not, I was the only one who did.

Do you ask for what you want? From asking for the sale to asking for the deal to asking for help, asking could be your golden key to getting exactly what you want.

5. I didn't sweat the small stuff. When I left the stage after my presentation, I discovered I had buttoned my jacket wrong so it was crooked. I could have gotten very upset and stressed about this. But I chose not to let it bother me. And in retrospect, clearly it didn't make one lick of difference.

Do you find yourself sweating the small stuff in your business or your life? Are those small details you agonize over really going to make a difference in achieving your goals? If the answer is no, then let it go. It's not worth getting upset about it.

Copyright (c) 2008 Elizabeth Davis