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.

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