Apparently I can be am a hypochondriac.

Every time there is something out of the normal for me health wise, I do what EVERY great American does … I diagnose myself on WebMD. There is nothing wrong with the fact that someone just might want to see what their situation could be and if they really need to seek medical attention. After all, we want to be great stewards of our time and money. I do think that the problem is that almost every diagnosis on WebMD will result in painful and immediate death, and that’s where the stress level dramatically increases and the sweating starts.

My wife HATES it when I seek anything medical related on the Internet. I’ve had a heart attack, a ruptured spleen, Gout, and a handful of other catastrophic diseases that have somehow miraculously healed without medical attention. I am a worrier and it’s not unlike it for me to come to the conclusion that the end is near. I guess I could blame this on past experiences where family members have died way too early or that I am getting older, but regardless, it is an unhealthy way of life and I think that I may just be a fry short of a Happy Meal.

This time it’s totally different.

Over the last few weeks I’ve had some very weird dizzy spells and light headedness on top of other symptoms that I felt just weren’t right. Of course I did my due diligence and referred to my handy WebMD app, but this time it’s different. Today I went to the doctor for a PROFESSIONAL opinion and checkup. Today the doctor said he was very concerned with my symptoms and that it could (A BIG COULD) be related to a brain tumor. Now I am hoping and praying for test results to come back quickly so that I can know something! The best case is that I am suffering from some sort of Vertigo or other lesser ailment, but then I also have to consider that things may be worse.

This situation also comes after watching the latest episode of Modern Family where Phil Dunphy – ironically – goes to the doctor and is presented with concern about his health. The doctor tells Phil that if something is wrong with his test results, he would call on Saturday. The doctor does call though Phil gets a message from his son. Unfortunately when Phil calls back, his doctor has left for London and cannot get any word about the results. The next few hours of Phil’s life becomes focused on how little time he has left and his odds of survival. This is the feeling I am experiencing right now.

While it all works out for Phil Dunphy (and is a hilarious ending) I have to wait to see what happens in my own sitcom. How is one supposed to react to the news that what you are struggling with is “very concerning?” In the past, I could reassure myself that my WebMD prognosis was as accurate as a Chinese fortune cookie, but today not so much.

So I am praying. Waiting. Hoping. Either way this turns out, I know it will change things in life.

Twenty eleven was in interesting year for me. I had to relearn some very valuable business lessons and overcome challenges that I haven’t seen in over a decade. I was reminded what it’s like to falsely believe we are in control of everything and that complacency can be an extremely deadly virus. But 2011 also brought about some very wonderful situations and insights as well. I’d like to quickly share some of what I learned in the hope it might benefit you.

Your career is NOT the most important aspect of your life (or it shouldn’t be). I’ve watched many wonderful people end their marriages and damage relationships with their children this year, all for their careers and desires. The work you do is no where near as important as the promises you made to your spouse or family. One can try and justify it however it sounds sweet to their soul, but let me shoot straight – there is no way to make crap smell good.

Your situation may not be as bad as you think it is.  I was the opposite of Charlie Sheen’s “winning” mantra for the first six months of 2011. It seemed everything that I did was a failure and I could not achieve success no matter how bad I wanted it or how hard I worked for it. This was a really dark time for me and I whined the entire time. Fortunately, I was able to get the proper motivation and see that my situation was way better than many others in the world. Let me say this … there is ALWAYS hope and you must keep faith in it. Life will get better.

Sometimes you have to realize you are not in control and just have to accept it. It stinks when your daughter’s high school graduation gets ruined because of another person’s actions or you have to start a new business mid-life in an economy that is all shot to hell. There are times in life where we need to move beyond the negative and look to see the positive. It really helps!

Anger and bitterness does not serve you well in any aspect of life. I will be honest in that this is one area where I have struggled the most. It can become very consuming to focus on the people or situations that have cut you deep. And when you do, you become a hostage to them and you are never truly free to live until you let go. Don’t let anger or bitterness rob you of the joy you can experience every day.

Do what you love and don’t follow the money. I’ve written about this before but it’s worth mentioning it again. Your life will never be satisfied if you chase money or fame. They might buy you temporary happiness, but once that wears off, your soul will still feel empty if you don’t pursue the passions of your heart.

Your health is valuable and important, so don’t neglect it or dismiss it. My grandmother used to say that our health is the most important thing in life. As a teenager I thought she was senile, but now I know that it’s absolutely true. I am thankful for every single day I remain healthy and we should do all we can to stay that way.

God is always here and He always provides. I realize some of my readers may not believe in God or be a Christian, but I can honestly say that I have seen God’s Hand on my entire life (even when I wasn’t a Christian) and that it is ONLY by His blessings and grace that I’ve been as fortunate as I am. I’ve lost sight of this so many times, yet I always see it when I really look for it.

Much more could be written and shared about 2011, but it’s time to stop looking back and to start looking forward. Since I’ve turned 40, I’ve spent way too much time in the past … and I’ve forgotten what it’s like to truly live right here and now!

As I close out this last post for the year, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and pray that 2012 will be amazing for you in so many ways.

There are people I work with who truly long to be creative in design. They desire the ability to pull together typography, colors, graphics, content, and design elements that make a website really pop and to create ultimate eye candy for the web. I love their enthusiasm and drive to learn. After all, sometimes you just don’t know until you give it a whirl, and it’s better to try and fail than to not try at all! But try as they may, there is always that one awkward question that haunts me and is difficult to respond to, but I have to be honest …

Can Anyone Be a Designer?

The short and straight answer is no, not anyone can be a designer. I believe we are all born with a gift. That gift might be drawing or it could be writing, mathematics, singing, carpentry, or break dancing (which is definitely not my talent). We are all given certain abilities that we excel at and others we couldn’t do to save our life. And that’s OK.

Having a designer’s “eye” is a gift. You either have it in your DNA or you don’t. This doesn’t mean that one who aspires to design cannot learn or grasp the fundamentals of the art, but that it would be very rare for them to be good or excel in their pursuit. Purchasing a Mac and Adobe Photoshop is easy. Understanding typography and color theory is not that difficult. Installing a WordPress theme and editing CSS with Firebug can be learned in a day. Knowing and feeling what is great design and how to bring together all the creative elements is almost impossible – unless you have the gift.

What I encourage people to do is this … find your gift and invest in it. You will be much happier when you are spending your time in something you were created to do. I would love to play basketball like Michael Jordan or jam on guitar like Eddie Van Halen, but even with practice and commitment, I will never be able to live the magic as they have because their talents are not my talents. I might believe I can fly and touch the sky, but I will never be a basketball player or rockstar. It’s not in my DNA and I am good with that. Instead I can focus on the areas I CAN touch the sky with and this will be the most beneficial investment for my time.

If you’re not a web designer now and want to be, don’t hesitate to explore the possibilities or experiment, but just remember that successful designers are born with the DNA to do what they do.

YOU ARE IN BUSINESS TO MAKE MONEY.

Yep, I know. It’s an amazing concept that for some reason only a small percentage of people understand. I mean, it’s not that I don’t enjoy working for free and eating Ramen Noodles every day for every meal. And lights, running water, and the Internet … well they really ARE overrated. Finally who does’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling when they play the guessing game of where they’ll be lucky enough to live tomorrow? Start a business and don’t make any money and you too can relish in this lavish lifestyle.

OK, all sarcasm and facetiousness aside. The reality is that some people truly don’t get that it should be your goal to earn money and make a profit with your business.

I was recently taken aback when a person negatively commented on how I was raising my prices for a service that is very time consuming, yet extremely valuable in content and application. My fees relate to my proven ability to teach others how to make a great living and I believe that every person deserves to earn a nice living from their abilities or talents. My goal as a business owner is not to work for free and it’s not in the best interest of my family to make them live in a cardboard box. The irony in all this is that the entrepreneur complaining has also commented about how broke he is.

If you are launching a business, there is absolutely nothing wrong with earning a decent living from your hard work. There is nothing unethical about raising your prices in an effort to make a profit from your investment. And there is no business that has ever survived by offering your service or products for free.

My word of wisdom and encouragement today is this – - start charging what your service or product is worth and don’t feel an ounce of guilt for doing so!