Today, I celebrate my one-year anniversary as founder of Little Things Matter (LTM). I started this blog on 1-11-10, launched my book on 11-11-10, and today I celebrate my one-year anniversary on 1-11-11. (Lucky 1’s)

With your help and support, this blog already has more than 10,500 subscribers. The podcasts are now ranked No.26 in America’s Top Podcasts; No.1 in the personal and professional development space; and, the Little Things Matter Facebook page has over 23,500 followers.

What better way to celebrate a great year than to review the most popular posts of the past year. Using Google analytics, we selected the two top-viewed posts from each month. These are the posts that you, the readers of this blog, viewed the most.

January

It’s a New Day!—This was my first blog post. It highlights the fact that we can create an amazing life if we put the past behind us and focus our energy on our future. If you often dwell on your past mistakes, you will benefit by reading this post.

Our Lives Are a Mirror Image of the Little Decisions We Make—This is one of life’s most important lessons and the title says it all.

February

Become a Respected Leader—Leadership is a privilege. It’s not something you take; it’s not something you get; it’s not a title. It is something you earn by becoming a person who is respected.

Who Do I Have to Become To Get What I Want?—Most people focus their attention on what they need to DO to achieve their goals and never consider who they need to BECOME. Of the 203 posts on this blog, I think this is the most important.

March

Six Ways to Avoid Misunderstandings—Imagine how much happier your life would be if you didn’t have misunderstandings with people. If you follow these six tips, you will significantly reduce the number of times you are involved in a breakdown in communication.

10 Ways to Make a Positive Impression Through Your Voicemail Messages— The voicemail messages you leave for people make an impression and are part of your personal brand. By following a few simple tips, you can improve how you are viewed by friends and associates.

April

Top 33 Email Tips—Few people really take pride in their email communication. Those who do stand out as people who understand and recognize the importance of written communication. (These tips were later included in a report titled, 49 Ways to Improve Your Email Brand.)

Top 10 Phone Tips—Do you form opinions of people based on how they sound over the phone? Because people cannot see us through the phone, they form opinions based not only on “what” we say but also on “how” we say it. This post will help you improve your phone skills.

May

36 Ways to Make a Positive Impression in Less Than 10 Seconds—What surprised me about this one is that I didn’t think a post with 36 short points would be popular. Boy, was I wrong! 1330 people on Facebook have shared this post with their friends.

Sometimes Five Seconds Is All it Takes—A simple, but powerful story reinforced the fact that when you show an interest in people and the things that are important to them, they will show an interest in you and the things that are important to you. Five seconds is often all it takes.

June

25 Unexpected Ways to Make Someone’s Day—When was the last time someone did something unexpected to brighten your day? How did you feel about that person? When you do things for people that are unexpected, you are making a large deposit into your Relationship Bank Account. This was one of the top five posts of the year.

The Value of a Mastermind Team—Napoleon Hill said, “No two minds ever come together without a third invisible force, which may be likened to a ‘third mind.’ When a group of individual minds are coordinated and function in harmony, the increased energy created through that alliance becomes available to every individual in the group.”

July

Happiness is a Choice—The research coming out on “Happiness” supports the fact that, for most of us, happiness is a choice. Just as you choose to put maple syrup on your pancakes because it makes them taste better, you can choose to be happy because of how it makes you feel.

Taking a Good Look in the Mirror of Truth—I asked each of my children to write a guest post this past year. Jessica, my daughter-in-law, wrote this powerful lesson on personal character that will make you stop and think.

August

10 Ways to Make People Feel Good—This is a powerful post. It’s more than just a post listing 10 simple things you can do to make someone feel good. You will learn that when you focus on others, you make a positive difference in two lives—yours and the person with whom you interact.

The Compound Effect—My friend Darren Hardy, publisher of “Success Magazine” wrote this book. I was so impressed that I summarized some of the most important lessons in his book. I am not sure if it was Darren’s book or my summary of it that made this post so popular. 

September

The Duplication Effect of Leadership—One of the most important leadership lessons you will ever learn. If you lead a team, stop now and read this post.

Your Words Reflect Your Character—What we say about others reflects on our own character. When we speak unfavorably of others, it not only hurts the person our words are aimed at, but it also damages our credibility and reputation.

October

25 Tips to Staying Married 25 Years—In this most popular post of the year, my wife and I share our top 25 tips to staying married 25 years. If you’re married, I encourage you to print this post and discuss it with your spouse.

Personal Accountability-A Requirement For Life Advancement—If you will hold yourself accountable for your actions, responsibilities, and goals, you can achieve anything that is important to you. Powerful lesson.

November

130 Time Management Tips—I have yet to see a more comprehensive time-management report available on the Internet.

Overcoming Procrastination—Discover the most common causes of procrastination and the best methods for overcoming this destructive habit. Procrastination is not just an achievement killer, it is a self-esteem killer.

December

How Much Money Do You Need to Retire?—If enjoying a comfortable retirement is important to you, you cannot postpone your retirement planning. The quality of your retirement will be greatly influenced by the decisions you make today. This post outlines exactly how much money you need to save to maintain your current qualify of life during retirement.

How to Handle Disagreements—One of the skills we should all strive to master in our personal and professional lives is how to properly handle ourselves when we disagree with another person.

I encourage you to take the time to read or listen to each of the lessons above.

How has this blog helped make your life better this past year? What changes have you made? What’s your favorite lesson of the past year? Share your thoughts in the comments section below this post.

You can achieve anything in 2011 that is important to you, if you will focus on the little things that matter!

Achievement, Career, Character, Decisions, Hope, Leadership, Personal Brand

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