As I reflect on my life and career, I have been blessed with the opportunities afforded me - both personally and in business.  I have met a tremendous amount of high-quality people along the way and have been humbled by the relationships that I have fostered. In addition, I have had the good fortune of spending many years with leading companies before transcending into owning my own company for the last two decades.

My personal and professional networks have always co-existed.  I have maintained many relationships not for years, but for decades and for that, I am quite thankful.  Many of my professional connections have morphed into long-term friendships and it has taken a lot of effort to maintain these relationships but in the end, it has been one of the shining stars of my career and life.  There is something incredibly rewarding in re-connecting with colleagues throughout my travels after, say two decades, to re-acquaint and re-ignite our bond.

In addition, and over the years, I had an opportunity to mentor many people throughout my career. In fact, during a recent Q&A portion of my Leadership seminar, I was asked what I have learned throughout my career.  I had the chance to reflect on several items that I have "learned" and how I fortunate my career truly has been.  Below are some of the items I touched on with a bit further explanation for each answer.

Life is Not Fair, But You Own It:  You win some, you lose some - sometimes you are just downright screwed.  It happens and there is no way to avoid it entirely - but you can minimize it.  Your option is to let fate deal your hand or always be prepared for what may forsake you.  I have always believed that if I had answers to issues in advance of them developing, I stood a chance to be able to overcome the onslaught.  You may not be able to withstand everything thrown at you, but in most cases, you can protect against the downside.

You Have to Start at the Bottom:  Many of today's college grads are looking for the mid-manager to senior-level jobs on day one.  That expectation in today's job market, will go unfulfilled.  While I am sure there are some insanely talented grads out there, basically everyone starts at the bottom.  The sooner you accept that premise, the faster you can start your career climb.  While my career eventually led me to becoming President of a large restaurant chain, my first job in that industry was a manager trainee at one, lone store.  Besides, you can learn anything in any position, it is you that decides if you are willing to be coachable.

Grab All the Responsibility You Can:  Break outside of your comfort zone if you wish to exceed your expectations.  I owe a debt of gratitude to my two bosses that I had at a 1,400-store convenience chain, for what I became in my career.  I was a "marketing guy" when I arrived and through their consistent confidence in my abilities, they expanded my business acumen -- in both breadth and depth -- to include real estate, IT, capital and facilities management.  Many of the projects I have been involved with at Gray Cat, incorporate some or all these disciplines.

Network With People:  Thankfully, LinkedIn was invented!  I have always been a strong connector and networker but prior to LinkedIn, every contact was tracked manually!  Now with an extensive network on LinkedIn and a database of 8,500 contacts in my iPhone, I feel confident that I am well-informed and connected.  For the attendees at my Leadership seminar, this fell into the "it's not what you know, it's who know" camp.  Besides, it is a lot more fun to share your success (and challenges) with colleagues along the way.

Don't Be Afraid of the Abyss:  Much like grabbing all the responsibility you can, getting past the "fear factor" is the key to taking on and overcoming immense challenges as they are presented.  Over the years, my fear of the "abyss" has dwindled and in fact, has made me seek greater challenges.  I now relish new and fresh challenges as it allows me to become the expert puzzle maker.  Desire to succeed is the key ingredient to any successful career.

Everyone Will Have a Lousy Boss:  Or bosses.  It is the way of the world.  Navigating around or with a lousy boss is not an easy task.  Recognizing that everyone has faced this scenario as well, should make the interaction less intrusive.  Take a deep breath, attempt to seek common ground and hope for the best -- or a transfer!  The portal is open.

You Will Lose One of Your Jobs:  Layoffs, bankruptcies, acquisitions, mistakes, downsizing, relocations and the list go on.  So many "out of your control" factors can determine whether you keep your job or not.  Oh yeah, and so does your own performance.  In today's world, losing your job is the norm - just ask the people that are out of work.  

Develop An Attitude to Persevere:  Your career is yours - own it.  No matter what the circumstances, it comes down to you being the "CEO" of your career.  Accept that mantra and you will persevere.  Your career is a long-steady run - enjoy the work, the sweat and above all, the significant relationships that are built over the years.

Always Keep Moving Forward:  And lastly, this is a big one.  Always keep learning and moving forward.  For those who know me, this is one of my strongest attributes be it professionally or personally.  I am always looking to improve and make the future better.  I do this with my company, Gray Cat, and I do this in my personal life – just look at my gardens, they are always improving.  My focus is always on what’s next and it’s that perspective to that keeps me moving forward.

Enjoy the ride!

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