We are entering the last quarter of 2022. It's never too late to take stock of what has been accomplished and amplify all the right actions or course adjustments to finish the year with a bang.

I believe in growth on both a personal and professional level. Next-level greatness is only accessible if we know how to do a regular check-in ourselves and take inventory of where and how our energy is spent. As Aristotle has said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit."

Career longevity of 30 years brings gifts. I have applied myself on many levels, from branding to marketing, to selling to learning how to finance, network, create marketing materials, and be authentic and truthful to my personal brand, mission and why. If you feel stagnant in your career, I am sharing some of my "go-to's" for the level-up process.

I did not invent the wheel. My knowledge has been attained through self-development, investing, and learning from the pros. There is power in surrounding yourself with those who have succeeded in their field. I have sat in rooms where Oscar-winning films were greenlit and projects came to life only to become Box Office record breakers. I ended up applying the life hacks below more during the pandemic. They enabled me to be more fulfilled in every area of my life.

1. Thank you notes

I know that sounds old school, but thank you notes are some of the most valuable and long-term relationship-building tools you could ever use for yourself. I had on one of my podcasts this season mega-producer Vin Di Bona, from "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Entertainment Tonight," and his beautiful wife, Erica Gerard De Bona. We met at the Italian Television Festival, where I sit on the Advisory Board. Destiny brought me to sit down with them.

I learned that Erica Girard wrote a book about the power of thank you notes. She was a production executive and has used thank you notes to build those long-lasting relationships. Back in the day, when we were selling movies, I used that hack, and it delivered. Big time. I was to get a film to sell. Back in the day, not many movies were produced, certainly not as many as they are today. And people were competing to get the rights to sell those movies. I sent the Producer a fax- I just wanted to acknowledge the lady representing the movie and thank her for coming in. I wished her all success from the bottom of my heart, even if it wasn't something that would eventually be represented and sold by us.

Because we approached the project with humanity, kindness, integrity, authenticity, and the thank you note, we ended up having a movie that everybody was bidding for.

Oprah said during Super Soul Sunday: One of the things that people need the most is to feel seen and understood.

That goes a long way, much more than any sales gimmick.

2. Gratitude

Do a 100-day gratitude challenge, where for 100 days straight, you will write three things you are grateful for. Gratitude is a form of prayer. And when you are thankful, you're basically acknowledging God, the universe, the higher power for the bountiful and the blessings that you get to have. And if you learn to appreciate the little things, the big things will also come to you.

3. Pitch like a pro

I have been selling other people's projects and brands all my life. In 2021 I took some classes on how to have a concrete framework for successful pitching based on a combination of mindset and business tricks. I put together the perfect pitch masterclass with my proprietary technique that I ended up teaching at the Thessaloniki Animation Film Festival. Authentic non-robotic pitching will be needed more, as in today's world, people have ADD. There's so much information out there, so many people doing the selling, some of it a bit slimy, if you ask me, with buzzwords and false representations.

I believe that your pitch will pop pop when you get clear on your why, which is why you do what you do. Who are you? What do you represent? What are your values, and how do you want them to translate into your storytelling? Then your pitching will be so much clearer and will have more impact. But it does take skills. It does take practice.

4. Branding

Another is from this year's favorite book, "Hook Point" by Brendan Kane. Brendan Kane is somebody who did the branding and the imaging for Taylor Swift and a lot of celebrities. As for business and education in 2021. It applies to anybody, a filmmaker trying to sell a project in a room, a producer, a financier. How to stand out in a 30-second world is gold.

5. IRL

It stands for "IN REAL LIFE." I know everybody's talking about Metaverse and the virtual world, which I think will definitely be a future. But nothing beats actual human connections. I do not mean zoom. Let's just get out of the house if we can, get a drink together, and look at each other In the eyes. There's nothing like the electricity and the energy exchanged between people getting to know one another, the body language. The most prominent relationships I've nurtured and shepherded for decades always brought a result somewhere in my life. Sometimes you do not know it. Sometimes you meet someone, and you think they're going to be financing a movie, but then they end up becoming your best friend. Sometimes you meet someone that it starts as a friendship, and then they end up helping you sell your project or introduce you to somebody who will give you leverage for your film. So make a point to reach out to people and ask them out.

6. Digital detox

It is vital. You need to just nurture our souls and heart by being in silence and not talking about business. Stop scrolling over Instagram and Facebook and look at what everybody is doing. If you just listen to your voice and take some time off to really ask yourself, what do I want? What do I want? And keep asking that question? What do I want? Because sometimes the first, Why do I want? Will get you the surface answers. Who do you want to be? What would you like to have more of?

If you can do it for a whole week, your life will change. I promise you.

7. Go beyond your comfort zone

During the last year, I have taken more courses and more educational things on things that have nothing to do with show business. I learned about YouTube, how to be in the quantum field, and much more. I just kept reading more books about screenwriting and producing, and I listened to people speak on virtual stages. Because nobody is truly a pro at something by staying stagnant. You always have to keep leveling up.

What worked for you in 2022? Drop it in the comments.

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