The ultimate goals of every meeting are agreements, decisions, or solutions. Meetings held for other reasons seldom produce anything of value.

Unprepared participants will spend their time in meeting preparing for meeting.

It is better to spend a little time preparing for solutions than to spend a lot of time fixing problems.

Meetings are an investment of resources and time that should earn a profit.

A meeting can be led from any chair in room. And if it’s your meeting, you want it to be your chair.

Actually, every "next four years" will have a significant impact on you. Your actions and decisions during that time will determine everything that follows. And key to making most of time is having a vision, setting goals, and making plans.

Most leaders work with a business plan. And some have a business plan for their career and other important aspects of their life.

3) It can be a lot of fun.

Yes, next four years and rest of your life can be a lot of fun. If you choose to make it so.

My train ride serves as an excellent example of this.

When I bought my train ticket I decided that I was going to enjoy ride. And I can report that I had a ball. In fact, I told everyone that I met on train that I was happiest guy on train.

Now, let's be realistic about this. A train offers some challenges. For example, train rocks from side to side as it rattles along over old track, switches, and rail crossings. The train blows a whistle, which you can hear all day (and night) long. The train provides limited space. I spent first night in coach, curled up on my seat and suitcases that I stacked on floor between my seat and one in front. My sleeper (for next two nights) consisted of a 3.25 feet wide, 7 ft. long, 6.5 ft high space.

And yet I was happiest guy on train. Because I decided to enjoy ride.

Similarly, we can enjoy our ride through life if we decide to enjoy it.