The view from the air of Santa Cruz in a helicopter is quite stunning. It enlightens the mind to think that when you have a challenge, there is nothing a little view of the horizon can't do to hit you back in your stride again.

That was a year ago. My wife and I won a helicopter trip, found a new perspective as we looked down on the earth below.

I look back on this past year of 2009, it has been it's own soul searching time. It is as though when I had everything moving the way I had thought it needed to go, that yet in that entire platform, there was a very important series of movement that needed to occur.

Our lives seldom put things on a recognizable course, instead we may find ourselves seeking a bit of a different direction.

I can't help but think, wow, is this my life? I wake up thinking that the day's course is planned exactly down to the last detail, planned down to the very fabric that I would seek. It is a new day.

2009 was a testing point for us all. It was a year where my best laid plans took a back seat, where individuals found their mettle, where the unemployment rate rose to above 10% in years.

Yet, here I stand with a sure knowledge, that I can forge ahead and make a difference in recruiting, if in some way I give someone some hope, if I encourage someone along the way, as I fill the difficult requisitions that require my whole focus, my whole commitment and a return to my roots.

The greatest success of all in 2009 may be that we all survived? It may be that we took a challenging situation and turned it around. It may be we went down a path we never imagined and rise again triumphantly and get another fill to add to the list of accomplishments, it may be that we cut down on time to hire. It may be we rise to the occassion and pursue a course we never thought possible to achieve so much in.

Living in the Silicon Valley, I have always thought of myself as blessed. When my time at a company I distinctly loved came to an end out of necessity, when the new economy pushed us all into a place we never saw coming, and when we arrived to the occassion with our tenacity and inward fire still burning deep, there is something to be said that the greatest success of all is living life without regrets, answering the call when we had no more strength left. And making a difference and building strength to last a lifetime.

The Greatest Success of all is making a career that can be remembered.

The Greatest Success of all is enabling others to climb the mountain of opportunity-opening the door for their success when the timing is right.

The Greatest Success is filling a difficult req with that Golden Candidate you found, prepared and closed.

The Greatest Success is making a great outcome of life, working at your weaknesses, building strengths, and making your family proud of you.

The Greatest Success was singing in front of the Mayor of San Jose, and building rapport with others in the community at a recent charity gala event.

The Greatest Success is giving of oneself during the holidays and leaving no doubt that you have what it takes to succeed.

The Greatest Success is helping others by building tools that create better networking.

Why does recruiting matter? It is at the heart of a good healthy vibrant organization. It is the power to change a life. It is a means whereby you enable another person to find their passion again, and giving them the ability to make an incredible career even more legendary.

It is opening doors when doors are shut, and making others aware and serving your community with ever constant faith and commitment.

It is a wonderful time to consider the hopes, and dreams we have as the holiday season quickly approaches so too will we find ourselves staying warm, and facilitating greatness one step at a time.

2009 is almost done, but a New Year awaits us just around the corner and during that time growth will continue in the VC markets.

We need VC's to continue to give opportunities who need them. It is a wonderful engagement that enables others to make a key difference. I am so glad to be back in Staffing, it is wonderful place to be.

2009 was a time of renewal of growth of faith, and with that we all have the ability to celebrate the greatest successes in my life-my wife and daughter. They are so wonderful.

It is life that makes us war tested and battle ready.

And the greatest success all pieces together when we remember that recruiting is the blood of an organization, the back bone to success to implement business plans that push you forward.

I am so blessed to have this again, and with the timing of the economy starting to show signs of growth, it is never a better time to become an incredible force for good in the community.

And that is really what this holiday season is all about now isn't it?