The challenges we face in life serve as a way to mold and shape our personalities and define our character. It is through these challenges that we learn who we truly are, and find out what we are made of. Many times, our biggest obstacle isn’t the challenge ahead of us, but what lies within us. As the first man to climb Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary once said “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” I think this is a really powerful quote, and speaks to a common challenge we all face. Many times, whether we know it or not, the biggest obstacle we face is ourselves.

…It would be the world’s 3rd largest. I’m sure many of you have seen this video, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to share it with you, in case you haven’t seen this yet. It really speaks to the power of social media, and shows just what a force it has become in recent years. Here are just a few eye-opening facts from this amazing video, aptly titled “Social Media Revolution”:

-Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30 years old

-A new member joins LinkedIn every second

-Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Britney Spears have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Sweden, Israel, Greece, Chile, North Korea, and Australia

-50% of all Internet traffic in the UK is for Facebook

-Over 37 million people viewed Volkswagen’s Darth Vader Super Bowl ad on YouTube

The battle for the mobile market is heating up, and it looks like Android has been making some serious strides lately. New figures indicate that about 500,000 new Android devices are activated each day. While this is a staggering number, what’s even more remarkable is the fact that this number is growing by about 4.4% each week. Back in May, this number was closer to about 400,000 devices activated each day. So in just a few weeks, the sales for Google’s smartphone platform (Android) have surged by about 100,000 additional activations per day. It would seem that Google's Android platform is really starting to take off...

In today’s modern age, technology is having a profound impact on every industry – allowing the gears of commerce to turn more efficiently. Between mobile devices and social media, today’s technology is also revolutionizing the way we communicate, interact, and shop. While the immediate impact this technology is having seems profound, only time will tell just what type of impact that mobile devices and social media will have on society in general. In the long term, innovations like these can have a ripple effect that lasts decades and even centuries. Many innovations, whether they intend to or not, have the unique ability of impacting other industries in unforeseen ways, and alter the course of progress.

No matter what type of business you are in, you are sure to experience numerous challenges and setbacks throughout the course of your entire professional life. At times, these obstacles may seem overwhelming, and will force you to truly question your commitment and your determination. Everyone experiences failure, but it is only by learning from our failures that we grow and evolve. So when you are faced with failure, you essentially have two choices. You can either be discouraged and defeated, or you can learn from your failures and make the necessary changes that will put you in a position to succeed the next time you are faced with a challenge. The question is how many times would you try and fail something before you gave up?

Having a positive impact on the lives of others is what motivates my wife Loren and I to succeed. We know that the best way to find success is through the empowerment of others, and strive to share that vision with everyone we meet. Loren in particular has done so much work to help empower and inform others, that her site, Loren’s World was recently nominated as one of Forbes’ Top 100 Websites For Women. This is a great honor, and shows people have taken notice of Loren’s positive impact on the web. Loren’s World provides a unique perspective on everything from beauty to business, seeking to provide valuable insights that help women stay informed and empowered in today’s face-paced world. I am so proud of Loren, for all that she has accomplished, and feel that the honor and recognition Forbes has bestowed upon her is well deserved. Loren has always been a great inspiration for me, so I am especially delighted to see that Forbes has recognized her for enriching the lives of others – just as she continues to enrich mine.

I’m sure many of you have seen the ridiculous Old Spice commercials starring former football player, Isaiah Mustafa. Between Isaiah’s charm and charisma, and the hilariously absurd scene changes and props, these amazing commercials have had a profound impact on the market. While the TV commercials have been highly successful, Old Spice has followed through with a social media campaign that has been equally effective.

With the national unemployment rate close to 9%, finding a paying job is a difficult task for millions of people. Those who are lucky enough to have a job in this economy tend to take their paychecks for granted, assuming that the companies we work for will be able to pay us. The concept of gainful employment is predicated on the assumption that you will in fact receive financial compensation for your efforts. Essentially, you expect to be paid for the work you did. The basic concept of quid pro quo is the foundation for commerce and the working world in general – so what happens when you don’t get paid for the work you’ve done?

This troubling question is quickly becoming a reality for SAAB’s 3,700 employees. The Swedish automaker announced that it does not possess the funds to pay its workforce. Swedish Automobile N. V., SAAB’s parent company, said it is discussing the prospect of raising short-term funding, but they don’t seem to be over-confident that they will in fact be able to do so. They also stated that there is “no assurance that these discussions will be successful or that the necessary funding will be obtained.”

There’s a common misconception that social media is a tool meant primarily for the younger generations to utilize. While it is true, social media is used quite extensively by today’s youth, they are not the only segment of the population that has caught the social media bug. In the past few years, various studies have indicated that Baby Boomers who surf the web are engaging in social media in record numbers.

A report from eMarketer shows that Baby Boomer participation in social media swelled to 47.5% in 2009.To put that into perspective, it was closer to 32% in 2008. It would appear that Facebook is reaping the rewards of this social explosion, as 74% of Boomers have a Facebook page. For Boomers online, Facebook is the clear social media champion, as only 13% claim to use Twitter and LinkedIn. Another more recent study from the UK shows that 1 in 5 grandparents use social media, and also reflects a similar proclivity for using Facebook, as 71% preferred it over Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s also noteworthy that nearly 90% of all seniors who use social media use Facebook – a staggering number.

In this age of economic uncertainty, achieving solid financial footing is a difficult task. For many people, just paying the monthly expenses presents a challenge, let alone any additional unforeseen expenses. Forbes addressed this issue in a recent article, asking if Americans were confident they could cover an unforeseen $2,000 expense. The results are a real wake-up call, as just 1 in 4 Americans felt they would be able to come up with $2,000 for an unplanned expense.