Archive for the 'Good Health' Category

Dec 14 2011

Shake it up, Baby!

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Calendar,Change,Creative Thinking,Decision Making,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family,Family Business,Goals,Good Health,Happiness,Innovation,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Motivation,Observations,Personal Growth,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Reputation,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Tactics

Today’s the day

                            

to overhaul

                                  

your workspace!

 

 

Changing your daily routine can be just as stress-relieving as taking some time off.

                                                            

I’m not suggesting that you abandon holiday relax time to keep working, but when the rest of your business universe slows down for Christmas and Hanukkah, it’s a great opportunity to clean up, dress up, reorganize, reassess, take inventory, take stock, plan, and set goals.

Rattle your own cage! Start by creating a better workspace. Move furniture and tools. Open drawers and clean out old stuff. File away work that’s done. Sort through magazines and newsletters; sticky-note items you want to read and toss the rest.  Reassess your lighting (and fixture bulb replacement status). Is clutter off your floor?

Can you actually get into storage areas without climbing and sucking in your gut to squeeze through? Are the backs of shelves and closets in easy reach or does access pose the need for Olympic prowess? Are your alarm systems all in good working order? Are window coverings and locks in decent shape?

Are too many door/truck/car keys, or computer codes/user-names/passwords floating around?

Does your waiting area match the level of professionalism you want to project? Dead bugs in ceiling light fixtures and dead or dying plants do not inspire much sense of confidence in professional practices, maintenance or medical supply businesses, florists, landscapers, or any kind of healthcare, food or food service businesses, among others. 

The dead bug/dead plant solutions, by the way, are not to be nurturing live bugs or plastic plants, both of which speak equally negative to your attitude and reputation. Go with no bugs, and if you can’t maintain plants to be permanently healthy, go with no plants as well! And the same goes for beat up outdated magazines!

If you think this is stupidly basic input, start to notice what you see when you visit other businesses. How many restaurants and coffee shops have you left with indigestion after facing mounted TV screens locked onto news channels? When you’re done cleaning up and reorganizing outside your self, step inside for a few overhauls!

You will never get this chance or this day back again.

Make the most of your opportunities.

                                             

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Dec 12 2011

The Holiday Stress Express

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Decision Making,Economy,Empathy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Good Health,Happiness,Leadership,Lifestyle,Management,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Special People/Special Occasions,Stress Management,Tactics

Alllllll Aboard!

 

 You been takin’ the train to less stress and strain, but the holidays got in your way? An’ now you’re just tired, maxed out and wired… and the bookkeeper tells you you’re broke? Just cha-ching up the big bucks on Visa and PayPal then go find an invisibility cloak!

~~~~~~~

Yes-sir-ee-bob! It’s that time again, only this year most small businesses (maybe 20,000,000 or 25,000,000 out of 30,000,000?) are juggling numbers just to stay alive. And if that sounds even a little bit familiar, it may be time to seriously consider changing your usual holiday habits . . . modify them or let ’em go! 

If you thought you were headed into a blog lecture on cutting back your food. beverage, tobacco and drug intake, and that you were going to get another speech on yoga, deep breathing, egg whites, broccoli, sleeping eight hours, jogging in place, and counting to 10 when you feel upset, rest assured you can keep reading.

Let’s say you’re one of those hot-shot entrepreneurs who feels the need to go to exorbitant lengths to prove your business prowess by doling out a few tons of gifts to relatives, friends, employees, and customers you want to impress. Ha! Stop right there! Rein in your fantasyland generosity. Replace it with reality. Get your brain in gear!

Reality is: misappropriated gifting and charity (however well-intentioned) can strangle your ability to be truly giving and charitable. In other words, give from a position of strength. And if you’re not there, don’t push it!

If you choke off or compromise your own resources, you limit your ability to make a difference. Yes, everyone wants or needs more. But the more you give, the more you’d better have to start with, or you end up with no more.

First off, giving is not about dollar value, it’s about thoughtfulness. Gift cost doesn’t impress people as much as gift matching the recipient. This is kind of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of gift-giving. Every great leader will tell you that–on the job– nothing motivates as well as matching rewards with true needs of each individual.

Well, with gift-giving, nothing pleases like a gift that “fits” the receiver. Giving something that’s INexpensive but that fits somone’s personal interests makes a statement that you care more than a gift that costs ten times as much but has no personal appeal. [Where do you store all those old wedding gift bowls and vases and . . .? ]

There’s never a need to try to buy your way into the favor of others (if there is, you might want to start trading off friends and family for others who simply appreciate you for who you are). This is especially true at a time when the only positive economic indicators are coming from the White House and media talking heads.

Don’t let limited financial resources limit your wisdom, or your ability to expend more effort pleasing others than trying to impress them.

                                             

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Dec 11 2011

Getting RE-ORIENTED

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Age & Aging,Anger/Conflict,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Corporate Management,Decision Making,Empathy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Gestalt Therapy,Good Health,Leadership,Life Plans,Management,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Trust

If you are in the process

                                   

 of change (who isn’t?)

                                     

  …you may need this.

 

                                             

Whether you’ve been out of work for a prolonged period, busy being a house-mom, or giving birth, or just searching for a new job, or a new business to start, the needs that you have to get yourself re-oriented to the reality of your new or re-newed existence can seem overwhelming — highly challenging, at best.

Consider yourself something of a catastrophic illness patient on the road to recovery. Huh? Well, sure. What you must face is not much different than the sacrifices you need to make –including the life-change attitudes you adopt  and adjust yourself to– than those you might experience in a healthcare recovery or rehab program.

The bottom line for all of these incidents, and for bosses and associates who are trying to help others through transition experiences:

“PATIENTS” NEED PATIENCE

                                                             

Patience? Yes! It is, we’re told, “a virtue” (whatever that is), and it always accompanies successful attempts to get better, lose weight, exercise, think more clearly, act more decisively, find a job, return to a job, start or re-start a career, run a household, run a business, establish a brand/logo/slogan/theme/message, improve your outlook.

Does it mean you need to come to a screeching halt, and slow down your normally faster-paced thoughts and actions? Perhaps, but probably not. It means recognizing that anxious and impatient and worrisome feelings are your choice, and that you can just as easily choose to stay in total control of your behavior, words and deeds.

This can be accomplished with help (Physical, Occupational, Speech and Psycho Therapists) or with support groups/teams (like family, friends, neighbors, co-workers) or (not recommended) on your own. Trying to be your own therapist inevitably takes longer and decreases your odds for success. Ask any shrink!

All of us need help from others at different times in our lives. HOW we receive and apply that generosity and assistance from others holds the key to how rapidly we recover or become re-oriented to the reality of our lives and careers.

Remember that if you own or run a business, you are different, your re-orientation needs and the period of re-orientation time involved will be different than those of someone with re-orientation needs who works with or for you. And under the circumstances, you must also be patient. Each of us is unique in every way.

Accepting help from others is supposed to be a gracious act according to sources as diverse as Hollywood and the Bible, but these events are often filled with vindictiveness, irritability, frustration, jealousy, and feelings of incompetence. There may be no easy solutions, but raising awareness for all involved helps all involved.

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Dec 08 2011

‘Tis The Season for this and this and th. . .

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Community Support,Contacts/Networking,Corporate Management,Customer Service (CRM),Decision Making,Delegation,Economy,Empathy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family,Family Business,Good Health,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Listening,Management,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Special People/Special Occasions,Strategies,Stress Management,Tactics,Teamwork,Trust

BAH! HUMBUG!

                                 

‘Tis the season to be spiteful, act angry, hide from creditors, put off paying bills, smile fake smiles, eat more sweets and fattening foods, drink more booze and soda and energy drinks, smoke more cigars, spit on the floor, sleep late, and curse the relatives who give you cheap gifts. 

 

Sound familiar? Remind you of someone you know? You might consider printing this or this or this out and mysteriously leaving an anonymous copy (or scissored excerpts) on that person’s desk, carseat, windshield, or stuffed into her or his coatpocket. 

Having come from poverty– I can genuinely appreciate the humbugness of truly destitute people at this time of year, as well as the humbugness of struggling business owners and managers who spend their days battling the threats and destruction of our nation’s economic quagmire, and their nights worrying about it. 

And I feel deeply saddened by anyone who continually chooses to not rise to the occasion of Christmas Season joyfulness — even non-Christians — because it is a season of great joy for all people of any faith, but as so many of us have learned about the leading horse to water proverb, none of us can make someone else’s choices.

Even with all good intention and wisdom, we really can’t reach into another human brain and push buttons and adjust frequencies and turn dials that will produce a happy, healthy, positive attitudes. All we can do is try our best to create positive supporting environments for those who choose misery, and keep the door open to them.

I say these things now, because I’ve been all over this issue of wasting life and opportunities through assorted career roles — from college teaching/counseling to management training/consulting/counseling to business and professional practice development consulting/counseling, to family and group counseling– and this period, now through February, has traditionally brought these dreaded negative behaviors for many to the surface.

Probably the single most useful tool for the vast majority of those I’ve worked with over the years is the one post that I keyword to most often on this blog, and recommend most to those I find in times of need is THIS. Literally thousands have raved to me about its value. It is highlighted in three of my books. It works. 

What else works? Prayer and gratefulness.

God Bless You. Thank you for your visit.

Please return soon.

 

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 30 2011

No one you can really talk to?

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Creative Thinking,Customer Service (CRM),Decision Making,Economy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Gestalt Therapy,Good Health,Happiness,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Listening,Management,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Retailing,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Stress Management,Tactics,Trust

When it gets lonesome at the top… 

Are you talking 

 

to your SELF?

 

                                                                                   

Those who talked to themselves were once considered out of step with reality, and those who out-loud answered their own questions were thought to be in urgent need of psychoanalysis… or a straitjacket.. perhaps even a lobotomy, like in the gruesome 1450s in England. But today? You’re in luck!

Judge-and-jury assessments like this obviously don’t include entrepreneurs. After all, you probably talk to yourself at least hourly, and carry a lifetime reputation for being crazy. I mean, how else could you still be good enough to be in business in this staggering leaderless economy?

When you decide to become an entrepreneur,

you necessarily choose to also become your

own (often lonesome) sounding board.  

                                                             

You should know, by the way, I’m not trying to put a damper on your rants and raves and ongoing mutterings. Those activities, in fact, can be stress-reducing in and of themselves, and serve the purpose of clearing your head — something like a wet retriever shaking off water while standing on your foot! (Had that experience, eh?)

What I am suggesting is that you add to your self-talk repertoire, a bunch of other self-oriented and self-focused actions — like trusting your SELF and appreciating your SELF and recognizing your SELF-uniqueness.

Yeah, but that borders on being selfish, doesn’t it? And don’t we all know that selfish behavior is not a good thing for society, our planet, our personal long-term value? Absolutely. But I’m not speaking of self-aggrandizement. I am addressing the basic life and business success need — to be oriented toward one’s SELF.

Calling it selfish or not doesn’t matter. It’s what your purpose and intentions are all about that really count. When we can be oriented toward our selves in our thoughts and actions, we can be –among other things– more aware of the needs of others, and how we might best be able to help meet or fill those needs in addition to our own.

Selfishness in this respect also tips our internal scales in favor of a more improved, more productive and balanced state of mental and emotional health.

The more we appreciate and value our SELVES and our uniqueness’s, the more we tend to respect the uniqueness’s of others, and the more effective we can become at improving our pathways toward self-sufficiency, self-determination, and the all-important life quality that traditional schools fail to teach: self-esteem.

So the thin line to walk is being able to keep humility and let go of egotism while nurturing self-respect and fostering self-development through increased self-awareness. A high-wire act? If you choose to make it difficult on your self, it is… and it will be. But the choice is yours. And NOW is the time to act! Good luck!

 

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 02 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”M”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Contacts/Networking,Corporate Management,Decision Making,Delegation,Economy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Feedback,Good Health,Leadership,Lifestyle,Listening,Management,Meetings,Motivation,Observations,People Management,Personal Growth,Politics/Gov't,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Stress Management,Tactics,Teamwork,Trust

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “M”…MANAGEMENT

 

 FREEDOM

 

M B W U

is the new management methodology

for 2016 and beyond, but it needs

to be cranked up now!

                                                                              
“Huh?” say all you corporate muckity-muck types who came here for a shot of entrepreneurial adrenaline . . . you who pride yourselves on being keyed into the latest approaches to management and business leadership . . . Yes, it’s MBWU, and by now you’ve probably guessed the first two because you’re a shrewd student of business.
                                  
You think maybe I mean MBWA – Management By Walking Around? No, I would have said that.
 
MBWA is arguably the most sensible and productive form of management leadership theory in existence — at least until now.  But times have changed, and we are now nearly waist-deep in this economic quagmire with no end in sight and very few ways to lift one foot from the muck to put in front of the other.
 
Managing by walking around is no longer as realistic with many businesses that have found global growth a viable solution to the choking American dollar. For many, digital visits (video conferencing, webinars, etc.) have stepped out of the shadows, but most small businesses still rely on personal physical visits from the boss.

                                    

Okay, so what’s MBWU?

                                        

Aha! Thought you’d never ask. MBWU stands for “Management By Waking Up”!  The approach has multiple meanings, which may include walking around, but with a different emphasis. The MBWA problem-solving, problem-prevention and rah-rah visits give rise now to taking action. MBWU is a “call to action” methodology.
 
Since some action always beats no action, and since the opposite approach: ISQ (Investment in the Status Quo) means sufficient capital must be available to be able to invest in the first place, small business owners are left high and dry. Either there’s no money to invest, or there is, but you don’t trust the options.
 
Certainly, there is no incentive or reason to trust government promises enough to proceed with creating the new jobs many of America’s 30 million small business owners are capable of creating, even though they represent the only viable and historically-proven solution to the unemployment puzzle and to turning the economy around.

 

 So, VOILA! It’s time to wake up! MBWU means:

A) Getting up every morning and taking a good, hard look in the mirror, rubbing your forehead vigorously for 3-5 seconds, and admonishing your self to “Wake Up!”

B) Getting going! Take your wake-up call to work, and share it generously with genuine positive praise and sincere encouragement. Turn on your charm and authenticity.

C) Starting every action and response to others’ actions with a deep breath and a self-commitment to stay focused on where things ARE, and how to make them better along the way to where things need to go.

D) Knowing in your heart of hearts that true wake-up calls require open-mindedness.

 
The more open-minded and receptive you can be (and the better listener you can be) and the greater your sense of urgency, the more that opportunities will surface that usher in new avenues and prospects for new business from existing and old customers, as well as new business from new customers.
 
You are likely to uncover entirely new revenue streams that would not ordinarily surface in businesses where owners and managers remain inactive, and distance themselves from reasonable risk-taking..
 
All MBWU progress is of course enhanced by being able to experience a decent night’s sleep from the git go. It’s hard to wake-up and make better use of resources, better decisions about priorities and people, when, for example, you’ve been out late partying the night before or are in a high-stress environment at home, or haven’t exercised or eaten properly.
 
So the 1/3 of your MBWU life rests squarely on the 1/3 of your life that you spend sleeping, which rests squarely on how you manage and treat and believe in your SELF. Are you ready? Got a plan? Are you set? Go!

# # #

Hal@Businessworks.US

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Oct 19 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”F”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Creative Thinking,Decision Making,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family,Family Business,Gestalt Therapy,Good Health,Happiness,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Personal Growth,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Reputation,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Trust

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “F”…FANTASYLAND


N O W  is

the only time.

The past is over.

It cannot be changed.

The future hasn’t come yet,

and may never arrive anyway.

~~~~~~~

 

Our “here-and-now” present moments are all we really have to work with, live in, enjoy, control, and make a difference with in our lives and in our businesses. They open the path to creativity . . . to creative personal, professional, and business development!

 

Using the past productively from our present-moment mindset can be rewarding and –in many cases– necessary. Recalling a pleasant experience, for example, can be physically relaxing, enjoyable, and neurologically soothing in our present moment, especially a present moment filled with extra stress.

Oh, and where would detectives and accountants, historians, scientists and lawyers be without being able to rely heavily on events and records of the past in their present life’s work?

BUT, when thinking about the past gets to a point of dwelling, those thoughts threaten our very well-being, and often impair the well-being of others around us. We can get ourselves (and our businesses) in trouble.

[Examples: the 50-year-old who constantly re-lives his high school championship game touchdown; the 60-year-old woman who recounts her childhood poverty or illnesses to everyone she meets; the family locked into day-to-day sadness over a child’s tragic death 15 years ago.]

Circumstances like those put us at risk; they block the road to mental, emotional, and physical health. We all go through bad times. Being able to be productive and rise above them is a measure of personal strength and courage.

It is always easier to escape to fantasyland,

but –realistically– not always wiser.

                                                                        

The trick is to stay “tuned-in” to where you are and what you’re doing at any given moment, as much as you possibly can, every minute and hour of the day. Your reading of the top of this post, for example, is already in the past!. And be aware that all of this applies equally to future stuff as well.

Just as dwelling unproductively on the past wastes time and energy, so too does worrying about the future. We all need to plan, but when plans turn to worry, we are also headed off to fantasyland. Creative professionals visit fantasyland intentionally for inspiration, but then return to reality to apply the fantasy experience.

Business owners can rarely afford that luxury –and risk– of getting lost in reveries, hopes, dreams, and wishes. Solution: Save up for a vacation and go somewhere that minimizes contact with reality. In other words, it’s a good thing to periodically get it out of your system. Then, when you get back: Get back, really!

Prolonged stays in fantasyland can earn prolonged stays in the loony bin, or the log-term wearing of a straight jacket, not to mention big-time bankruptcy of both your business and your brain. Happy reality!

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hal@businessworks.US

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Entrepreneurship & Expansion Coaching    931.854.0474

Go for your goals, thanks for your visit, God Bless You!

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Sep 26 2011

Your Balancing Act

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Anger/Conflict,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Decision Making,Delegation,Empathy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family,Family Business,Good Health,Happiness,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Tactics,Time Management,Trust

Operating

                        

a small business in 

                                         

times of personal trouble…

                                                              

 

The most frequent consulting calls I get are from business owners who are experiencing personal emotional trauma, and who are trying to either ignore or bull their way through the upsets without acknowledging them.

Many talk and act as if they’re sizing up my marketing experience, but what they really want to know is if I can help them personally.

They throw little test questions out: “Uh, have you ever worked with partners who don’t always get along?” or “Have you had to deal with older family members who started a business, then turned it over to younger relatives?” or “How would you increase sales in a business where the boss’s wife had alcohol or drug problems?”

Some, of course, cut right to the chase: “I just got out of rehab and still have panic attacks, but nobody else can run the business; what can you do to help?” or “My partner is the money behind this business, and he’s an idiot and we’re on the verge of breaking up; can you help pick up our sales while we divorce?”

I have a little reminder note pasted on my workstation:  “Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” You may have to become as old as I am to really appreciate the truth of this, but if you ARE less than 150, I can assure you that truer words were never spoken.

And there’s no discrimination that disallows business owners. We all carry our own burdens through life. How we strike a balance with the businesses we run makes the difference between success and failure. Dealing effectively with the whole mess, time after time, depends on how effectively we balance our own emotions.

Dismissing, or disregarding the reality of what we face accomplishes nothing, and often makes things worse. Jumping headlong into upsets is a get-screwed-up-quick formula that can wreak havoc on both the business and your personal life. Balance means holding the ship steady through stormy weather regardless of preferences.

In other words, this isn’t football,

and acting headstrong can get

 us sacked on the one-yard line 

                                                    

We need to be able to put aside our emotional attachments; we need to be able to let go of some of the ties that bind. We need to accept that we don’t always have all the answers and be willing to go with the flow when problems overwhelm us. Can it be God or an inner spirit challenging us to rise to the occasion? Is it a test of your mettle?

“If you can get through this, you can get through anything,” my wise old uncle used to say, but he never mentioned that there would be a least hundreds of “this” times.

Life is about challenge. So is entrepreneurship. Just make sure you keep your personal life in balance with your family and those around you. If you stand tall in troubled waters, the business will heal itself. Where to start? Try some deep breathing for openers, and then begin to sort out and prioritize before you take action.   

 

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open Minds Open Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Sep 12 2011

Keeping Up Appearances

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Decision Making,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Good Health,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategies,Tactics,Trust

 A marriage,

                                   

  a partnership  

                                  

…your business

                      

on the rocks?

 

 

No need to contend for an Academy Award. Don’t get me wrong. acting isn’t always a bad thing if it serves to entertain or educate. Besides, theatre is in my family’s blood going all the way back to early Armenian and early Irish performers. (More on this some other time :<.)

The point is that acting to maintain or

enhance an image rarely serves the purpose.

                                                     

Keeping up appearances only works for limited periods of time with limited audiences. With crumbling marriages, acting may not be a bad thing with young sensitive children who need to know –no matter the cause– that it’s not their fault. The same can be said for employees and customers when a business partnership goes south.

When a business stands firm in the face of a tsunami, the tsunami will prevail. It’s best to not pretend all’s well to those you do business with when it’s not . . . unless you’re certain a short-term BandAid will not prevent forward motion once the air clears, and you’re mentally prepared for any worst case scenario.

If you’ve been pretending things that are terrible are really great, be alert for reality to take its toll. A little snack for thought: Consider taking periodic mental inventory of where things are and where they’re headed. Step back. Take a break. Go for a walk, a drive, a ride, a swim, a vacation. Breathe. Get your brain unwound.

Accept that the stress these acting roles

produce is simply not worth all the pretenses.

                                      

Failing to own up to perceived threats of reality often puts businesses and their owners under. You are, you know, after all is said and done, a human being. And your body may, as some say, be a temple, but it is also (regardless of fitness level) a fragile temple. 

In a business tsunami, you are as susceptible to psychological trauma as you are to physical and emotional assault.

You may not be able to prevent accidents simply by staying out of harms way, anymore than you can avoid business upsets by just dressing things up and acting the part of conquering hero.

Even when you might think you are on track to a best actor or best supporting actress Oscar, when you begin to see that all the affectations, costumes, makeup, props, and mastering of character study you can muster are just not going to bail you out, face the reality head on. Be honest and direct.

Remember that –while you might think the situation at hand is the most humiliating and crushing life experience possible– others who are not as good as you have survived it, and most have become stronger for it. So, don’t shut it down. Put it out on the table.

                                              

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  Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

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Aug 29 2011

A human-side lesson for business owners

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Age & Aging,Attitude,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Calendar,Change,Choosing Behavior,Creative Thinking,Decision Making,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family,Family Business,Gestalt Therapy,Goals,Good Health,Happiness,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Mental Health,Motivation,Observations,Personal Growth,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Stress Management,Time Management,Travel

If I had my life to live over

 

If I had my life to live over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously.

I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans.

I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I’m one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.

I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it over again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.”

   

— Nadine Stair, 85 years old (in 1968), Louisville, Kentucky

(Links inspired by these words were inserted by Hal)

                                          

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