Broaden Your Sphere Of Influence One Small Act For One Individual At A Time
In his book Turning Stones, Mark Parent shares the story of a child who while walking on the beach, would pick up snails she found along the way and throw them back into the ocean. When grandma pointed out that there are so many little critters that have washed up along so many miles of shore and that throwing a few of them back really will not make a difference, the child’s response was “it makes a difference to this one” as she threw in the latest rescue.
That child realized something that many adults have forgotten- Every action makes a difference. We hear the words so often but don’t really put them into action. As the holiday season is in full bloom, stores are packed and traffic backed up it’s important to remember those words. When your place of worship needs volunteers and your schedule won’t allow you the four hours, the one hour you have can make a difference. When your local soup kitchen is making a plea for donations and you can’t afford a large cash donation, giving a few extra cans from your pantry will make a difference. It’s true that donating a box of pasta will not feed the hundreds of people in the community who are hungry, but it will make a great difference for the one family who eats because of that donation.
We sometimes spend so much time trying to save the world that we forget to help the individual next to us who is calling out for help. While things done for the masses may bring a brief moment of acknowledgement and accolades, the small gesture expended to an individual earns a deeper sense of gratitude. Public accolades may fade away, but the gratitude of the individual will not only last, it will multiply. When the individual remembers the kindness of a stranger, friend or loved one, and repays it with kindness toward another. Instead of creating one big moment that may or may not last, you inspire a cycle of influence that continues to multiply.
This same method applies in business.Although every small business owner (myself included) would love to land that one big client who catapults your business into arenas you could not imagine, taking time out to provide the super star treatment to every small deal, every sale, can have similar impact. When you provide your clients with service that are above and beyond what they expected and the competition offers, your clients can share their experience with others, thus creating a snow ball effect. The more great things you do, the more you are talked about. You may not get the one client who alone can sustain your business, but the many satisfied customers can together have the same impact as they bring others along with them.
When you are looking to widen you sphere of influence, place less emphasis on how many you can impact in one act and focus more on how deeply you can impact individuals. Individuals are the ones who will spread your message. They are the ones who will remember and act from their hearts. Individuals will carry out your message both through words and action, and they have the ability to influence others to join them. In this fad chasing world, we must always remember to focus on people, because when the hoopla dies down the people who have been personally affected will still remember. Be memorable to one, inspire one, and your reach will go beyond your imagination.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
Beware of Good Intentions in Your Way
Sometimes people genuinely do want to help, but not everyone’s method of helping is what you actually need. When people don’t know or just can’t see your vision it can be difficult for them to advise you. This is another place where having your road map comes in handy.
Have a plan. The old adage “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll for anything” is never more true than when you are working toward a goal. This is one place where people get easily side tracked. Generally, everyone is sharing their recommendations because they want to see you succeed. But their ideas of what it takes are not always what works for your destination. When you have a plan, you will know. You will also be able to decide when a recommendation would fit well within your plan and should be added or when to just pass.
Be appreciative. When the person’s intent is to help, it’s hard to just dismiss them. You also don’t want to just push them away because you want the sentiment, their caring enough to want to help, you want that to continue. Always thank them for the recommendation. Some times that the end of it. If there is a follow up you can politely tell them that their recommendation does not fit with your current plan and what you are working to achieve. To take it a step further, you could even share with them where you are going and what you are looking for that way if they come across the resources you need in the future they will recognize them as something potentially useful to you.
Seek clarification. Sometimes an idea may not show its potential at face value. They person who makes a recommendation may know what they mean, but their presentation may not convey the benefits to you. Be clear about what is being presented as well as how you intend to use it and the benefits there in, before you run with anything. Otherwise you could find yourself perpetually in a starting point.
Be knowledgeable. People will bring recommendations. They will come to you with their good intentions, but it will be up to you to be on top of your game. Arm yourself with knowledge so that you are able to decipher valuable advice from the ones that won’t help with your progress. Unless you know what you are after; what it takes to get it; paths that can lead to success as well as those that can lead you astray, then you may be susceptible to influences that are less than helpful.
So the next time someone offers you a suggestion know what to PACK– Plan- Appreciate- Clarify- Know.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
Three (3) Crash & Burn Networking Fails to Avoid
Networking is a great tool. Whether you are a small business owner an executive or an employee seeking upward mobility. When done right, networking opens many doors, including some you may not have even known existed. Unfortunately while the value of networking is emphasized, its essence and even how it’s done are often neglected in the conversation. It is an art that is unsuccessfully attempted by many but those who get it right often reap immeasurable benefits. While many tell you what to do, here are three mistakes to avoid when you step out there.
The Business Card Ambush. When someone walks up to me shoves their card in my face and proceeds to spill out a list of what they do, I generally don’t hear. For starters, once you give me something to look at I start looking at it, and if you didn’t already have my attention now you are in a competition with it. When I go home and I’m entering info in my database, I won’t remember you, except maybe as “oh yeah, that lady/guy”.
Instead introduce yourself. Have a conversation with the person where both your professional information can be shared. I recently read a book by Earl Graves where he talks about finding common ground with the person on which to build relationships. I have always believed that and it was so refreshing to finally see someone say yes that’s right. These are the little things that makes the person remember you and build interest in you professionally. Whether we both used to hang at Cambridge Commons, just started golfing or remember that KFC on Park and Washington, it’s something that makes you stand out from the other 60 people in the room that day. I’m more likely to remember that person I shared even the scantiest bit of history with than the 3rd Realtor I met that day.
The Recruiter. The idea behind networking is building a team of professionals and resources. While many people do go to networking events looking to find new clients, people don’t go in looking to become clients. That was one of the main reasons that I stopped attending local networking events. It felt like every realtor, every financial planner, insurance agent… wanted me to become a client. Not only, that many of them already wanted me on their promotional team passing out business cards. I was taken aback the first time someone handed me 5 cards so I could share just 5 minutes (if not less) after we met, but I later realized that it was not so uncommon. I’ve never been in a rude enough mood to come out and ask but I’ve often wanted to say “Do you really expect me to walk around with a stack of everyone’s card to give out?”
Don’t push your services on me the day we meet. If we end up having a follow up meeting, don’t come in looking to review my retirement portfolio. I don’t know you like that and I’m not about to hand you my personal information. Whether you give me 10 cards of one, the chances are the same- I may stick one in my files. The other ones will surely find their way to the recycling bag because I can’t give you all that space. If someone says they already have a person who does this for them leave it there for now, because that either means they already have someone or are not interested in your service. Let the person know you and be comfortable enough that you become their expert in your area. One can never have too many experts in an area that they can get information from. In due time your skills and knowledge can make you The Guy. When someone sees you as the go to guy, they don’t just come to your for their needs, they send others who have the same. It does take time to cultivate these types of relationships, but they are more valuable than those walk-by carding that a lot of people do.
The Professional Rainbow. We’ve all met the individual who has 3 or 4 or more businesses and different unrelated products that they are selling and hands you a different card for each one. If there are 50 people in this room that I could potentially meet and get a card from it’s unfair for you to want me to take 3 or 4 from you. While having multiple streams of income can be a good thing, I don’t need to know about all six of your businesses in this 5 minute conversation. You end up on a whirlwind trying to monopolize the time trying to get everything in, and the other party has the trying task of attempting to keep up. And the cards! The cards! The cards! Handing someone a stack of cards, one for each of your businesses does not make the impression of someone who could be an expert in any of those things on these cards. But no worries, as I try to figure out which category to list you under my address book, I’ll probably get a call that sidetracks me from deciding.
This is where selective marketing strategies come in handy. In lieu of trying to sell all your products at once, promote one at a time. Although most Professional Rainbows I’ve met say that their “target market is everyone” you have to narrow that down. If everyone is your target market, you have no target market and need to look up the word target. Once you’ve identified target markets for each venture then you can match events and product so that you represent each business at the functions where it is most appropriate and more likely to get you the desired results or expose you to the people you need to meet for that business. If you really cannot narrow your ventures down to match business to event, do it by days. But what ever you do come to each event representing one venture and have ONE business card. It’s ok to introduce someone to just one of your businesses. If you do your networking right, as they get to know you, they will also learn about the other businesses too.
At the end of the day, networking will remain one of the most valuable tools available to you as you work your way up the ladder of success or grow your business, but you have to get it right. Do your research. Talk to people and if you must, take a course. Be sure to do your homework. You can’t expect to get the full benefits when you are not fully investing.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
What’s their opinion costing you?
Not long ago I found myself in a discussion with someone who was holding back from doing what she wanted for fear of what others may think. How many times have we all seen that? How many times have we DONE that? If you take some time to look around you’ll notice that not only are there people around you who are not pursuing their dreams and getting what they want from life, you may have at some point even been one of those. I know I have.
I talk a lot about my swimming adventures now, but two summers ago I would even look at water, so jumping in was definitely out of the question. Yes, I know I’m from an island. I could see the Atlantic from the front porch of my home in Haiti, but we don’t mess with water like that. Later on (late teens – early 20s) I did want to learn to swim, but the thought of how I would look a “grown woman” trying to swim did cross my mind. In fact so much that I delayed this pursuit a few times. The opportunity presented itself again a couple of years ago and I accepted a friend’s offer to teach me. One of my best decisions! I didn’t just find my new favorite form of complete workout; I also learned a potentially life-saving skill. I won’t lie, I’m still a Black woman and my hair plays a big part of deciding when and how often I swim, but everyday in the pool is a joy and a blessing.
My hang-ups about being a grown woman learning to swim may not have had great professional impacts, but still affected my life. The level of exercise I accomplish through an hour of swimming would take me a good two hours in the gym. A small but notable impact on my every day life. Unfortunately, for most people the impact is much greater. When you start thinking of people who are delaying going back to complete their schooling, making career moves that are not in line with what is expected of them. While delaying their personal advancements, they are frequently faced with a disgruntled existence. Some things may be going well, but that missing piece keeps the picture from being complete. Over time the void left by the missing piece seems to get bigger and the discontent that wraps around it has no choice but to grow along.
Earlier I watched a clip of a presentation by Abiola Abrams, where her message was “So What?” – encouraging her audience to stand up to their self-imposed limitations. That’s exactly what all of us need to learn to say about the opinions of others and the limitations we try to put on ourselves. These limitations give the individual permission to not do their best. The limitations become the crutches that justify not getting in the race even as the lone competitor.
The limitations that you place on yourself or allow others to place on you in the end are costing you a great deal, but having little if any effect on the external limiters. In most cases the individuals whose opinions you are concerned with are too busy focusing on their own issues to even have an opinion on what you are or aren’t doing. In the rare case that others are taking the time to form an opinion, your thought should be more on what part of their own growth are they neglecting to make time to criticize you?
You can’t waste your time worrying about people who are too busy getting their house in order to even be concerned with you. As you cower away, shielding yourself from their judgment, they will be more than occupied with experiencing their own growth, enjoying their own successes and living a life that you can now only wish for from your little corner of fear. These are not the type of people whose opinion you need to worry about, instead they are the people who you can take a hint from. Seeing how they go for their goals should be a source of inspiration not intimidation. They may be facing the same limitations you are, but having chosen to succeed they could not be bothered with limitations. Instead of worrying what they would think of you, focus on how you can get their help on your own journey. They may be too busy to judge you but they could still make time to help you. Quite often, learning from them does not even require more than observing their normal behaviors, which speak volumes.
And you should certainly not waste your time on those you fill their time in judgment of those working toward personal growth and achievement instead of doing the same. Chances are, if they were not just as concerned of what others may think of them, they would probably be out there making the same efforts as you. Once you have taken the first step of getting started, you are already ahead of them.
Like the lyrics from that old song say “haters gonna hate ballers gonna ball”. While all that is happening it will be up to you to decide where you fit in the picture. You can sit back and avoid having people judge you for daring to expand your horizons. At the end of the day you will be right where you started with them. You also always have the option of taking that leap and giving it your all. But at the end of that day even if you’ve not yet arrived, you will certainly be closer to your goal and probably a comfortable distance ahead of those who were too busy judging you to get started themselves.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
Reality Is The Product Of Investment In Dreams
Reality is not the absence of dreams. Rather it is a place where dreams can come to fruition. Have you ever heard people say that someone is living in a “dream world”? Maybe it was said about you. They say it like it’s something bad. Like you need to step out of your thoughts and your dreams and join the rest of the world in reality. But what they fail to realize is that this reality that they speak of all started with a dream. Next time you get in your car for that 2 minute drive to wherever, think of how long a walk it would have been if the dream of creating a motorized vehicle was abandoned to embrace the current reality.
Where you are today is simply an indication of where you are today and has no bearing of where you can and will be tomorrow. Your future is dictated by what your desires, your thoughts, your beliefs and willingness to take the steps necessary to get you there. It is always so frustrating to hear people place limitations on children and act them based on those limitations. Who are we to limit the future of an individual? Thinking big is not just a saying that children should hear in school, but instead it is a way of life that should be nurtured and encouraged in people of every age.
Where our society goes wrong is in not wanting to people, especially children to set themselves up for disappointment by reaching for the unattainable: a desire to provide the shelter from the negative. There are a just a few things wrong with that, including that nothing is really unattainable to the person who is determined. Instead of sheltering from disappointment, why not prevent it by realizing the dream.
If we were to survey teenage boys, we would probably find that half of them aspire to be an athlete or artist of some sort. But if we really dug deeper we would find that the desire is not so much the position as it is what they associate with it. They want what those people have. But if we take the time to really explore the dreams, the passion, we would find that there are other talents that they have that can be nurtured to help them find the success they desire. Instead of discouraging them from pursuing these dreams, we need to help them clarify what it is that they are truly after and then identify the resources they possess or need to acquire to realize these dreams. While we’re at it- we can get quite a few adults on that path too.
As with any investment, the more diligent investor tends to have a better shot. Yes, there are times that external factors can affect the returns, but more often then not, having a clear desire that is purposefully and resolutely pursued wins out. Taking the time to acquire the resources and being prepared to take the steps toward the dream no matter what should not be underestimated. The diligent investor will give their investments time to mature and know that there may be low points and that they need to stick around and ride those out no matter what, until better days come back around. Having this same attitude with one’s dreams would yield similar results. Taking the time to get the information that is needed and than being fully dedicated to implementing that knowledge can make the difference between immeasurable success or lack there of.
Whether for adults or children, it’s not about living in “the real world” or facing reality because this “real world” or reality is ever changing. More importantly each individual has the opportunity to guide the direction of that change. We may not always be able to get things to move where we want when we want just by snapping a finger, but through conscious and diligent investment in the future, big differences can be made. So next time the 15 year-old says he wants to be a football player, don’t just shut him down. Instead, explore with him what he really wants and what he has to do to get there. Then encourage him to put in the work so that one day his dream can come to fruition.
Dreams are not a bad thing. Dreams and reality are definitely not mutually exclusive. In fact, investing in dream can create a reality that is better than imagined. So don’t start dreaming and NEVER ask a child to give up on a dream. Instead make the investment that can realize your own dreams and instill in children the work ethic that will inspire them to do the same.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
Picture What You Want- A plan is the roadmap to reaching goal
We often hear that the way to financial freedom is through self-employment, creating your own income stream… When so many leaders say that, becoming a business owner is the way of becoming financially free it is certainly enticing for people to start their own business. Unfortunately many people are just jumping in blind.
It is true that many small businesses do not make it past the first few years, but there is even more truth in he fact that many of them thrive. One of the greatest differences between the businesses that thrive in contrast with the ones that don’t survive the first few years is the soundness of their plans. In this economic climate, jumping in blindly is not an option. As our economy is being rebuilt, new opportunities are presented every day. These opportunities also require new approaches and fresh ideas, which many new and budding business owners can provide. Regrettably, a good idea is not enough to assure success. Investors, from the individual purchasing goods and services for end user consumption, to the large corporations and government entities purchasing for redistribution, everyone is looking for the best bang for their buck.
Every buyer is thinking about Return On Investment so as a supplier you need to be able to answer that. That’s one reason that having a sound business plan is mandatory. Developing a strong business plan forces you to look beyond your great idea. In the process of developing a plan you will need to conduct assessments of everything from the value that your goods or services will bring to consumers, how your offerings match up with the needs of your target market, how your organization differs from the completion and much much more. The strong business plan will also provide the information that is needed to make these client presentations. When you have the opportunity to pitch your services to your dream client, much of the information needed to create an engaging numbers-based presentation will be in your business plan. So all that will be left to do is research your audience and match the presentation to their needs.
Knowing this makes it difficult for me to accept when people say they don’t have or need a business plan. When you don’t have a plan, the question raised is how serious you are about your business. If you jump in blindly, armed with only what you believe is a good idea, how are you to gauge success? Know that you are on target to reaching your goal? Recognize and adjust to changes in the environment?
The key to succeeding in any endeavor is the willingness to put forth every effort necessary to achieve one’s goal. If you don’t have a clear idea of that goal and the steps necessary to reach it you are at risk of always being “three feet from gold”. Just as a savvy architect would not start laying bricks before he has developed the blue prints for a structure, a savvy entrepreneur would not start a business without a business plan. The architect may know exactly what the completed structure should look like, but he still takes the time draw out every last detail, which allows him to plan for every incident and secure access to resources even before they become needed.
While many entrepreneurs report that they do not know how to develop a business plan, that is not enough of a reason to go blindly. In this era of economic rebuilding, there are many resources that are available to help individuals get their businesses started off right. Community organizations such as local Small Business Associations (SBA) and SBA partners such as SCORE, Center for Technology, Enterprise & Development provide free services which include assistance with developing business plans. It is a great shame that many more people are not taking advantage of their services which can substantially increase one’s chances of creating a thriving business.
Taking the time to develop a business plan is a one of the first signs of your commitment to your business. People who take the time to develop a business plan are less likely to back away at the first signs of trouble, because in addition to the investment they have made in the plan, they have gained knowledge which prepares them for dealing with rough patches. From the time we were children we’ve been taught the value of drawing a picture, designing an outline or creating roadmaps to help us visualize our goals, understand the tools we need and see the steps we must take. As adults with much bigger goals it is now even more important that we remember these small lessons learned. From Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling to the 3 year-old’s hand print drawing- They all started with an outline that allowed every last detail to be in its designated place.
<span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”><span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”> </span><span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”> I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
<a href=”http://www.drjudic.com/”>www.DrJudiC.com</a></span
We often hear that the way to financial freedom is through self-employment, creating your own income stream… When so many leaders say that, becoming a business owner is the way of becoming financially free it is certainly enticing for people to start their own business. Unfortunately many people are just jumping in blind.
It is true that many small businesses do not make it past the first few years, but there is even more truth in he fact that many of them thrive. One of the greatest differences between the businesses that thrive in contrast with the ones that don’t survive the first few years is the soundness of their plans. In this economic climate, jumping in blindly is not an option. As our economy is being rebuilt, new opportunities are presented every day. These opportunities also require new approaches and fresh ideas, which many new and budding business owners can provide. Regrettably, a good idea is not enough to assure success. Investors, from the individual purchasing goods and services for end user consumption, to the large corporations and government entities purchasing for redistribution, everyone is looking for the best bang for their buck.
Every buyer is thinking about Return On Investment so as a supplier you need to be able to answer that. That’s one reason that having a sound business plan is mandatory. Developing a strong business plan forces you to look beyond your great idea. In the process of developing a plan you will need to conduct assessments of everything from the value that your goods or services will bring to consumers, how your offerings match up with the needs of your target market, how your organization differs from the completion and much much more. The strong business plan will also provide the information that is needed to make these client presentations. When you have the opportunity to pitch your services to your dream client, much of the information needed to create an engaging numbers-based presentation will be in your business plan. So all that will be left to do is research your audience and match the presentation to their needs.
Knowing this makes it difficult for me to accept when people say they don’t have or need a business plan. When you don’t have a plan, the question raised is how serious you are about your business. If you jump in blindly, armed with only what you believe is a good idea, how are you to gauge success? Know that you are on target to reaching your goal? Recognize and adjust to changes in the environment?
The key to succeeding in any endeavor is the willingness to put forth every effort necessary to achieve one’s goal. If you don’t have a clear idea of that goal and the steps necessary to reach it you are at risk of always being “three feet from gold”. Just as a savvy architect would not start laying bricks before he has developed the blue prints for a structure, a savvy entrepreneur would not start a business without a business plan. The architect may know exactly what the completed structure should look like, but he still takes the time draw out every last detail, which allows him to plan for every incident and secure access to resources even before they become needed.
While many entrepreneurs report that they do not know how to develop a business plan, that is not enough of a reason to go blindly. In this era of economic rebuilding, there are many resources that are available to help individuals get their businesses started off right. Community organizations such as local Small Business Associations (SBA) and SBA partners such as SCORE, Center for Technology, Enterprise & Development provide free services which include assistance with developing business plans. It is a great shame that many more people are not taking advantage of their services which can substantially increase one’s chances of creating a thriving business.
Taking the time to develop a business plan is a one of the first signs of your commitment to your business. People who take the time to develop a business plan are less likely to back away at the first signs of trouble, because in addition to the investment they have made in the plan, they have gained knowledge which prepares them for dealing with rough patches. From the time we were children we’ve been taught the value of drawing a picture, designing an outline or creating roadmaps to help us visualize our goals, understand the tools we need and see the steps we must take. As adults with much bigger goals it is now even more important that we remember these small lessons learned. From Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling to the 3 year-old’s hand print drawing- They all started with an outline that allowed every last detail to be in its designated place.
<span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”><span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”> </span><span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”> I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
Live For Today – Prepare For Tomorrow
It is said that life is a journey. I agree. The thing about a journey is that it has multiple components, each of which serve a vital part in making the journey great and complete.
The Past or experience, is the first part. That is where every journey takes foothold. The ideas, the desires and hopes that you have for every journey stem from experiences. It is our past that helps us design our future. Whether it is the negative experiences that are to be avoided or the more desirable experiences that are sought, the experiences from the past help make that determination. The past is to be remembered for the pleasantries that it holds and appreciated for the many lessons that it has taught.
The Present should be treasured. Living in the past or the future causes one to miss the present and the opportunity for many experiences that can make the future even better. Every moment in the present is a part of the journey that should be cherished. It is an opportunity to enjoy every moment as it occurs but still taking into account the past and future.
The Future begins in the past. As we eagerly await the future we also plan for it. The experiences accumulated in the Past are used in the Present to plan for and design the Future.
All three parts of the journey are ever-present. All three exist even when the focus is just on one.
Recently many people have questioned the value of a college degree in light of difficulties faced by new graduates in getting desired positions and salaries. Recently, an article was posed on CNN Money Questioning whether the cost of tuition was worth it. It immediately spread through social media with everyone putting in their two cents. That was all you saw on Facebook and Twitter for a while. When looking at the face-value of tuition to current salary many are saying it’s not worth it. The real question is: When did a college education become a short-term investment. People don’t go to college because they recuperate their full investment the first year on the job. People go to college and beyond because over time they earn more than they would without that degree and they have the luxury of earning a living doing something they enjoy. Sure you could make $40,000 working in management at McDonald’s, but how long will you have to work your way up to that level without a degree? And more importantly, are you willing to put up with the nonsense and rudeness of certain customers?
In the present we do have to be practical and cautious. You have to do what makes sense for this day, but if you are so blessed, tomorrow will come whether you’ve planned for it or not. That’s exactly why you must plan for the future but not necessarily live for it. You should not bypass everything that takes place in the present to focus on preparing for the future, but by the same token, you cannot be so focused on the present that you do not plan for what happens later. Those individuals who talk about the cost of college in comparison to today’s wages are doing exactly that- focusing so much on the present that they fail to consider the future.
Imagine students start to do what the current talk suggests- not go to college because their salary after graduation is not worth it. As the economy bounces back and salaries return to normal levels, these students will have to face the decision to now try to catch up. Even when they do earn their degrees, they will have missed out on accumulating years of post graduation experience.
Planning for the future may not be the easiest and most convenient thing to do. It often is not the most enticing because planning for the future frequently requires some level of sacrifice or the forfeiture of something much more exciting. In the end the rewards are great and worth the wait. More importantly the results planning for the future far outweigh the burden of trying to catch up later.
I remember when the economy was on the downswing and my 401K balance kept dropping. In my 20s, I invested aggressively, so my losses were just as aggressive. Very three months when I received the statement I though about crying and thought about cashing out. I did neither and now instead of having spent the 25% or less of my investment that I would have received in a cash-out, I’m looking at 100% of my investment which has come back and is now growing. Past experience has shown that the downswing of every pendulum is followed by an upswing. Giving up on that downswing also means missing out of the great things that come in the upswing.
As we look to the rehabilitation of our broken economy, I hope that people will remember that just as you don’t through out your shoes while recovering from a broken foot, we should not throw out resources that made our economy great before. Temporary setbacks always have and are likely to always be a part of our reality. Giving up on better days ahead should never be an option.
<span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”><span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”> </span><span style=”font-family: ‘Calligraph421 BT’; font-size: 14pt;”> I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
<a href=”http://www.drjudic.com/”>www.DrJudiC.com</a></span
It is said that life is a journey. I agree. The thing about a journey is that it has multiple components, each of which serve a vital part in making the journey great and complete.
The Past or experience, is the first part. That is where every journey takes foothold. The ideas, the desires and hopes that you have for every journey stem from experiences. It is our past that helps us design our future. Whether it is the negative experiences that are to be avoided or the more desirable experiences that are sought, the experiences from the past help make that determination. The past is to be remembered for the pleasantries that it holds and appreciated for the many lessons that it has taught.
The Present should be treasured. Living in the past or the future causes one to miss the present and the opportunity for many experiences that can make the future even better. Every moment in the present is a part of the journey that should be cherished. It is an opportunity to enjoy every moment as it occurs but still taking into account the past and future.
The Future begins in the past. As we eagerly await the future we also plan for it. The experiences accumulated in the Past are used in the Present to plan for and design the Future.
All three parts of the journey are ever-present. All three exist even when the focus is just on one.
Recently many people have questioned the value of a college degree in light of difficulties faced by new graduates in getting desired positions and salaries. Recently, an article was posed on CNN Money Questioning whether the cost of tuition was worth it. It immediately spread through social media with everyone putting in their two cents. That was all you saw on Facebook and Twitter for a while. When looking at the face-value of tuition to current salary many are saying it’s not worth it. The real question is: When did a college education become a short-term investment. People don’t go to college because they recuperate their full investment the first year on the job. People go to college and beyond because over time they earn more than they would without that degree and they have the luxury of earning a living doing something they enjoy. Sure you could make $40,000 working in management at McDonald’s, but how long will you have to work your way up to that level without a degree? And more importantly, are you willing to put up with the nonsense and rudeness of certain customers?
In the present we do have to be practical and cautious. You have to do what makes sense for this day, but if you are so blessed, tomorrow will come whether you’ve planned for it or not. That’s exactly why you must plan for the future but not necessarily live for it. You should not bypass everything that takes place in the present to focus on preparing for the future, but by the same token, you cannot be so focused on the present that you do not plan for what happens later. Those individuals who talk about the cost of college in comparison to today’s wages are doing exactly that- focusing so much on the present that they fail to consider the future.
Imagine students start to do what the current talk suggests- not go to college because their salary after graduation is not worth it. As the economy bounces back and salaries return to normal levels, these students will have to face the decision to now try to catch up. Even when they do earn their degrees, they will have missed out on accumulating years of post graduation experience.
Planning for the future may not be the easiest and most convenient thing to do. It often is not the most enticing because planning for the future frequently requires some level of sacrifice or the forfeiture of something much more exciting. In the end the rewards are great and worth the wait. More importantly the results planning for the future far outweigh the burden of trying to catch up later.
I remember when the economy was on the downswing and my 401K balance kept dropping. In my 20s, I invested aggressively, so my losses were just as aggressive. Very three months when I received the statement I though about crying and thought about cashing out. I did neither and now instead of having spent the 25% or less of my investment that I would have received in a cash-out, I’m looking at 100% of my investment which has come back and is now growing. Past experience has shown that the downswing of every pendulum is followed by an upswing. Giving up on that downswing also means missing out of the great things that come in the upswing.
As we look to the rehabilitation of our broken economy, I hope that people will remember that just as you don’t through out your shoes while recovering from a broken foot, we should not throw out resources that made our economy great before. Temporary setbacks always have and are likely to always be a part of our reality. Giving up on better days ahead should never be an option.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
Is it High Overhead or Low Accountability? Five (5) tips for reducing overhead costs.
Last week someone asked me what a person would say that triggers to him that the person may e able to use my services. I remembered a conversation I had the preceding weekend. Somehow in the midst of a conversation, someone mention having “high overhead”. It clicked for me instantly and I said “you should call me”. Of-course as we got into the discussion he asked me the question everyone, including that first person asked me- “are you gonna make my high rent go away?” After our talk I took it on as a challenge.
A few days later I got the information that I needed and started looking things over and performing a few cost benefit analyses. The most obvious observation was that he was operating in a very different market than he was serving. He has beautiful office suite with all the amenities that he wanted. The suite is in a great location that is also a nice distance from where he lives and where his clients are coming from. But the real zinger is that his wonderful suite is in a location where others in his field serve a clientele who pay a few times what he charges, and can therefore afford the expenses of that location. These five tips are sure to help ease the burden of too much overhear:
- Having nice things does not have to mean exorbitant costs. We were able to find locations that put him closer to home and slightly more accessible to clients that are a fraction of what he was paying. Location does matter, and the location has to make sense. I am in no way saying that people should go into rundown buildings to save money. If an office suite with all the amenities is what you desire then can have that, but sometimes you can see a big difference just by changing zip codes. If you start having to work many more extra hours to afford your location, you are probably in the wrong location for what you are charging.
- Don’t count on everyone paying on time. Too many people make that mistake. According to ideal calculations, if all the clients are paying and paying on time, thing will be much smoother. I agree with that 100%; however, I know that the reality is different. When planning for expenses, you need to take into account that some clients will be late, others may default and caseloads can get low. That is why expenses need to be low enough that you are not just getting by, but earning enough to build a cushion for those days. Your clients may not be paying but that will not stop your liabilities from demanding attention. I was in an office once when FPL cut them off– It was not cute.
- There is a difference between favors and work. Work is something we do to earn income. Favors are done in <i>addition<i> to work, not <i>instead<i> of work. As professionals we do want to help others and give back to friends, family and the community, but there has to be some limits. If you spend too much of your time doing favors, then there may not be enough time to do income earning work. Don’t get so busy doing favors that you have to outsource many things that you could be doing. Why would you pay others so that you can have more time to work for free. To survive in any business, there is something all business owners MUST remember- People will pay for the things they really want. Of-course, some people may not be able to pay the full cost of services, but they can afford something. People appreciate things more if they have to pay for them. In lieu of just giving free services to people, a sliding scale can at least help cover the expenses you incur in service delivery.
- Everyone should be held accountable for their duties. As the boss, you should not blow off your responsibilities and just pass them on to others just because. If you do this you are setting the wrong example. You have to hold your team accountable for their responsibilities and it’s great to be able to have yourself as the reference point. Quite often, working overtime or working late is the result of a lack of productivity during the regular workday. If you are coming in and your team is scrambling to look busy or in worse cases keep on with not being productive, there is a serious issue. You need to understand your duties as well as what is required of your team. If they have to work late too often, you are either understaffed or things are not getting done. If you are feeling pressure from high overhead, it’s more than likely the latter. Don’t just keep giving them more time to do what should have already been done. Get the office work done during the day and eliminate the cost of extended days.
- Set boundaries with everyone from the clients to staff, family and friends. If every time you turn around your friends are calling or your assistant’s children are calling, those are productivity minutes that are being misappropriated. Having a schedule of when you attend to personal matters is a very effective way of maximizing your time in the office. If you look at your call log and see a few personal calls lasting 5 to 10 minutes or more in the middle of your workday, it’s time for change. Over time people can become too comfortable and complacent. Your friends may be calling you when you should be working or you staff handling personal business when work needs to be done are all minor events that can be problematic over time. While you may want your office to be welcoming and pleasant, it’s important that employees know that they are there to work and for this demand to be enforced. From coming in on time to doing what you ask the first time, setting and enforcing boundaries can make a big difference.
While no one can make your rent disappear, there are numerous steps that can be taken to alleviate the pressure of overhead expenses… Even if that’s the way you’ve always done things.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
<a href=”http://www.drjudic.com/”>www.DrJudiC.com</a></span>
7 Tips For Preventing Burnout
Burnout is something that is experienced by many individuals from students with a course overload, to the frontline employee who has no autonomy and feels unappreciated or the high level executives feeling the pressure to do everything. It’s a state of being emotionally drained which often comes from trying to give more of ourselves than we have to give. Though the symptoms are usually progressive, they can also be sudden, and fall into 4 major categories
Behavioral- Decrease in efficiency, reduced capacity to cope, dreading work.
Interpersonal- Withdrawing from friends and loved ones, lack of enjoyment or participation in life affirming activities.
Physical- Increased presence of insomnia or sleeping too much. Feeling fatigued or always getting sick.
Emotional/Mental- Hyper-irritability or depression, feelings of emptiness or helplessness.
Of-course these are only a few examples of the wide array of symptoms that one can experience. One of the most prevalent symptoms is the change in thought and attitude toward the job. The job you once loved becomes a dreaded enemy. The passion you had about starting your business feels more like an inescapable burden. Before you get to this point there are a few things that you can do to prevent it.
- Self-care is the first and most effective way to prevent burnout. Self-care is the simple process of taking the time to attend to your personal needs (including physical, emotional and social needs). Take care of your body, from going to the doctor to eating right and working out. You have to make sure that you are physically and mentally able to work to ensure maximum efficiency. By giving yourself a break and participating in life-affirming activities you save the stress and time it would take to deal with burnout.
- Have a life. No matter how much you enjoy your job, it can’t be all that you are. You must take time to have a life outside of work that involves people with whom you can just be yourself, where the expectation is simply that you are there as a you. Participate in life affirming activities. Go to a ballgame, attend a musical or just run in the rain. Maintain a balanced life where you have time to have fun and be serious because the body and mind need both. Do the things to get your blood pumping and remind you that you are alive.
- Keep a strong social/ emotional support system. Surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people helps keep you in that state as well. Humans are social beings. We need social interaction with our peers and even more interactions with those who keep our spirits up. When the pressures or frustrations of work start to become overwhelming those are the people you can turn to for temporarily relief while you figure out your next step or just to help you figure out how you want to move forward. When the work loads get heavy and schedules get overloaded, people have a tendency to cut out more of the leisure activities and socializing. Doing that is a great disservice to your wellbeing. When you feel you have no time to socialize, find time to reap the benefits a good support network.
- Learn to prioritize and schedule. The feeling of having to do too much at once is a stressor that can make work seem more overwhelming and a result more tasking. Being able to prioritize responsibilities and allotting time to address individual tasks makes projects more manageable, thus less stressful. Setting aside time to attend to particular tasks gives you a plan of action, which is also very effective in decreasing work-related stress.
- Address conflicts between your values and responsibilities. If you find yourself in a situation where your professional duties conflict with values and/or professional code of ethics don’t mumble about it under your breath. Doing something that conflicts with your values takes a heavy mental and physical toll. It’s like trying to keep your head above water while swimming upstream against heavy currents. You can do it for a while but eventually your body gives out. If you find that your responsibilities are in conflict with your core values, take the time to figure out an acceptable resolution for you, and present it to those with the authority to accept such adjustments. Whether that is your clients as a business owner or your managers as an employee, you have to address it with the ones who can make the change happen. Complaining to coworkers or friends only remind you how wrong things are. This information should be shared with friends and coworkers mainly in the context of having them help you brainstorm and come up with a solution.
- Be valuable, but not invaluable or valueless. You don’t have to be all for the job. When I find clients doing this, I often use the gruesome example that if they died today, the organization would begin working to replace them tomorrow. This is not to devalue the person, but simply remind them of the reality. You want to be great at what you do. You can even be the best at you do. It’s when you try to take on everything that it becomes a problem. As you attempt to take on every duty professionally, you reduce the time that you have to replenish the energy being exerted. It’s great to apply yourself. Going above and beyond the call of duty can lead to great career advancements. Making yourself carry the weight of an entire organization however places you on the fast track to burnout. There is a balance and you must find it. Even when you are building your own business, don’t put the pressure of being the one and only on your shoulders. You can still be there for your clients and provide optimal service without having to be everything to them.
- Choose autonomy over authority. Much like being the one who does everything, being the only one who makes every decision can also weigh heavily on you. Focus on the decisions at your pay grade. If you are a department director and have an office manager, let the office manager worry about ordering the office supplies (you can still put in a request for you preferred pens). Empowering your team to make decisions within the scope of their responsibility frees you from having to take on that responsibility. Delegate tasks and allow your team to take ownership. This also helps strengthen your team because autonomy is necessary at all levels of the organization. It allows people to be individuals who think for themselves instead of mechanical pieces of the organizational machine. This also allows them to feel like valued members of the organization. When your team has ownership of their projects and responsibilities, they are more productive and happier employees who will rely on you less and are less demanding on your time.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
Are Meetings Killing Efficiency- 5 Steps Efficient Operation
What is a meeting? Too often it is an event where one person at a time gets up and speaks about something that many of the supposed-to-be- listeners have little or no interest. People attend this event because they been told they have to attend because their attendance was “MANDATORY” or they just wanted to justify their time at work while not doing real work.
Business in our society is no doubt meeting-driven. We have meetings about everything; especially in larger organizations. But does every announcement really require a meeting? We’re getting to the point where we’re having meetings about having meetings. Many of us have been subjected to the weekly waste of time some companies call staff meetings where you leave wishing you could have brought some work in with you.
Let’s monetize the cost of a meeting- Imagine you have 20 people coming to a meeting and 10 of them have to travel 30 minutes from a different site. Let’s say these meeting participants produce at a rate of $150 per hour. Just from the 10 people who have traveled a total of an hour to and from the meeting you lost $1500. If the meeting lasts 3 hours (the average is 2-2.5 hours), that’s another $9000 (or on average 6000 – $7500). The big questing is, are all these meetings being held worth more than $10,000 to the organization? Most meetings are not really worth the $7500 to $9000 they cost the company, so why are they still happening? There are many reasons, including:
- The monetary value is usually not calculated
- That’s the way they are used to doing things
- Lack of awareness that alternatives exist
So what can be done to help this issue?
- 1. Complete a cost/benefits analysis
Before a meeting is scheduled, it’s important to know if it’s worth disrupting everyone’s productivity. You need to know how much that meeting really costs, not just the obvious costs, but also the ones included in day to day operations.
- 2. Explore alternative to meetings
As you consider ways to share and gain information, you should explore alternatives. Are there ways to get the massage to your team without disrupting the flow of productivity? Could this information be relayed in and email? The 4-Sentence Email To Replace Meetings shows how efficiently an email can accomplish what we use meetings for.
- 3. Create an agenda
Once you schedule a meeting, decide exactly what you want to address and the succession of things from the introduction to the end. When you don’t know this information you are more prone to deviating into things unrelated to the meeting and transitioning from one point to the next takes longer. And don’t forget time for questions and discussion are a part of the agenda if they will be allowed in the meeting
- 4. Strategically invite participants
The more people you have in a meeting the longer it will last. One way to avoid too many people is to only invite people who need to be at the meeting. If the meeting is not relevant to some members of your team it’s a waste of their time to have them attend. It will also be a waste of everyone else’s time because they are likely to be less aware of some of the details the others already know and ask more questions.
- 5. Stick to the agenda
One of the main reasons that meetings run on longer than anticipated is deviation from the agenda. The purpose of the agenda is to guide the meeting. If you take the time to create an agenda and distribute it to invitees and give them the opportunity to submit input, then there is no reasons things should be coming up at the meeting. This includes the general input time. If you have 20 minutes set aside for input or discussion, that segment of the meeting should not last a whole hour.
Meetings do have a rightful place in the operation of every organization, but we need to be careful of over-using them. When you start having meetings too frequently, you diminish their effectiveness. You don’t want your team to just attend meetings because they were ordered. Meetings must be something that people attend because it was the most efficient method for the organization to communicate the particular agenda and they gain something from participating. If those two things are not present it may be more efficient to let your staff stay on task and earn money for the company.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
