Hiatus

Every now and again, we all need to stop. Take a break. Go on hiatus. That's what they call in television. Hiatus. TV shows are on hiatus right now because of the writer's strike. I take an occasional haitus when I'm worn out from routine. When I'm doing the same thing over and over, day in and day out, I go a little nuts. So I take a break. But now I'm back.

I've been working with folks who are trying to raise money to start a new business. It's been interesting to teach them how to think like potential funders. People who want to invest in businesses are looking for particular things. They want to invest in businesses that are well planned, thought out and run by people with integrity and have been willing to put their own money into the venture.

One man told me recently that he didn't want to borrow any money for his business. His contribution was giving up his full time job and working the business. In his mind, he was contributing labor. The investor would invest money. Image his surprise when I told him it doesn't work that way.

How badly do you want to reach your goals? How much are you willing to put into your goals? Time? Money? Effort? Lose a little sleep? How much do you want what you say you want? Until you've decided the depth of your committment and desire, you won't go anywhere. Without that burning desire, Edison did not invent the light bulb, Einstein didn't write his theory of relativity and Bill Gates did not start Microsoft.

I'm at a cross roads right now. Looking for what's next in life and each option I weigh has, so far, lacked that burning desire. But I'm patient. I'll find what's next for my life. The goals will be mine and I'll be totally devoted to them. Without devotion, nothing works.

Thank You

The power of Thank You, of gratitude in general, is the subject of a new book by Deborah Norville. Did you know that "thank you" actually improves our health? Want to be more energetic, enthusiastic, joyful, exercise more and have fewer illnesses? Be more grateful, say thank you more often. Let the people around you know that you're thankful for them.

Keep a gratitude journal. Each morning, before doing anything else, jot down five things for which you are grateful.

Notice the TV commercial where a string of kind acts is triggered by one young woman who stops a fellow pedestrian from stepping out into traffic? It's a simple example of how being grateful for someone else's act of kindness can inspire us to perform an act of kindness for someone else. Very powerful.

Dr. Robert Emmons of the University of California, Davis, has done scientific research that proves gratitude has positive effects on general health. Want more sleep? Dr. Emmons' research proves that people who are grateful get more sleep! Want to exercise more? Be more grateful. This gratitude creates energy and a positive attitude that triggers the desire to exercise more.

Dr. Alice M. Isen of Cornell conducted a study where doctors were given a small bag of candies as a thank you and found that this little token caused the doctors to process facts better, think out of the box, were more willing to keep checking the facts to ensure that their diagnosis was correct.

Huge benefits for a simple "thank you". Most of what we can do to live the lives we want to live are simple, small things like being grateful and expressing thanks.

Friday
Friday is the gateway to the weekend. It seems as the day progresses, things get slower and slower. Ever try to reach a business contact on Friday afternoon? Fuggedaboutit. You won't hear from them until Monday. Of course, I remember when I worked in an office, I did my best to avoid Friday afternoon phone calls that required I do something.
Now that I work for myself, I find myself starting to wind down on Thursday afternoons. I go out of my way to call people who might need something to head off any Friday afternoons requirements.
Monday mornings are nuts as a result but I don't care. I like being able to control my time. That's the thing. More and more, I'm noticing we all want to be able to control our time. We get tired of being at the beck and call of others. We want to call our own shots. On the other hand, none of us work as physically hard as our parents' generation. When my parents reminisce about their working years, their days were all about very hard physical work. My maternal grandfather was a successful farmer who started his day before dawn and didn't end until after the sun went down.
I've heard that my paternal grandmother worked at a women's clothing factory where she ironed clothes all day before they were packaged for sale. Standing up all day, ironing? Now that sounds like hard physical work.
My husband tells me about working on his father's ranch, moving irrigation pipe, tending animals and hauling hay. I'm glad I didn't have to do that.
So Happy Friday everyone! See you on Monday.

Not Much to Say

Ever have days where you just don't have much to say? My daughter tells me that she gets worried when I don't talk. She thinks I'm upset about something. "You're never quiet". Well, actually, I am quiet sometimes. Why? I don't have much to say. Sometimes I'm drained. Tired. Need to listen rather than talk.

I also need to stop and just be quiet for a while. It usually doesn't last for very long. But there are times when it's just right to be quiet. Thoughtful. Matter of fact, my friend, Deanne, told me last week that she was looking forward to the weekend because her life was going to be quiet. But that didn't happen. She ended up entertaining company. Bummer. So much for quiet time! I had the same thing happen. I was looking forward to the quiet and ended up having a house full of company most of the weekend. Not that we don't enjoy having the children and grandchildren here. There are times we I need to be quiet. There's nothing like sitting in a chair, listening to quiet music and just thinking.

During the week, with work and other responsibilities, it's tough to be quiet. Yesterday I was so busy, moving from task to task, talking to people, making decisions, etc, that my brain hurt by 4:30. I was really glad to just stop. Even if I didn't have time to just sit and think quietly, it was good to turn everything off.

I keep wondering when we're going to all find ourselves needing some peace and quiet and we actually do it. Just turn off and sit.

Husbands who Cook

Well, it's Ladies Who Lunch today. At my house. My husband made a huge crock pot full of beef stew. He cooks quite a bit. He seems to like to make huge pots of soup but he's learned that I'm suspicious of his soups. He tends to clean out the fridge. And he doesn't check what he's throwing in the pot. I've tried some of his soups and when I hit the one that tasted, well, awful, I swore off the soups. However, the stew is fabulous! I've watched him make it and it's safe. Delicious.

The other negative to a husband who cooks? He doesn't clean. Not a wit. But today? He knew the lunch is here today and guest what? He cleaned up after himself. There were a few dishes in the sink but they were rinsed. All I have to do is put them in the dishwasher. He did more than take a swipe over the counter tops with a damp rag. He actually did a good job.

Now here's the problem. Tomorrow, there won't be a lunch here. He won't have the motivation to do as good a job tomorrow as he did today. And grandchildren will be here in the morning, depending on Grandpa to fix their breakfast. You can bet that he won't be feeding them a simple breakfast of cold cereal. When Grandma gets up, she gets the mess. Swell.

The up side? Grandma gets to sleep in a little bit because Grandpa is willing to get up with grandchildren, willing to cook, willing to try new recipes. Guess what? I'm grateful.

Christmas Shopping

Wal-Mart. Yesterday. October 2. Rows and rows of Christmas decorations for sale. Rows of them. It's October. I'm not ready. I don't want to start holiday shopping until November. At least. However, I did hear someone this morning say that she's starting her Christmas shopping this week. Get outta here! I want Halloween to be over first! Okay. So I've started my list. Actually, one grandson wants a kilt for Christmas but he needs it for Halloween. He's going as William Wallace, the hero of Braveheart. He was thrilled to hear we're of Scottish descent. Other than that, fuggedaboutit. Oh well, I did find something for my sister and I've already got a book for another grandson ... okay, so I've started Christmas shopping but it was all quite by accident. Just serendipitous. I'm not making any more Christmas gift purchases until November 1. At least. And I've avoiding those aisles at Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Dillard's, Penney's, Macy's, etc. I understand that this means I can't go into any store until November 1 but that's okay. I'll save money that I can then spend in November, paying for the stuff on the list I'll spend all October assembling.

Awareness + Creative Thinking = Opportunity

Over the past few weeks I’ve been researching energy efficiency and conservation. In the process, it struck me that there is a formula for successful entrepreneurship. Here it is:

Awareness + Creative Thinking = Opportunity

Being aware is all about knowing what’s happening in our world. What’s happening in the world to change lives, create needs, generate new desires? How are lifestyles changing? How aware are you of changes in lifestyles? Awareness is key to the successful business owner. You have to know what’s happening in the lives of your potential customers to be successful in any business. Those who stay current with and are educated about changes are in the best position to use that information to their advantage, to create a business that meets emerging needs and desires.

Of course, information alone isn’t everything. The second piece of the equation is creative thinking, using what you know, looking at it from all possible angles, will lead the flexible business owner to opportunities for success.

Here’s a good example. Everyone knows something about solar energy. But what most don’t know is that at least one clever entrepreneur looked at solar power in a new, creative way and produced portable solar generators for use by campers. This portable option makes camping a bit more comfortable and eliminates the need for large quantities of batteries to power lanterns, flash lights, etc. Then someone looked at this portable option and asked, “How can this become a back up generator for homes?” Someone else recognized the need and potential for owners of swimming pools to use this small, portable solar generator to heat their pools. They didn’t start from scratch inventing something new. They applied creative thinking to an existing item!

Another solar power example. There are now solar generator sheets, about the size of a lap top computer for busy business people to use anywhere! Imagine sitting on the beach, working from your lap tap and not using a battery! You use power supplied by the sun!

Business owners who are aware of what’s happening in the world, aware of needs and desires, and apply creative thinking, create opportunities for themselves!

Most successful business is created by one aware person who applied creative thinking to this awareness. What about you?

Awareness + Creative Thinking = Opportunity