New Business Development – Page 8

If You Feel Sad And Unmotivated…

A recent study revealed
COVID drains dopamine.

Many of us know
dopamine is our happy hormone.
It makes us feel good.

But I didn’t know
and maybe you didn’t know
that dopamine is a motivation hormone
also.
It pushes us to take action
while we’re feeling good.

If you feel sad and unmotivated
lately,
it might be due to
your recent (as in the past year) bout
of COVID.

Protect your happiness
and your business.

Mask the f*ck up
and continue to
get sh*t done.

We’re business builders.
We don’t have
f*ckin’ time
to catch COVID.

Ask Questions You Want Answers To

A loved one
is known for
asking questions
she doesn’t want
to hear answers
to.

She does this
all the time,
at least once
per conversation,
and I now
ignore her questions.

I also don’t ask her
any questions
that I care about
receiving valid answers to.

I figure
if she doesn’t listen
to answers to her own questions,
she doesn’t have
the knowledge base
to answer my questions.

MANY people do this.
And it is a terrible habit.
It trains people
to not take your questions
seriously.

Only ask questions
you want to hear
answers to.

Then LISTEN
to those answers.

Look At Actions

People lie.

People also tell us
what they think
we want to hear
or,
in the case
of a few contrarians,
what they think
we DON’T want to hear.

If you want to know
what people
TRULY think,
look at their actions.

In the case of politicians,
we can look
at their voting history.

In the case of potential business partners,
we can look
at their past partnerships
and their past projects.

In the case of a potential employee,
we can look
at their employment history
and speak
with former employers.

Take the time
to uncover
what the people around you
truly think.

Look at what they do
and have done.

Check In With ALL Team Members

A loved one
is usually very vocal
about whether or not
she is feeling well.

She hadn’t said anything
recently.
I assumed she was well
health-wise.

I found out yesterday
that her diabetes
is out of control
and her health
is failing scarily fast.

Don’t assume
quiet
means everything is well.

Check in
with ALL members of your team.

Ensure EVERYONE
is on track.

How Long Does It Take To Form A New Habit?

I’ve stopped eating sweets.

The first month
was rough.

I had cravings for sweets
every day,
all day.
I had the shakes.
I was super grumpy.
And I’d reach for sweets
out of habit.

After a month,
my body AND my mind
adjusted.

We’ve all heard
it takes
21 days to form
a new habit.

That number is based
on…
nothing.
No valid research.

Scientists say
it can take
anywhere from 18 days
to 254 days
to form a new habit.

Give yourself grace
if it takes a while
to form a new habit.

Ask For What You Need

I asked
for a follow up appointment.

The person I was meeting with
said I didn’t need one.
They were lazy
to meet with me.
They wanted to do
the bare minimum.

I knew I needed more.
I knew I DID need
a follow up appointment.

I insisted on it
and the person reluctantly
gave it to me.

Very few people
will voluntarily
give you what you need.

You have to ask
for what you need
and
insist on it.

Stand up
for yourself.
Ask for what you need.

Review Your Reason

You’ve been working
on your new business
for a while.

Your motivation
is starting to dissipate.
You’re losing
interest.

This is normal.
And it is a great time
to review
WHY you started
this business.

Look over
your notes
from the first few days
of start up.

Feel that passion.

You were excited
about the project
then.

Remind yourself
why.
And get excited about it
again.

Review your reason
for starting your business.

Send Your Newsletter

You’ve followed
the great advice
you were given
and
have collected
dozens, hundreds,
thousands
of names and email addresses.

But you haven’t sent
a newsletter
in
months, years, ever.

Hey, I understand.
I’m dang lazy
when it comes
to sending newsletters also.
They’re work.

But whenever I send one,
my sales increase.

AND I’m
often presented
with other opportunities.

We could all benefit
from more sales
and awesome opportunities.

Send your newsletter today.

Donate To Charity/Thrift Shops Now

Yesterday, we talked about
donating extra office supplies
to back to school efforts.

While we’re sorting through
those office supplies,
we could also sort through
the other things
we have in our businesses
and our homes.

Charity/thrift shops
have holiday shoppers also.

They would more appreciate
donations
ahead of that busy season
than at any other time
of the year.

I’m donating gently used toys,
collectables,
gifts I will never use,
other things.

This is clearing out
my spaces
and it will give some holiday joy
to others.

Donate to thrift/charity shops
now.

Donating Office Supplies

It is back to school time
in the Northern Hemisphere.

It is the perfect time
to donate
some of your surplus office supplies.

Because office supplies
can often be used
as back to school supplies.

I had 31 white binders
I had once used
to hold manuscripts.

A primary school
nearby
was happy to have them.

I donated two backpacks
to the Little Free Library.
They were gone
in less than an hour.

I’d been given
those backpacks
as schwag.

I also donated a package
of pens
I’d been given
as a gift.

Donate unwanted
office supplies.

Put that positive energy
into the world.
Make someone’s life better.