I was concerned
someone was angry
with me.
I tried to ignore
that feeling.
It wouldn’t go away.
So I asked,
“Are you upset
with me?”
The person was shocked,
said definitely not
and opened up
about an issue
that was bothering them.
If you’re worried about something,
ask.
Clear the air.
Get the truth out there.
Then,
if your concern
was valid,
deal with it.
If your concern
wasn’t valid,
put that worry behind you.
Doers do.
Sometimes we do
too much.
A loved one
recently took on too much.
He was considering
taking on yet another task
(to help someone else).
He ran this possibility
by me.
I said no.
I told him
he already had too many tasks
to complete.
He told the person
he couldn’t take on the task,
citing that he was told
he couldn’t do that.
He didn’t say
WHO told him
he couldn’t do that.
And he didn’t say
why he was told no.
The blame was deflected
to the unknown person.
His relationship
with the favor asker
was undamaged.
Sometimes we need help
saying no.
Enlist that help.
I recently enjoyed
a cruise
with Virgin Voyages.
Other cruise lines
allow passengers to embark
around noon
and force passengers
to leave their staterooms
by 8:30 am.
Virgin Voyages,
however,
allows passengers to embark
around 2:00 pm
and forces them
to disembark by 10:30 am.
Why?
Because they cater
to 20 something aged
child-free adults
and that is the preferred schedule
for that demographic.
They are often
coming from work
on embarkation day
and they want to sleep in
on every other day of their vacation,
including disembarkation day.
What is your target market’s
preferred timetable?
Are you dealing with them
during that time frame?
Most blood collection organizations
have dropped mask requirements
both for donors
and for volunteers/workers.
The number of blood donors
have decreased.
Significantly.
I’m not surprised.
The people who care enough
about others
to donate blood
are also
likely to be
the people who care enough
about others
to mask.
And they are also likely
to be the people
who align themselves
with organizations
that care about others.
A non-masking organization
doesn’t truly care
about others.
I know this.
You likely know this.
Why didn’t blood collection organizations
know this?
Because, I suspect,
they listened to non-donor feedback
on surveys.
Non-donors wouldn’t share
the true reason they weren’t donating
– most of them
don’t give a sh*t about other people.
They had to give a different excuse.
And the ‘easy’ excuse
for non-donors was
they’d have to wear a mask.
People lie on surveys
and in focus groups.
I’ve seen that happen.
Often.
Ask yourself
if the results
are logical.
And use those results
cautiously.
I recently enjoyed
a cruise with Virgin Voyages.
There were very few ports
on the itinerary.
There were restaurants
open almost all the time.
Yet one of the most popular
food sources
was the grab and go counters.
Passengers flocked around
self serve stations
offering sandwiches, sushi,
salads and other food
packaged in sealed tight containers.
I LOVED this option.
I could take one
and eat it anywhere on the ship
or store it in the cabin fridge
to eat later.
(I would take a berry box
every morning
to have as my dessert
after dinner.)
It was fast.
It was easy.
The food was great.
Can you offer
a grab and go option
for your products?
I started a new exercise program.
I tend to get sucked into
projects
and
I knew I’d need help
sticking to this program.
I asked a loved one
to remind me
about exercising.
And I was specific
about how
I wanted to be reminded.
I asked him
to mention
one of a few phrases
I associate with the exercises.
He has been doing that,
I’ve been happily
sticking to the exercise program.
and I feel no resentment
toward him
for reminding me.
Everyone is different
and you should know you
better than anyone else.
Teach people
how to coach you.
Don’t expect them
to know your particular quirks.
A loved one
is easily distracted.
When he’s working
on an important project,
he doesn’t watch
self improvement videos.
Why?
Because self improvement videos
list things to do
to improve ourselves.
Those lists are distractions.
And he knows
he has to focus
on his project.
We all have
pitfalls,
‘traps’ that distract or prevent us
from achieving our goals.
These could be
commercials for all you can eat buffets
when we’re trying to get healthy
or calls from an auntie
who always makes us feel bad
about ourselves
when we’re trying to
make a positive change
or a trip to a charity shop
when we’re trying to declutter
or other events.
Know your pitfalls
and avoid them.
A loved one is losing weight.
She checks her weight
every day.
The trend is definitely down.
Most days, her weight decreases.
But on the rare days
it increases ever-so-slightly,
she loses all motivation
and is tempted
to give up.
I advised
that she check her weight
once a week,
instead of daily.
THAT number has always
been lower week after week.
She’ll stay motivated
and happy about her progress.
WHEN we check the results
can be key
to our project’s success.
If we only see progress
after a month,
check the results
after a month.
Time it correctly.
A business mentor
once told me,
“If someone says
‘To be honest with you’,
they’re lying.”
That guideline has
saved me heartache and money
and has prevented
many bad partnerships
over the years.
When someone says
‘To be honest with you’
or
‘honestly’
or
‘truthfully’
or similar phrases,
it often means they believe
they need to reinforce their lies
to have them believed.
If you use these phrases,
stop.
If you hear these phrases,
question everything
that comes before and after them.
If you DO choose
to partner with family members,
I strongly advise
that you do everything you can
to limit your liability
and to limit the liability
of those family members,
whether they want that
or not.
And if this is their first start up,
they likely won’t want that.
They’ll see the costs
of limiting their liability
as a ‘waste.’
It isn’t a waste.
It is protecting ourselves
and our loved ones
and valuing
our relationships
with our business partners.
And if we don’t have
the money
to do that,
we likely don’t have the money
to successfully start
a business.
In my part of the world,
the best way to limit liability
is to form a corporation.
In your part of the world,
it might be insurance.
Or it might be a different structure.
Investigate this.
Do it.
Limit your liability.