tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69326094875091590452024-03-18T04:14:15.060-07:00Alan Russell | Sr Loan AgentAlan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.comBlogger7821125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-80694746839274971792014-01-04T10:21:00.000-08:002014-01-04T10:21:01.330-08:00I will not be posting here again In the year 2014 I want more time, better results and frankly more joy. Blogging and reading each item before I share has helped me greatly. I truly love to learn and feel me continuing to blog is not productive for my business so thanks for the 125k page views and the comments I appreciate your attention and focus. <br />
Thanks and have a great 2014!<br />
<br />
AlanAlan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-37965035758424763992014-01-04T10:18:00.001-08:002014-01-04T10:18:39.679-08:00The benefits of being alone
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Episode 114 - The Surprising Benefits of Spending Time Alone</span></b><b><span style="color: #2b1f12; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span size="4"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt;">Specifically
spending time alone is one of the most beneficial activities for you,
creatively and spiritually</span><span size="4">. </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span size="4"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt;">In
this podcast episode, I discuss how and where I find time to spend alone. <a href="https://mx126.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/10650/3f91f9ce69cd3a1c/8443462/b9614299ee286d5f" shape="rect"><span style="color: #0f27ff;">Click here</span></a> or below to
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Why is
it important to spend time alone?</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Spending time alone is the best way to concentrate
my thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s a good way to stimulate creativity. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If I can wake up before my family and refrain from
checking email, my phone, or turning on the news, I can have amazing
results. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">This
isn’t so much about being alone as it is about spending time with my boys,
but while driving the boys to school, I reach my hand back and say,
“Hands!” and we pray for…</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Sometimes,
it’s necessary to leave the house in order to be alone. Here are some of
the places I go:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The woods are a great place for me to get away. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ll go alone to a cabin sometimes and spend
several days by myself. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most of my novels are not written while I’m at
home. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The water is not a particularly good place for me,
as I’m always wondering what is in the water. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">I
wouldn’t say that I am alone a lot. </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your don't have to spend long periods of time alone
every single day. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s important to make a habit of finding at least
small portions of the day during which you can be alone. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">We
also had an interesting question come in: would I rather spend a year alone
in a box, or 15 years alone in a hotel room?</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> <i>Tune
in for my answer!</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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topics would you like me to discuss on the podcast? Let us know!</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-31382986298585164562014-01-04T09:24:00.001-08:002014-01-04T09:24:06.770-08:00The Gamification of weight loss
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TEDBlog/~3/MVFBtBn8flI/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The gamification of
weight loss</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%; margin: 6.75pt 0in 2.25pt;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:55 AM PST<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/mick_cornett_how_an_obese_town_lost_a_million_pounds.html"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img alt="Mick Cornett is the mayor of Oklahoma City. In this talk from TEDMed, he explains why he challenged his city to lose a million pounds." border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85138" id="_x0000_i1026" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/mick_cornett_1_cc_586x357.jpg?w=900" /></span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Mick
Cornett is the mayor of Oklahoma City. In this talk from TEDMED, he explains
why he challenged his city to lose a million pounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">In 2007, Mayor Mick Cornett put
Oklahoma City on a diet, after the city made a less-than-flattering
appearance on a list of the most obese cities in the United States. In
today’s talk, Cornett shares the aha moments that led him to create <a href="http://www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">This City Is
Going on a Diet</span></b></a>, a somewhat unusual mayoral initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/mick_cornett_how_an_obese_town_lost_a_million_pounds.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img alt="Mick Cornett: How an obese town lost a million pounds" border="0" height="99" id="_x0000_i1027" src="http://images.ted.com/images/ted/34113888f29018d7f07a3c7f10ab2915c50f6b96_240x180.jpg" width="132" />Mick Cornett: How
an obese town lost a million pounds</span></b></a>“On New Year’s Eve of 2007,
I went to the zoo,” Cornett <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/mick_cornett_how_an_obese_town_lost_a_million_pounds.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">recalls in today’s talk</span></b></a>. “I stood in
front of the elephants, and I said, ‘This city is going on a diet, and we’re
going to lose a million pounds.’ That’s when all hell broke loose.” <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/mick_cornett_how_an_obese_town_lost_a_million_pounds.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Watch this talk to find out what happened next</span></b></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">This week, we’re in the midst of
New Year’s resolution mania. And if you’re thinking that a community weight
loss challenge sounds like a smart way to help people stick to fitness and
nutrition goals, you’re in good company. Over the past few years, plenty of
games, challenges and competitions have popped up to promote weight loss and
exercise. Going beyond diet gimmicks, what sets them apart is the tendency to
be public, and communal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Once considered a private — even
secret — matter, weight loss began to take on a public face with competition
shows like <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/about/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Biggest Loser</span></i></b></a> and <a href="http://www.vh1.com/shows/celebrity_fit_club/season_1/series.jhtml" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Celebrity Fit Club</span></i></b></a>. Now, workplace
fitness competitions are even getting <a href="http://aishealth.com/archive/nhpw042312-03" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">built into
some insurance policies</span></b></a>. Major US insurers like UnitedHealth
and Aetna are exploring apps, social media and Xbox Kinect games to gather
data on fitness habits (the idea being, of course, that fitter, healthier
people are cheaper to insure). Cash incentives are also driving competitive
dieting in the workplace. In a <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/14/3018093/ibm-patent-weight-loss-gamification" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">program patented in late 2011 by IBM</span></b></a>,
co-workers could submit their eating and exercise data through an app and get
monetary rewards for good habits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Apps in this space have exploded. <a href="http://www.dietbetter.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">DietBet</span></b></a> invites
people to lay odds on their weight loss, winning money from friends and
strangers when they meet goals. <a href="https://www.healthywage.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">HealthyWage</span></b></a> is similar, boosting
motivation by asking people to place bets on how much weight they’ll lose. <a href="http://www.skinnyo.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Skinnyo</span></b></a> creates
friend groups to set up fitness challenges. Similarly, <a href="http://www.gym-pact.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GymPact</span></b></a> lets friends
give a digital pinky swear and commit to workout sessions or eating more
vegetables. While some of these apps are controversial, they all turn a
personal journey into something communal and game-based.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">An initiative even more closely
resembling This City Is Going on a Diet: <a href="http://www.shapeupri.org/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Shape Up Rhode Island</span></b></a>, a statewide
team-based competition founded by a Brown University medical student in 2005.
Over the past seven years, an estimated 70,000 state residents have signed up
for the program; participants track the number of steps they take daily and
enroll in three eight-week exercise and diet challenges a year. Like
insurance companies, state and local governments stand to gain significantly
from a fitter, healthier population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">So does this work? Do communal
weight loss efforts really trump a more private approach? There have certainly
been promising results. In a <a href="http://www.shapeup.com/PDFs/Study-Social-Influence-Affects-Weight.pdf" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">study tracking Shape Up Rhode Island</span></b></a>,
clustered weight loss among team members suggested that group influence
affected success. In this program it was recognition, rather than rewards,
that seemed to matter. Other studies have looked at the efficacy of cash
rewards. One <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/01/news/la-heb-weight-loss-group-money-20130401" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">published in 2013 in the <i>Annals of Internal Medicine</i></span></b></a>
split dieters into three groups — one that got a financial reward for losing
weight solo, one that split a pot of money for reaching collective goals, and
one that did weigh-ins without financial incentive. While the third group
lost about 1 pound, those who’d been given a solo financial reward lost about
4 pounds, and those who’d been part of the team lost about 10 pounds — and
were better at maintaining their weight loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Peer influence, it seems, is something
to keep in mind if you’re looking for ways to stick to weight loss goals this
year. While <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2013/10/08/weight-loss-apps-dont-waste-your-money/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">other research</span></b></a> shows that digitized and
gamified approaches to fitness can be more hype than help, it’s notable that
many entries on <a href="http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/top-iphone-android-apps-weight-loss#1" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Healthline’s list of the best weight loss apps</span></b></a>
include social functions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">As anyone who’s tried to lose
weight (or quit smoking, or start flossing, or …) knows, the most difficult
part is sustaining will-power momentum after the initial excitement. In
Oklahoma City, Cornett focused on infrastructure changes to make a city that
“had built an incredible quality of life if you happen to be a car” more
walkable and fitness-oriented. To him, the key was cultural change — shaping
a city where residents talked about and cared about maintaining healthy
weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-2425477826368438082014-01-04T09:20:00.001-08:002014-01-04T09:20:16.079-08:00How to get motivated when you are out of motivation
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<a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2013/02/how-to-get-motivated-when-youve-already.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to Get
Motivated When You’ve Already Run Out of Motivation </span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you ever noticed that sometimes it can be incredibly
difficult to </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/02/50-ways-you-can-create-better-day.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">stay positive and motivated</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">?<br />
<br />
Perhaps you’re not getting the results you expected for your goals.<br />
<br />
Or maybe you’re getting results, just not the celebratory kind or magnitude you
expected.<br />
<br />
Perhaps you’ve been trying to achieve a certain goal for a while now and
everything is simply taking longer than you thought it would.<br />
<br />
Under these common circumstances it’s perfectly understandable that your
patience might be beginning to wear a bit thin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
And surely you won’t give up on your goals (after all, quitters never win).
But, again, it’s definitely understandable if the roaring enthusiasm you once
had for them is slowly dwindling.<br />
<br />
Well, don’t worry, you’re not alone.<br />
<br />
Because the truth is that almost ALL worthy goals and dreams take longer to
bring into fruition than we initially expect (which means everyone experiences
dwindling motivation after sustained work, at some point or another).<br />
<br />
But, as long as you stick with your plans and goals - and remain true to
yourself – your dreams WILL come into fruition.<br />
<br />
That’s why it’s so important that you don’t give up. But to actually stick with
it you’re going to need to keep yourself motivated.<br />
<br />
So, the question becomes: How on earth do you stay motivated after you’ve been
working toward your goals for a while, yet still haven’t actually achieved
them?<br />
<br />
Here are 3 surefire ways to keep your motivation high, even during those
dreadful slump periods where you’re ready to call it quits:<br />
<br />
1. Be honest with yourself<br />
<br />
Now’s the time to take stock of your efforts so far.<br />
<br />
Ask yourself:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What has actually worked up until now? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s giving good results? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s giving no results?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s giving results that you’re not really happy with
because you think these results are too small? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What can be done to improve or increase currently working
results?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What are some new methods or approaches for achieving your
desired goals that you haven’t tried yet? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write down the answers to these questions. Doing so will
give you some much-needed clarity (and some surprising, newly invigorated
motivation).<br />
<br />
More importantly, taking stock of your efforts so far will show you what you
should do more of, what you should stop doing for now (or do less of), and what
new, unchartered approaches are available to you moving forward.<br />
<br />
2. Switch it up<br />
<br />
If motivation’s dwindling, one thing you can do is step back and </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/01/40-ways-to-relax-and-recharge-your.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">take some time away from what you’ve been doing</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> for a while.<br />
<br />
Often, the clarity we need is obscured by constant action…meaning that
sometimes, the only way to get the clarity you need to move forward is by doing
the counterintuitive thing: Taking a break.<br />
<br />
And while you’re at it, during your break do something you know you’re really
good at and always successful at. This will give you the confidence boost (and
motivation boost) you crave when it comes time to revisit your long-term goals.<br />
<br />
3. Remember, everything happens for your benefit<br />
<br />
Often, when things aren’t going exactly as we planned (meaning our way) we feel
frustrated, angry, sad, or hurt and motivation decreases accordingly. That’s
why it’s key to remember during these times that everything that happens in our
lives usually serves an ultimately positive purpose.<br />
<br />
The world is not out to get you…if anything the world is fully supportive of
your desire to succeed. And the fact that you have that desire to succeed means
something (because a lot of people don’t have it at all).<br />
<br />
</span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2011/07/3-forms-of-radical-relaxation.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, take it easy.</span></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<br />
Just because things are panning out differently than we might expect doesn’t
mean they’re worse (often they’re actually better).<br />
<br />
Keeping this in mind will give you the strength, courage, and creativity you
need as you go for your goals and dreams…whatever they may be.<br />
<br />
Now it’s your turn: What often deflates your motivation and what do you do to
regain it when that happens?<br />
<br />
Share in the comments below!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Written on 2/6/2013 Cece Suwal & Mark Brener,
coauthors of the national bestseller, A Guide To Your Supreme Power, and
cofounders of The One World Initiative, where you can discover your path to
money, love, power, success, life purpose, and meaning. Get your free course
on </span><a href="http://theoneworldinitiative.com/how-to-be-happy.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">how to be happy</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and subscribe to their blog
to learn </span><a href="http://rational-optimism.com/how-to-become-rich-5-truths-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">how to become rich</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Photo Credit:<br />
</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/5719219915/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ted</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: green; font-size: 10pt;">mail.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-39507106433220136502014-01-04T09:19:00.003-08:002014-01-04T09:19:46.401-08:00Local events from Tania Cheater
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-58899717176733573132014-01-04T09:19:00.001-08:002014-01-04T09:19:09.936-08:00protecting your compuer while traveling
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DumbLittleMan/~3/VpsuDOxEbgI/ways-to-protect-your-computer-from.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ways to Protect Your
Computer from Hackers While Traveling</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 140%;">Posted: 03 Jan 2014 09:46 AM PST<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2014/01/ways-to-protect-your-computer-from.html" imageanchor="1" style="float: right;"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" height="291" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-g_M1Blsm5x3m22EFYx9iK4MGg63ATy-71GYBP5ycySLSSkbHCwyGAXppmEJ0eEDVEfHqJUC8tQiJSENW7IXyXRX1noEGm0UJunaUS0tQzMaOHkZZHnKtxAuxotzsGNEvRym5fAr5PW4/s400/compsec.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Traveling is an occasion for excitement that's second to none.
It's a time where we escape the day-to-day grind and plan for the future. For
the various reasons we travel, business or pleasure, one constant remains
with us -- our laptops and mobile devices.<br />
<br />
While we use our devices for different purposes and with varying frequency,
we must all be aware of the dangers that exposed to our devices. Hackers
understand our computers are vulnerable while traveling. These Internet
ninjas are armed with several strategies to disrupt your travel and damage
your device.<br />
<br />
This should serve as a short guide of hacker's tactics and what you need to
do to protect your computer.<br />
<a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2014/01/ways-to-protect-your-computer-from.html#more"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Read more »</span></b></a><img border="0" height="1" id="_x0000_i1028" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DumbLittleMan/~4/VpsuDOxEbgI?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email" width="1" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-32719538931071240322014-01-04T09:18:00.003-08:002014-01-04T09:18:41.690-08:00California families striggle- Francis Rolland on real estate
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://francisrolland.blogspot.com/" title="(http://francisrolland.blogspot.com/)"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt; font-weight: normal;">Francis'
Silicon Valley Real Estate corner...</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FrancisSiliconValleyRealEstateCorner/~3/5ZYPzUOfeqc/to-keep-in-perspective-california.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">To keep in
perspective: California families struggle...</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Posted: 03 Jan 2014 03:39 PM PST<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To keep things in perspective,</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> which is always nice
when you live in the Bay Area of San Francisco, I thought this article was
worth reading.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
According to the California Budget Project, a nonpartisan research group,
many California families are struggling from paycheck to paycheck, and
expensive housing, high childcare costs and rising healthcare expenses are
the main factors. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nearly one-third of
households in the state spent at least half their income on rent.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mo9TJj8PsJ87tZzBsNhQK-4fcW8ADpo_n4E9Xcr5C7Z0s_TfvnNMCxPiIVB_M_QLVNYQlCJ5Olx7YSoA89sMDagUudq1NfKQ1bA8HQF1qXqY5b-fwawtUmNup9YYwm8DDejHMvufImw/s1600/money-half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="float: right;"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mo9TJj8PsJ87tZzBsNhQK-4fcW8ADpo_n4E9Xcr5C7Z0s_TfvnNMCxPiIVB_M_QLVNYQlCJ5Olx7YSoA89sMDagUudq1NfKQ1bA8HQF1qXqY5b-fwawtUmNup9YYwm8DDejHMvufImw/s1600/money-half.jpg" /></span></b></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-california-finance-living-expenses-20131213,0,5465762.story#axzz2ngAT539o" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Full article from the LA times</span></b></a>, which
also includes links to the richest and poorest cities in the US. Source:
LA Times - by Shan Li.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Happy New Year! and
thank you for reading,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Francis</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br />
<a href="http://www.frolland.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Silicon Valley real estate
specialist</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://www.trendsbyfrancis.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Detailed,
local trends</span></b></a> etc...<br />
Current <a href="http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">mortgage rates</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Francis C. ROLLAND - Since 1985 Realtor. HEC 76. MBA - CRS
Coldwell Banker dir: 650-947-2259<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-86422983659168511942014-01-04T09:18:00.001-08:002014-01-04T09:18:02.990-08:00TED Blog
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://blog.ted.com/" title="(http://blog.ted.com)"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt; font-weight: normal;">TED Blog</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TEDBlog/~3/FCXkYAhIAMc/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The best way to get a
book deal? Write a story 19 million people want to read</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%; margin: 6.75pt 0in 2.25pt;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:17 PM PST<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><a href="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/bethreeklesblogheader.jpg"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img alt="BethReeklesBlogHeader" border="0" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85181" id="_x0000_i1026" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/bethreeklesblogheader.jpg?w=900" /></span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">17-year-old Beth Reekles had a
really good year. She published two books; appeared on national TV; sold the
film rights for her first book, <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The
Kissing Booth</span></em>; graduated from high school and started college; and
earned a spot on <a href="http://time100.time.com/2013/11/12/the-16-most-influential-teens-of-2013/slide/beth-reekles/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">TIME’s list of the most influential teens of 2013</span></b></a>,
alongside household names like Malia Obama and Justin Bieber. And still she
found time to watch five seasons of <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gossip
Girl</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">How did such a young woman get so
far so fast? When Beth was 15, living at home in Wales, she wrote a novel
(“the kind of book I wanted to read”) and put it up on the story-sharing
website <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/Reekles"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Wattpad</span></b></a>.
19 million views later, she won a three-book contract with a young adult
division at Random House to publish that first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kissing-Booth-Beth-Reekles-ebook/dp/B00AIV2KIG" target="_blank"><em><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Kissing Booth</span></b></em></a>,
and two more, including the recently published <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Dice-Beth-Reekles/dp/0552568821" target="_blank"><em><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Rolling Dice</span></b></em></a>.
That kind of transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing is
rare — but her true-to-life stories of teen romance, sans vampires and
werewolves, must have tapped a void that needed filling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">This much-in-demand writer has
developed a routine that helps her stay focused. Beth likes to write alone
with her computer and a cup of tea. (She avoids writing with others in the
room, because she hates the idea that someone might be reading over her
shoulder.) If she’s feeling blocked, she turns on background music — such as
the soundtrack to <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Doctor Who</span></em>
or <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Pirates of the Caribbean</span></em>
— to help her feel more creative. “Something emotive and exciting,” she says.
She experiments with form as well — on her Wattpad page, you can find short
stories, chapters and novellas, including the holiday one-off “<a href="http://www.wattpad.com/31377053-deck-the-halls?d=ud" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Deck the Halls</span></b></a>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">She’s a freshman at the University
of Exeter now and plans to major in physics. She’s busy preparing for January
exams and working on her third book. This summer, when classes end, she’s
excited to spend her summer typing away, possibly working on a sequel to <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The Kissing Booth</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">We talked to Beth via email about
self-publishing, J.K. Rowling, and letting go of bad reviews. Our first
question:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">What inspired you to write a
novel at 15? Here’s Beth –</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">I was looking for a high school
romance that didn’t involve a vampire or werewolf – every teen romance seemed
to have a paranormal element, and I was sick of that. So when I couldn’t find
the kind of book I wanted to read, I decided to write it instead. That’s how
I ended up writing <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The
Kissing Booth</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">What did you think when
Random House called you up and said, “Hey, want to write a few more for us?”</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">I was thrilled! I’d thought about
traditionally publishing my books, but I didn’t think it would actually ever
happen, and certainly not like that! Sometimes I still can’t believe it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">A lot of people in the
publishing world are wary of self-publishing. What is your take on it?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Self-publishing is making writing
something that a lot more people take seriously now. It gives a lot of new
and younger writers the opportunity to try and put their work out there
quickly and easily, so it’s encouraging more and more people to write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">What are you writing now?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Right now I’m working on my third
book for Random House, which is going to be another young-adult romance,
called <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Out of Tune</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">How do you come up with a new
character or story? What’s your process?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">I usually get the ideas for
characters before I come up with a story. My characters seem to have lives of
their own that I have to try and put down on paper. I’ve never been any good at
planning stories; I often go with the flow and don’t know how the story will
turn out until I’ve finished it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Which authors do you really
admire?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">J.K. Rowling has always been one
of my role models. I’ve loved the Harry Potter series since I began reading
it as a child, and when I read about how she persevered despite all the
rejection letters, it’s really encouraging and inspiring to me as a writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Are there any responses
you’ve gotten from fans that have really stuck with you?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">I get so many messages from young
girls telling me that I’ve inspired them to write, or that they don’t usually
read but tried my book and loved it. Those are the ones that really stick
with me. They’re very humbling messages to receive, and they always make my
day! It’s brilliant to hear that I’ve encouraged other girls to read and
write more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">What is one thing you know
that you wish everyone knew?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">One bad piece of criticism can
make you feel like everything you’re doing is a waste of time, but you really
need to put it in perspective. Take note of all the good things people are
saying!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<a href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/tedconfblog.wordpress.com/85180/"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1027" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/tedconfblog.wordpress.com/85180/" /></span></b></a><img border="0" height="1" id="_x0000_i1028" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.ted.com&blog=14795620&post=85180&subd=tedconfblog&ref=&feed=1" width="1" /><img border="0" height="1" id="_x0000_i1029" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TEDBlog/~4/FCXkYAhIAMc?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email" width="1" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<div style="line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 12pt 0in 2.25pt;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TEDBlog/~3/B7U5Crs3tdQ/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><span style="mso-bookmark: 2;"><b><span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Fellows Friday: A
magical oceanic feeding frenzy, up close and personal, in stunning detail</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: 2;"></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%; margin: 6.75pt 0in 2.25pt;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Posted: 03 Jan 2014 11:29 AM PST<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">
<iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y6s3BBtPwq8?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="586">
</iframe>
By <a href="http://about.me/ashadevos" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Asha de Vos</span></a>,
with photos by <a href="http://jonlowenstein.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Jon Lowenstein</span></a></span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Monterey Bay is a marine
biologist’s dream. It is arguably one of the most dynamic coastlines in the
world and, for someone from the tropics <a href="http://blog.ted.com/2012/07/13/the-call-of-the-whale-fellows-friday-with-asha-de-vos/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">like me</span></b></a>, it opens up a whole new world
for learning and adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">In recent months, Monterey Bay —
located along the central coast of California — has become even more
enthralling. A proliferation of anchovies has brought pelicans, sea
lions and bottlenose dolphins to the area in droves. These anchovies are also
drawing in humpback whales and making them stay way beyond the usual time. (See <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The New York Times </span></em>story
from November, “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/us/with-extra-anchovies-deluxe-whale-watching.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">With extra anchovies, deluxe whale watching</span></b></a>.”) By
now, these whales should be at their winter breeding grounds in Mexico, but
it seems they are making the most of this overabundance of fishy treats and
hanging around, much to the delight of whale watchers. Are they
foregoing their breeding opportunities to feed? Or perhaps the pregnant
females have continued on their journey while the males are straggling behind
to gorge? We don’t yet fully understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Watching a whale breach leaves you
speechless. You can’t stop thinking about the sheer power and momentum
required to propel such a large creature clean out of the water. Why do they
do it? Again, an unknown. The act of <a href="http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/weird-true-and-freaky/videos/humpback-whales-bubble-netting.htm" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">bubble netting</span></b></a> with mates and <a href="http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/big-ideas/antarctic-whales/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">cooperative hunting</span></b></a> with sea lions is
testament to how much harmony exists in the natural world. I got a chance to
experience these grand spectacles on the eve of my first Thanksgiving,
walking along the coastal path in Santa Cruz. What really captured my
imagination was how extremely accessible these feeding frenzies were,
happening right along the coastline. I for one understand the powerful draw
of charismatic megafauna, and why the media would choose to focus on the
story of the anchovies and humpback whales. But what about the rest of the
food web?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Along the coastal walking path,
the ephemeral clouds of anchovies draw pelicans, gulls and cormorants by the
thousands. The energy, rush and clamour is palpable and infectious as
strangers excitedly talk to each other about the spectacle occurring in front
of their eyes. Even the locals are thrilled, as a burst of oceanic life of
this kind has never been experienced before. I stand there feeling extremely
lucky. For a person striving to increase interaction between people and
the ocean in an effort to create more awareness, this moment represents the
perfect conversation space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Anchovy themselves feed on krill,
copepods and decapod larvae, both by random <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_feeder" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">filter-feeding</span></b></a>
and by ‘pecking’ at prey. The breeding success of the California brown
pelican has been attributed to the abundance of anchovy in these waters.
Feeding areas vary because of the mobility of the prey but the larger-scale
fluctuations of small pelagics, which include anchovies and sardines, leave
scientists puzzled. It seems that this mystery of abundance is ours to solve.
But where to start? Small pelagics are said to represent the largest source
of wild marine protein worldwide. Not only does the ocean food web depend on
them — so do many of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">It isn’t just the birds that visit
en masse, but rafts of sea lions — hundreds to thousands strong — cruise
through, capturing the flailing fish in their mouths on synchronised dives
led by a large male. The choreography is impeccable as a single bark from the
leader signals the start of the dive that will, on average, last about three
minutes in these shallow waters. On their return to the surface, they are
mobbed by gulls intending to steal a few bites. What a delightfully dynamic
cycle of gluttony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">I’ve spent a lot of time studying
whales off the coast of Sri Lanka, and I am very thankful for my current
situation as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California
Santa Cruz. Living here means that I get regular visits from friends
wishing to escape the big city. It gives me great pleasure to take them out
to see this remarkable coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">On a recent weekend, photographer
and TED Senior Fellow Jon Lowenstein came to visit and his reaction to the
magic was just as I had hoped – that of sheer excitement! While I remain
completely blown away by the wildlife of Monterey Bay, my opinion is biased
as this is my life. Hearing Jon’s reaction to the continuous feeding frenzy
makes me feel like I have successfully connected one more person with the
ocean. I am excited to share some of his photographs with you here, showing
the beauty of the mad smorgasbord at my doorstep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85158" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1030" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_05609.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85161" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1031" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_23_untitled-shoot_04458.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85165" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1032" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_23_untitled-shoot_04582.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85164" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1033" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_23_untitled-shoot_04706.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85163" height="600" id="_x0000_i1034" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_00597.jpg?w=900&h=600" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85162" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1035" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_23_untitled-shoot_04691.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85160" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1036" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_05481.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="13_November_25_untitled shoot_00400" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85159" height="600" id="_x0000_i1037" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_00400.jpg?w=900&h=600" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="13_November_25_untitled shoot_01333" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85154" height="600" id="_x0000_i1038" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_01333.jpg?w=900&h=600" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="13_November_25_untitled shoot_05737" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85157" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1039" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_05737.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="13_November_25_untitled shoot_05515" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85156" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1040" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_05515.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="13_November_25_untitled shoot_05428" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85155" height="1200" id="_x0000_i1041" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_05428.jpg?w=900&h=1200" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-85152" height="600" id="_x0000_i1043" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/13_november_25_untitled-shoot_00530.jpg?w=900&h=600" width="900" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
Lowenstein / NOOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">Photo: Jon
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">TED Senior Fellow Asha de Vos
is a blue whale researcher with the The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project and The
University of California Santa Cruz. Follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ashadevos" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">@ashadevos</span></b></a>.</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;">And TED Senior Fellow Jon
Lowenstein is a documentary photographer and a part of the photo
agency/foundation NOOR. Follow him on Instagram <a href="http://instagram.com/jonlowenstein" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">@jonlowenstein</span></b></a>.</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-13979873595236396502014-01-03T13:18:00.000-08:002014-01-03T13:18:21.921-08:00To want you specifically - Nilofer<li class="page_item page-item-9478 current_page_item"><a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/essays/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Essays</span></a></li>
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<!-- #main Starts --> <section id="main"><article class="post-10262 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-entrepreneurship tag-andrew-mcafee tag-career-advice tag-come-all tag-come-one tag-dorie-clark tag-erik-brynjolffson tag-reinventing-you"><header><h1 class="title">
To want *you* specifically</h1>
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<abbr class="date time published" title="2013-12-13T08:50:20-0800">December 13, 2013</abbr> <span class="small">in</span> <span class="categories"><a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/category/entrepreneurship/" title="View all posts in Entrepreneurship"><span style="color: #255b81;">Entrepreneurship</span></a></span> </div>
<section class="entry">“I have no idea what I’ll do next” she said to me, as she shared that she had decided to leave her company of 14 years. “I stayed for the last few years even though I knew it was time for me to leave…”<br />
When you’re not ready to face into “the new”, you can hold onto what you already know. Clinging to it. Holding tight. Staying stagnant.<br />
<a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/12/13/to-want-you-specifically/dorie-clark/" rel="attachment wp-att-10263"><img alt="dorie-clark" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10263" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i1.wp.com/nilofermerchant.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/dorie-clark.jpg?resize=615%2C430" /></a><br /> Which is why I want to highlight what it means to do “reinvention”. For this, I turned to <a href="http://dorieclark.com/about/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Dorie Clark</span></a>, a former presidential campaign spokesperson now branding strategy consultant. She recently wrote “Reinventing you” which has already sold 11,000 copies in a short six months.<br />
To start off, Dorie, what is the larger macro issue that made you want to write on this?<br />
<blockquote>
I was initially prompted to write <i><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Reinventing You</span> </i>because of my own experience – having to reinvent my career when I got laid off as a journalist amidst the disruption and collapse of the newspaper industry. But I quickly came to realize it’s a far broader phenomenon. The economy, and the world of work, is changing so rapidly today that we<i> all</i> need to reinvent ourselves on a regular basis.<br />
Indeed, a <span style="text-decoration: underline;">study by Intuit</span> predicts that by 2020, a full 40% of the American workforce will be freelance – meaning we have to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset when it comes to our skills and how we make money.</blockquote>
Yeah, I refer to this during an MIT interview when I say “<a href="http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-social-tools-can-help-your-company-avoid-strategic-failure/"><span style="color: #255b81;">work is freed from jobs</span></a>” …<br />
<blockquote>
Exactly. But, even people who will to work in established companies need to find ways to keep themselves and their skills fresh. When I interviewed Steven Rice, the EVP of Human Resources for Juniper Networks, he told me that one of the first, and most important, questions he asks potential new hires is “What are you doing to reinvent yourself?” If they don’t have a good answer, they don’t get hired.</blockquote>
A very good friend is now on the market, and the last time time she looked for a job, the metrics of success for very much about “what brand do you work for” but so much has changed. I advocate for people to tap into their <a href="http://www.85broads.com/public/blogs/85-broads/articles/on-onlyness-an-interview-with-thought-leader-nilofer-merchant"><span style="color: #255b81;">Onlyness</span></a> — that place a person stands in that is ONLY their spot in their world — capturing their history, experiences, visions and hopes. I know you advise something similar –<br />
Can you share how Onlyness (talk <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/01/17/onlyness-the-topic-and-the-talk-at-tedxhouston/"><span style="color: #255b81;">here</span></a>) can be applied in reinventing yourself?<br />
<blockquote>
In today’s economy, the worst thing you can be is a commodity – someone who is an interchangeable and replaceable part. Thinkers like Erik Brynjolffson and Andrew McAfee have written about the hollowing out of the middle – the fact that many traditional middle class jobs that require a college education are disappearing, either outsourced abroad or made irrelevant by technological advances. Instead, we’re left with either low-end service jobs, or highly skilled and highly remunerated work. The only answer to this conundrum is “onlyness” – embracing and leading with what is unique about you and the value you can bring. As long as someone needs “a graphic designer” or “an accountant,” you will lose, because someone will do it cheaper. You need for them to want *you* specifically.<br />
In <i>Reinventing You</i>, I tell the story of a woman named Libby Wagner, who was a poet and community college professor of women’s studies and creative writing who reinvented herself into a management consulting career. It was quite a leap, and at first, she was embarrassed about her background and worried that other people would find out. She felt sure they wouldn’t take her seriously if they knew, so she hid her past. But that also made her bland – indistinguishable from other consultants. Why hire her? So over time, as she built her client base and began to feel more comfortable, she “came out” as a poet and started to make it a central part of her work. These days, her e-newsletter is called The Boardroom Poet, and it’s one of the strengths she leads with: she can understand and parse language in ways that traditional consultants can’t.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
I’d advise people who are considering reinventing themselves to ask the following questions:<br />
- What is unique about your background, skills, or experience? What is your onlyness?<br />
- How can that add value to your company or your field? (For instance, Libby’s facility with the nuances of language allows her to advise her clients on communicating better with their stakeholders.)<br />
- How can you demonstrate that value? Whether it’s through testimonials, case studies, or the creation of intellectual property (blog posts, white papers, etc.), how can you share your onlyness with the world?</blockquote>
<br />
<strong>Those are GREAT steps.</strong><br />
To go someplace new, you also have to be willing to leave the past behind. But when and how, and, what I think a lot of people who are going to read this will really want us to answer, “<em>do I have to</em>?”<br />
<blockquote>
When reinventing yourself, you don’t want to be rash. It’s a bad idea to quit your job without a plan, especially if you have a mortgage or other financial responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean you have to suck up adverse circumstances and stifle your dreams and passions while you wait for a deus ex machina to rescue you. Instead, you need to proactively work toward your reinvention – at first, building skills and experience on the side, and then eventually making a leap when you’re ready and prepared.<br />
For <i>Reinventing You</i>, I interviewed a woman named Patricia Fripp – now recognized as a highly successful professional speaker. She began her career as a hairdresser who occasionally spoke at hair shows. She had such great relationships with her clients that when they discovered she spoke, they invited her to address their clubs and companies, and she spent years building a speaking business on the side. She invested profits from her hairdressing business into professional development and high quality materials, such as videos and promotional flyers. When she was ready – with the skills and contacts she needed – she left hairdressing and became a full-time speaker.<br />
As she told me, “You plan your divorce, you don’t just leave.”</blockquote>
But far too many people treat their careers like bad marriages that they stay in “for the sake of the kids.” Some people are so intent on not making a hasty or foolish move, that they don’t make a move – ever. When the moment is right, you have to take action.<br />
What’s great about the storie of Patricia is that she’s owning a dream – even when no one else sees it for her. I love that. It’s courageous to hold a vision or hope for yourself.<br />
I am thinking about my friend again and why she didn’t move sooner. At some level, I think she thinks of herself as “loyal” and that leaving was “disloyal” – what would you say to her?<br />
<blockquote>
The fundamental challenge we face as human beings is, first, understanding who we really are, and then living in a way that manifests that. The process of reinvention, when done right, is about embracing your onlyness – coming closer to your authentic core and living the life you want. Some people might feel threatened by that. Their expectations are upended; you’re not in the box they wanted to place you in. They may say change is disloyal, and that you owe it to others to keep on the path you started. Actually, you owe it to yourself to be who you are. Of course, that’s a very Western idea, placing the individual above the collective. So be it! The world is moving too fast for us to accept stasis. Not only will it not make us happy…these days, it won’t make us safe or secure, either.</blockquote>
Interesting Dorie. I can see why the book is doing so well.<br />
To be fair, I’m not sure this is an issue of self <strong>vs</strong>. collective. That suggests that one comes at the cost of the other. I think of it more as this: we can each bring our very best to the whole, if and when we are manifesting ourselves fully, then value creation goes up. That is – not to fit into some one else’s idea of who I am but to discover what it is that will let me manifest fully alive. Then, what I create and do is more valuable. This connects the idea of individual human value (in humanism terms) to value creation (as defined in economic terms). To me, when we bring those two things together- we will have a more viable — maybe even fulfilled — way for people to create.<br />
You can find Dorie’s book here: (in case you are still looking for presents!)<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="240" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wwwnilofermer-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1422144135" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;" width="320"></iframe><br />
Another book I’ve recommended for people seeking a reinvention is this one by Martha Beck:<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="240" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wwwnilofermer-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0812932188" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;" width="320"></iframe><br />
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<abbr class="date time published" title="September 24, 2013">September 24, 2013</abbr> <span class="small">in</span> <span class="categories"><a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/category/entrepreneurship/" title="View all posts in Entrepreneurship"><span style="color: #255b81;">Entrepreneurship</span></a> </span> </div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-26823458819773131542014-01-03T13:16:00.002-08:002014-01-03T13:16:40.540-08:00How to tackle the new thing- Nilofer<div id="page_banner" style="-moz-background-size: cover; -o-background-size: cover; -webkit-background-size: cover; background: url("/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/essays.jpg") no-repeat bottom / cover; display: inline-block;">
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<!-- #main Starts --> <section id="main"><article class="post-10266 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-entrepreneurship tag-implementation tag-op-ed-project tag-strategy-execution-gap"><header><h1 class="title">
How to Tackle The New Thing</h1>
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<abbr class="date time published" title="2013-12-16T20:28:39-0800">December 16, 2013</abbr> <span class="small">in</span> <span class="categories"><a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/category/entrepreneurship/" title="View all posts in Entrepreneurship"><span style="color: #255b81;">Entrepreneurship</span></a></span> </div>
<section class="entry">“How do you approach/strategize/tackle launching a new thing? What is your process? How did you follow it through to the finished thing? This seems to be part of what you have done well and repeatedly (launching over 100 products, constantly pivoting in new scenarios). My hurdle is always execution. How do you do it?” asked <a href="http://joeltimothy.com/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Joel Wilson</span></a> over email.<br />
Well, Joel, that’s a tough question, especially because I want to be specific enough to help. I’ve wrestled in the last week with using myself as an example here because you might see what I’m doing now i.e. “book writing” and tune out if that’s not in your cards right now. I <em>could</em> study someone else but most people love to tell the story of the new thing AFTER it’s done and it becomes really a marketing act. (Sort of like most Fast Company profiles.) I could go back 3, 4 or 6 years in time to choose some specific instance in which I (when I led Rubicon) helped a major company redefine its product line (as I once did for <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2010/02/05/competing-with-adobe-apple/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Adobe</span></a>), or to defend against a major competitor (as I did w Symantec to fight –and win– an epic industry battle against Microsoft). But I fear that if I do so, I will lose specificity. So I’m left with the current “new thing” that I’m chasing now, and ask you to squint a little at the topic, and see the “how” for you.<br />
<remember to squint!><br />
To start…<br />
Back in December 2012, about 3 months after publishing <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/library/socialera/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Social Era,</span></a> I wrote a post called “<a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2012/12/07/in-a-fragmented-world-go-deep/"><span style="color: #255b81;">In a Fragmented world, go deep</span></a>”. I had just finished a huge book tour, and I wrote this without much reflection, born out of frustration at how much content was transient fluffiness. I felt myself struggling to compete with the volume of “noise” in the market.<br />
One specific line in the <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2012/12/07/in-a-fragmented-world-go-deep/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Fragmented World piece</span></a> – “to be a Morgan Freeman Voice in the times of Justin Bieber bop” resonated, clearly deeply important to me. I decided then that my path was not to try to be the “pop version” because I would surely lose to the voices of, say, a Seth Godin. I wanted instead to sink more deeply into the idea: to dig into the truths I found in Social Era and to chase the questions even further, to let those idea fill me, almost… to <em>submerge</em>.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: Hear the Tug of the Heart. </b></blockquote>
But I didn’t act on that tug. Submersion is, at a minimum, scary. The biggest and most real scare was to answer the question… where does the money to subsidize that come from?<br />
Writing can be a one-way ticket to poverty. I write incredibly valuable, well-researched, and even thoughtful pieces – that guide many at inflection points. Evidence of success is that I’m ranked in the top 5 writers / pieces for the year over at Harvard. But that “success” brings in how much money? Zero. Even the magazine piece, on the <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/03/19/lessons-from-when-ted-lost-control-of-its-crowd/"><span style="color: #255b81;">open model of leadership of TED and TEDx</span></a>, that I wrote, and rewrote, and rewrote again? Spending hundreds of hours from December-through January and then sections of February… how much did I earn? Zero. Nada. Zip. HBR don’t even give someone like me their own magazine. (Which I then go out and buy, the irony not being lost on me…)<br />
So, while it’s super easy to say “<a href="http://www.aaronmchugh.com/2013/09/04/99-uncensored-ways-to-live-life/"><span style="color: #255b81;">work on what you love</span></a>”, the economics are crazy. Even “the love” my blog/ website receives from the now 900,000 active followers is expensive. I was doing all sorts of things to earn money outside of writing and I felt it was impossible to stop.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: There’s no denying the costs to working on the Next Thing. </b></blockquote>
Around this time, Amanda Palmer’s talk, on the Economics of Generosity, …which I talked about <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/03/02/the-economics-of-generosity/"><span style="color: #255b81;">here</span></a> was stewing and brewing inside. So did a conversation with <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/lexsisney"><span style="color: #255b81;">Lex Sisney</span></a>, where I heard myself about describe something as being about “legitimacy” — a conversation shared <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/09/25/your-brand-is-exhaust-fume-not-the-engine/"><span style="color: #255b81;">here</span></a>. But it was actually a series of 10 conversations re serving on notable corporate board that brought things into perspective. I was seriously thinking about saying yes… knowing it wasn’t going to be fun. Even though I’d be “famous” because of the role, the ability to create real impact just seemed low. And this new thing — this idea nugget just kept screaming in my head — So, with about $500,000 effectively sitting on the table, I finally yielded to the message: “WRONG WAY; GO BACK”.<br />
<a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/12/16/how-to-tackle-the-new-thing/wrong-way-go-back-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-10268"><img alt="Wrong Way> Go back" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10268" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i2.wp.com/nilofermerchant.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Wrong-Way-Go-back1.jpeg?resize=615%2C562" /></a><br />
And, after that, I realized I wasn’t willing to sell-out. Money, and time had become a reason (maybe even a convenient excuse?) to not chase the thing. And if I look back at my 20 or so year corporate history, I’m reminded as to why most things fail. The thinking is we’ll just fit in this other HUGE thing <em>while also</em> doing everything we’ve always done. While this is not a <em>sure step</em> to failure, it is a <em>sure sign</em> of not making a tough decision.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: Decide, really decide, what to give up to make space for the new thing. </b></blockquote>
That was around Fall, 2013. About 8 or 9 months from the initial tug.<br />
On a post-it standing at the post office, I had made a list of next steps to move forward. The biggest piece I could see myself struggling with is finding the edge of the idea – the thing that makes it broadly relevant, because there’s a problem that someone actually needs solving.<br />
A few days later, I had coffee with someone and later signed up for a workshop aimed to solve just this kind of thing, led by the team at the <a href="http://www.theopedproject.org/"><span style="color: #255b81;">OpEd Project</span></a>. OpEds are entirely about shaping the agenda of the world, by finding the edge of the idea that is broadly relevant. The workshop notion was to go under some big trees, to think about your big ideas and to get 1:1 writing support, and “workshopping” time with your ideas. I was so looking forward to it even though it came at a huge cost of personal time (3 days away from the kiddo / family), not to count the direct out-of-pocket expense.<br />
Knowing that fellow travelers are key to a new journey, it was easy to say what <a href="http://justinemusk.com/2013/12/06/the-art-of-the-deep-yes-my-tedxolympicblvdwomen-talk/"><span style="color: #255b81;">Justine Musk would call a Deep YES</span></a> to this interesting <a href="http://www.theopedproject.org/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=39&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=136&vmcchk=1&Itemid=136"><span style="color: #255b81;">Mountain Retreat</span></a>.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: Find others already on the journey, or to go with you. </b></blockquote>
Even though the retreat and the team had the best intentions, it failed to do so many things it promised. I did however met some amazing people, maybe even made some new friends. (Time will tell.) Something I was sure would work, didn’t. A good reminder that things sometimes don’t work out as you expect. Creating a new thing is less linear than we think (and want). After all, markets change super fast. Today, there are few “barriers to entry” and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_chain"><span style="color: #255b81;">value chain</span></a> is more like a value flow. People make promises they don’t know how to keep. Any of us can go from “being clear, and on the right track” and being entirely flummoxed.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: Recognize it’s an adventure. </b></blockquote>
The one thing I went to the retreat to go answer went unanswered, even after a lotta-lotta work. (To the point of even having to <em>insist</em> that we work on an exercise after being promised it 12 hours earlier…)<br />
Today, I am living in the recrimination of all that wasted effort. While I might one day see what happened as a necessary step in the process, today is a raw and devastating loss of not getting help that I both needed (and paid for). It means more resources will need to be dug up, a retrench, and to start again. This is the truth I’m reminded of on days like this: nothing happens as you plan but what matters is how you deal. Which ties to what Carol Dweck taught us, <a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/09/27/do-you-trust-in-your-ability-to-grow/"><span style="color: #255b81;">to trust in your own resourcefulness</span></a>.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: Trust in Your Ability to Grow </b></blockquote>
So far, in this post, I’ve caught you up to the moment in time. Which is still very much a work in progress. But in many ways, the hard stuff is done: resources are aligned, intentions are clear, obstacles have been removed…but there is still loads of hard stuff to do.<br />
Tomorrow is the first of many days I’ll spend interviewing people. One organization and the people involved appear to match my working thesis that says networks are the companies, and the power of connection is a new power. I’ve had the good fortune of working with someone who could help me identify the right people to talk with. Others have helped me shape what to look for and explore. I spent the earlier part of today organizing the notes, preparing questions, and so on. I expect to show up with curiosity and then to find out tons of things I don’t know. Even if it all “goes right”, I’ll be exploring new ground, sometimes lost and regrouping when needed. I’ll write and synthesize, then draft and redraft.<br />
And if I live through all that well enough to find an edge of an idea…. , this will turn into a magazine piece or an opening chapter of the next book (or something) but I can’t confirm any of the outcomes yet. All I know is that I need to enter the project. And do the work.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Lesson: Do the hard part of the hard part. </b></blockquote>
***<br /> Your original question, Joel, was how to do execution, so I’ll end with the broader observation, – the gap between strategy and execution is a persistent one. It happens in organizations, it happens in our lives. In my 1st book<b> (</b>do you know about it? Published in 2010, it’s called<b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596156251/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0596156251&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwnilofermer-20"><span style="color: #255b81;">The New How),</span></a> </b>I describe this gap as an “Air Sandwich” – the persistent void between the big idea and the execution. I called it the Air Sandwich because all the stuff that matters — the thing that makes it complete — is missing. To fill it is about making the necessary tradeoffs, making tough decisions, and aligning resources. This is what I’m doing — though more slowly than I wish.<br />
Hope that was helpful to you, Joel, and ideally to all of you reading along. As is always true, feel free to continue the conversation with questions, etc in the comments.<br />
<br />
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<abbr class="date time published" title="September 25, 2013">September 25, 2013</abbr> <span class="small">in</span> <span class="categories"><a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/category/entrepreneurship/" title="View all posts in Entrepreneurship"><span style="color: #255b81;">Entrepreneurship</span></a> </span> </div>
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</article> <article><a class="thumbnail" href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/05/01/dont-listen-to-everything/" title="Don’t Listen to Everything"><img src="http://nilofermerchant.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/default_thumb.png" /></a> <header><h2 class="title">
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<abbr class="date time published" title="May 1, 2013">May 1, 2013</abbr> <span class="small">in</span> <span class="categories"><a href="http://nilofermerchant.com/category/entrepreneurship/" title="View all posts in Entrepreneurship"><span style="color: #255b81;">Entrepreneurship</span></a> </span> </div>
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14 Responses:</h3>
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<li class="comment even thread-even depth-1"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="comment-26267"></a> <div class="comment-container" id="li-comment-26267">
<span class="comment-head"><span class="name"><a class="url" href="http://joeltimothy.com/" rel="external nofollow"><span style="color: #255b81;">Joel Wilson</span></a>.</span> <span class="date">December 16, 2013 at 10:34 pm | </span> </span><!-- /.comment-head --> <span class="comment-entry" id="comment-26267">Thank you for this post, and yes, it is helpful! I’m surprised that so much of it is about the intangible – seeing a direction and counting the cost, digging in, having and developing grit, being spontaneous, facing uncertainty, finding community along the journey and then – simply doing. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard. The intangible is uncomfortable and yet it seems like if you can keep going in spite of the fogginess, you end up with all kinds of unexpected treasure – the joy of surprise, friends, adventure, and the fulfillment that comes from having brought a new thing into the world.<br />
The challenge/invitation that I hear in this post is to consider the cost of the new thing and then to be agile and resourceful along the way. Not easy. Maybe scary. Maybe even terrifying. But that’s what it takes.<br />
<span class="reply"><a class="comment-reply-link" href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/12/16/how-to-tackle-the-new-thing/?replytocom=26267#respond"><span style="background-color: #d58002; color: #255b81;">Reply</span></a> </span><!-- /.reply --> </span><!-- /comment-entry --> <div class="fix">
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<span class="comment-head"><span class="name"><a class="url" href="http://www.industryconsulting.com.au/" rel="external nofollow"><span style="color: #255b81;">Ben Kehoe</span></a>.</span> <span class="date">December 16, 2013 at 11:45 pm | </span> </span><!-- /.comment-head --> <span class="comment-entry" id="comment-26268">Beautiful work – reflects a little of my own journey! Am following with much interest and distant support! Go for it!!<br />
<span class="reply"><a class="comment-reply-link" href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/12/16/how-to-tackle-the-new-thing/?replytocom=26268#respond"><span style="background-color: #d58002; color: #255b81;">Reply</span></a> </span><!-- /.reply --> </span><!-- /comment-entry --> <div class="fix">
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<span class="comment-head"><span class="name"><a class="url" href="http://twitter.com/marcuskdowling" rel="external nofollow"><span style="color: #255b81;">Marcus K. Dowling (@marcuskdowling)</span></a>.</span> <span class="date">December 17, 2013 at 2:17 am | </span> </span><!-- /.comment-head --> <span class="comment-entry" id="comment-26272">Well, I actively try to never consider money as a draw to doing anything really worth doing. I also try to surround myself with people whose passions and motivations are similar to, but different than mine. Also, as well, YOU taught me, understanding and appreciating their thoughts about the ideas that I have just gives what I’m trying to do a whole other layer of depth that ultimately pushes the concept along. Doing a “new thing” for any reason less than improving one’s own metaphysical balance is completely insane, too. I’m a big believer in doing things that are ultimately “safe, yet spectacular,” and achieving balance is a big part of making that concept possible. Thanks for writing this, and as always, thanks for the help and support!<br />
<span class="reply"><a class="comment-reply-link" href="http://nilofermerchant.com/2013/12/16/how-to-tackle-the-new-thing/?replytocom=26272#respond"><span style="background-color: #d58002; color: #255b81;">Reply</span></a> </span><!-- /.reply --> </span><!-- /comment-entry --> <div class="fix">
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<span class="comment-head"><span class="name"><a class="url" href="http://joeltimothy.com/" rel="external nofollow"><span style="color: #255b81;">Joel Wilson</span></a>.</span> <span class="date">December 17, 2013 at 4:42 am | </span> </span><!-- /.comment-head --> <span class="comment-entry" id="comment-26273">Thank you for this post, and yes, it is helpful! I’m surprised that so much of it is about the intangible – seeing a direction and counting the cost, digging in, having and developing grit, being spontaneous, facing uncertainty, finding community along the journey and then – simply doing. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard. The intangible is uncomfortable and yet it seems like if you can keep going in spite of the fogginess, you end up with all kinds of unexpected treasure – the joy of surprise, friends, adventure, and the fulfillment that comes from having brought a new thing into the world.<br />
The challenge/invitation that I hear in this post is to consider the cost of the </span></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-27073450506159327812014-01-03T13:15:00.003-08:002014-01-03T13:15:52.220-08:00Planning your 2014 taxes<h2 class="entry-title">
<a href="http://www.princetoncapblog.com/2014/01/planning-your-taxes-in-2014/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to Planning Your Taxes in 2014">Planning Your Taxes in 2014</a></h2>
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<a href="http://www.princetoncapblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Budgeting.jpg"><img alt="Budgeting" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3429" height="150" src="http://www.princetoncapblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Budgeting-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Planning Your Taxes in 2014</h1>
We’ve researched the web to find some major updates for federal taxes in 2014. Talk with a professional to understand how these may affect you.<br />
<div>
The federal government has officially recognized same-sex marriages as a result of a landmark Supreme Court decision last June. While not all couples can benefit from filing a joint return, most will. Review your joint tax situations carefully, and talk with a professional about how your tax returns will change.<br />
All high income couples need to be aware that 2014 is bringing back the marriage penalty. New taxes will be hitting those individuals earning $200,000 or more. But when you’re married, the taxes hit couples with only incomes of $250,000 or more rather than twice the single income of $400,000.<br />
There’s also the additional 0.9% Medicare tax which may surprise some people when they prepare their tax 2013 returns. Their employer is required to start withholding this tax from payroll as soon as the employee’s wages hit $200,000. If your spouse is earning over $50,000, but less than $200,000, this extra .9% won’t be deducted from their wages. So, you’ll find yourself having to pay this tax out of pocket next year.<br />
There’s also a higher threshold for deducting medical expenses this year. It’s 10% of adjusted gross income but still 7.5% for over 65. If you’ve already spent enough to exceed your target, look at the rest of your medical bills. A good tax tip is that when you pay with a credit card, it’s considered paid on the date of the charge. But, only do this with bills that will not be reimbursed by insurance or flexible spending accounts (FSAs).<br />
And from the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303482504579177652444390672" target="_blank" title="2014 tax changes">Wall Street Journal, here are some tax changes from the IRS</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
The basic standard deduction will increase to $12,400 for married couples filing jointly from $12,200 for 2013. It will be $6,200 for singles and married people filing separately, up from $6,100 for this year.<br />
The personal exemption amount will be $3,950, up from $3,900 for 2013. But the amount begins to phase out once your income exceeds a certain level. For 2014, the phaseout (often known as PEP, for personal-exemption phaseout) will begin with adjusted gross income of $254,200 for most singles, or $305,050 for married couples filing jointly. It typically will phase out completely at $376,700 for singles, or $427,550 for joint filers.</blockquote>
Have you thought about tax planning for this year yet?</div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-73659390088079639542014-01-03T13:12:00.002-08:002014-01-03T13:12:20.999-08:00100 secrets of high achievers
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2013/02/the-top-100-secrets-of-high-achievers.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Top 100
Secrets Of High-Achievers </span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do you feel about success?<br />
<br />
What exactly separates the successful from the downtrodden, the prolific author
from the closet hack, the well-loved executive from the slime ball boss?<br />
<br />
The high achieving from the mediocre?<br />
<br />
Quite a lot, actually.<br />
<br />
One hundred things, to be exact.<br />
<br />
High-achievers…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take responsibility for their actions. In a world filled
with avatars, anonymity, and spineless behavior, the individual who “owns”
their actions truly stands out from the crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Know other people look to them for guidance. High-achievers
recognize their responsibility to lead others. They recognize that they may
serve as an inspiring figure to those around them and use this opportunity to
bring everyone up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Create their own reality. Reality is but a perception.
High-achievers recognize this and craft a reality that works for them, not
against.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do something about it. If there is a chance to improve their
surroundings, they take it. </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2012/09/7-effective-steps-to-taking-action-when.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They are driven to action</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. This sets them apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Never cast the first stone. They make sure their own life is
in order before doling out advice to others. The best way to lead is by
example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Illegitimi non carborundum. High-achievers don’t let the
bastards grind them under. When you excel, others will always try to drag you
back to their level. High-achievers maintain their resolve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Work hard. Success requires effort – gritty, sweat-inducing,
back-aching effort. High-achievers show up every single day and put in the
hours. This simple act, over time, distances them from the pack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Turn the conversation around. When others resort to
negativity, they return to the positive. Optimism rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Always have a choice. High-achievers recognize that the
choices they make dictate their life’s direction… and every moment is a choice.
Even in the most harrowing of circumstances, they see choices. They may not
always make the right choice, but at least they make one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have haters. The most important individuals in world history
were considered rejects, outcasts, and sometimes insane. They were hated by the
masses and their ideas reduced to drivel. And yet their legacies live on
because these people mattered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Embrace loneliness. The extra mile is never crowded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Embrace discomfort. High-achievers see discomfort as growth.
They see it as an opportunity to adapt. They embrace it… because work requires
pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are quick to forgive. They accept their own imperfection,
which allows them to </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/05/how-to-forgive-tug-of-war-between-heart.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">easily forgive</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> those around them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Live honestly. They are honest with themselves – about their
strengths, weaknesses, and limitations – and with others. Because honesty will
never steer them wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write. Across the board, high-achievers tend to have one
thing in common: they put their thoughts on paper. They let the paper worry
about things. And this planning and introspection allows them to foresee
potential obstacles and consider ways to overcome them before they occur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Never fail. It’s only failure if you’re not learning from
the experience. High achievers learn from everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Move on quickly. They have many demands on their time and
attention. Therefore, they cannot afford to dwindle on the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Know when to quit. High-achievers quit early in a process
after strategic evaluation. It is much less costly to quit early and pivot than
to “stick to your guns” until quitting becomes blatantly necessary, but
incredibly painful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t compare themselves to others. They focus on their own
achievement and realize that comparisons will only cause anxiety and waste
their time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/10/are-you-overworking-7-important-steps.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take precautions against burnout</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. They understand that
excessive stress can lead to ineffectiveness, so they take the time to relax
and recharge before it’s too late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over deliver. They always go beyond what is asked from them
and love to surprise others with outstanding “bonuses.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Under promise. And at the same time they take precautions to
never promise more than they can deliver. This always sets them up for success
when they complete the task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are humble. The more magnetic and well-liked high-achievers
are content with themselves - they have healthy self-esteem. Therefore, they
feel no need to brag about their accomplishments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Serve others. High-achievers dedicate their lives to helping
others through their craft or medium. They understand that it’s their tribe –
their audience of supporters – who are paramount to their success, and they
thrive in this type of win-win situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Understand that we are all self-employed. Even those in
traditional careers paths acknowledge that, at the end of the day, they </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2012/10/the-1-key-to-getting-paid-to-do-what.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">choose to answer to themselves</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, to hold themselves to higher
standards. Because achievement births contentment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Relish in overcoming obstacles. High-achievers see obstacles
as opportunities. Victims see them as roadblocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are tenacious. They are hell-bent on succeeding, in any
capacity. And they will make it happen, no matter what.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are self-reliant. They understand how much they can ask of
themselves for any given task. They aim for less friction by taking as much
responsibility as they can handle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But need others. High-achievers also know how important
other people are to their success. This truth is the backbone for how they
treat others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ship. If perfection stands in the way of shipping, they
ship. High-achievers are always shipping – they do not worry about perfection,
they focus on delivery. Done is better than perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are magnetic. Their passion and drive are contagious. People
want to be around them, which naturally increases their magnetism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are enthusiastic. They’re going after their dreams so
enthusiasm radiates from within.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Understand their limitations. High-achievers understand that
the only way to transcend one’s limits is to first understand where the limits
actually lie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Understand their value. Knowing their value gives them the
confidence to excel and deliver that value day-in and day-out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exude passion. High-achievers are on a mission – </span><a href="http://www.wakeupcloud.com/passionate-habits/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and their
passion shows</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. Act like the person they aspire to be. Even the most
successful among us have bigger aspirations, more they would like to achieve.
Following a role model is a surefire way to learn from someone else’s
strengths… and weaknesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Live by faith. High-achievers believe in something bigger
than themselves. They believe they serve a higher purpose than self-interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Begin with the end in mind. They are goal-oriented and </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2011/10/7-tips-for-accomplishing-your-goals-in.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">formulate a plan for reaching the end</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take small steps. They understand that small steps are the
only sustainable way to make an impact, to truly facilitate lasting change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Track progress. Self-monitoring allows them to pivot when
necessary and learn from mistakes. They also ruthlessly hack away at the
unnecessary baggage so the journey is as efficient as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are patient. They understand that success takes time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have a “take” mentality. Instead of waiting around to be
handed something, they choose themselves. They take what they need and go after
opportunities. If an opportunity does not present itself, the high-achiever
makes her own opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Utilizes rituals. They recognize that willpower is limited.
They use rituals to streamline their processes throughout the day so as to save
as much mental energy as possible for the most important things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Talks daily with the lizard brain. Most people just listen
to their internal opposition; high-achievers actually talk back. And most of
the time choose to defy it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Understand the value of a compass. When given guidance from
someone they respect, they take it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t equate comfort with happiness. High-achievers reject
the notion that settling will make them happy. They feel truly alive and
content when they’re constantly pushing their boundaries, making themselves
uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are addicted to feeling alive. They feel most alive when
testing their limits, so naturally they excel and positively reinforce this
addiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Know that in struggle, you find magic. High-achievers
struggle just as much as everyone else, they just see it differently. They see
the breaking down and rebuilding process as necessary for growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recognize that discomfort is a catalyst for progress.
Discomfort does not scare them. It is an opportunity to embrace the unknown and
move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lean into struggle. In the midst of pain, instead of
retreating, </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2011/11/why-temporary-defeat-is-not-permanent.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">they lean into it and endure</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make time. High-achievers understand that busyness is just
laziness in disguise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Communicate their value to the world. They’re able to
achieve so much precisely because they make their value known to the people who
matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Communicate between members of their tribe. The people who
matter most to them are those who recognize their value. As long as they
nurture this community, their success continues to grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Respect themselves. They respect themselves enough to know
that nothing less than their best is ever an option – that living for anything
less than their dreams is not only unjust, but a waste of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Respect others. High-achievers understand that other people
deserve just as much respect as they give to themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Respect the path they have chosen. They realize that the
path they have chosen is rocky and treacherous, full of people and things that
want to get in their way. They do not hope for Easy Street – they expect the
Road to Mordor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cultivate the power to focus. They </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/05/9-practical-ways-to-to-help-stay.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">take focus very seriously</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. After all, intense focus is what
allows them to complete and ship when others fail. They’re constantly
challenging their focus, fine-tuning it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cultivate clarity. A clear vision is paramount to their
success. And it requires constant maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Allow themselves to celebrate. They understand the need to
celebrate victories, no matter how small. The positive reinforcement goes a
long way and keeps them sane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Create balance. A body or mind out-of-balance is ultimately
detrimental to achievement. The high-achiever remains focused on intense
efforts that may tip the scales one way, but is quick to recover when
necessary. This balance allows them to create sustainable habit patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy compliments. Like all people, they enjoy praise. It
validates their effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Give compliments. They have no problem doling out sincere
compliments. This attracts people to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are sincere. When they say something, they mean it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Create an optimal environment. High-achievers understand the
need for an optimal work and living environment – for productivity and stress
reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tolerate risk. Their capacity for taking risks is likely
what set them apart from the beginning, especially as the risks became more
calculated and their returns increased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Set a proper pace. They understand that life is a marathon,
not a sprint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Surround themselves with winners. They believe that you are
the product of the five people you spend the most time with. So they don’t
waste time with people who will try to drag them down. See #6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are empathetic. Their capacity for putting themselves into
the situations of others allows them to connect with people on an important
level. It also allows them the opportunity to understand many viewpoints
without necessarily agreeing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Know when to ask for help. Because they recognize their
limits and are secure in their skin, they have no problem reaching out for help
when it is necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Create their luck. If they believe in luck, they sure as
hell don’t wait around for it to find them. You’re as likely to find them
buying a daily lotto ticket as you are of finding a leprechaun with a pot of
gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reinforce emotional balance. Emotionally unstable people can
achieve great things, but only over the short term – before they implode. The
high-achiever takes a long-term approach and in doing so, places a value on her
emotional well-being.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Delegate. They know what they need to focus on to have the
highest chances of success, and they delegate everything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Believe in themselves unwaveringly. They know they will
succeed; it is just a matter of how many times they’re willing to fail and
learn from their mistakes before it happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are willing to do the mundane. They see value in places
others do not. They recognize that small, every day tasks add up as long as
they keep showing up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cultivate their skills. High-achievers are skilled. Skills
can be marketed and sold. They can be fine-tuned and improved upon. On the
other hand, generality will always be generality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Say ‘no’. They know when to get rid of distractions. And
they learn how to avoid overextending themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Doubt themselves. High-achievers have intense periods of
self-doubting like everyone else. How they respond to it, however, is
completely different.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Read. They appreciate the knowledge of those before them.
They appreciate good teachers and wisdom because it saves them years worth of
trial-and-error in their own lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are talented. And not necessarily because they were born
that way – but because they chose to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prioritize. They understand what needs to be done now, soon,
and in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Start young. Most high-achievers are driven as children. And
their successes and failures during childhood shape how they carry out the
remainder of their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Monitor feedback. High-achievers get more feedback than
other people – partly because they ask for it, and partly because they put
themselves out where they can be criticized – they make themselves
uncomfortable. They ignore the haters and learn from constructive criticism,
and continue to grow as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Will challenge dogma. They generally have no issues
challenging the status quo. Heck, it’s what drove them away from mediocrity in
the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exhibit poise. Even under pressure the high-achiever will
remain poised and calm enough to complete the task at hand and continue to
ship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Self-educate. Most high-achievers are obsessive
self-educators. Why? Because pushing boundaries requires that they </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/09/3-easy-ways-to-improve-your-brain-power.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">be constantly learning</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, constantly making connections that
others do not see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have intense insecurities. High-achievers generally have as
many, and possibly more, insecurities than others. But it’s these very
insecurities that drive them to high performance as a compensatory response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Live in the now. They do not worry about the past. And they
plan for the future. But anything more requires too much wasted energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rest. High-achievers know the importance of rest and
relaxation. Some may </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2011/08/three-ways-to-bring-meditation-into.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">meditate</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> or exercise, while others may do something else that
fits them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are sensory goal oriented. They translate goals into
tangible steps – things they can see, touch, feel, and hear. This allows them
to truly experience the process every step of the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They do not make excuses. Making excuses is a weakness
reserved for the complacent and mediocre. A high-achiever owns their actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Try to bring others up with them. High-achievers are not
selfish. They realize that others look up to them and are willing to help these
people succeed as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t take people for granted. They treat others by the
Golden Rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Understand the importance of stress. They know that some
stress is necessary if they are to ever grow and develop, but that too much can
be detrimental.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Respect money. They do not solely seek money. They operate
on a higher level – one focused on purpose. However, they appreciate the
opportunities that money provides and the freedom it can facilitate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Give freely. They’re gracious and grateful for they
opportunities they have in life and are willing to freely give of themselves to
help others along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prepare. Preparation keeps the high-achiever from unpleasant
surprises with regards to anything within their control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leverage their intelligence. They understand the gift of
intelligence, and no matter how much or how little they possess, they leverage
it to get optimal returns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Address anxiety. They </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/08/how-to-keep-your-cool-12-tips-for.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">recognize the reality of anxiety</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and take the proper measures
to quell it before damaging opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Value physical health. They understand that the fundamental
root of all thriving in life lies in their health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Know that high-achievement is a cycle. High-achievers
positively reinforce their actions in order to feed the achievement cycle,
driving them to bigger and better things over time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take a hard look in the mirror every day. They’ve made the
decision to define themselves, to look in the mirror every morning and return
the gaze with a purposeful, fulfilled individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The world has enough mediocrity. It seeps into every nook
and cranny, lurks behind<br />
every door, whispers across every earlobe.<br />
<br />
It drags our souls out to bask in the sun of complacency--the silent killer.<br />
<br />
No, what we need are more self-defined go-getters, more people who are willing
to take<br />
risks and own the outcome, to tenaciously strive for excellence in all that
they do, and to<br />
elevate those around them in the process.<br />
<br />
We need more high-achievers.<br />
<br />
Will you answer the call?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Written on 2/8/2013 by Christopher Walker. Christopher
Walker is the editor at </span><a href="http://nogym.net/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">NoGym.net</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, an
inspirational fitness psychology </span><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2013/02/the-top-100-secrets-of-high-achievers.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">blog<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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o:href="cid:image004.png@01CF0879.EA9AC3F0"/>
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Connect with him on </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/CTheFlow" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Twitter</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Photo Credit:<br />
</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariannebevis/7777018142/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Marianne</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-61835509770941472412014-01-03T13:05:00.001-08:002014-01-03T13:05:22.277-08:00Business Insider updates
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<span class="emailnomob"><b><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 03, 2014</span></b></span><span style="color: #777777; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2f2f2f; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zappos,
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<!-- End share and footer -->Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-30489827469261949772014-01-03T11:25:00.001-08:002014-01-03T11:25:18.077-08:00Building world class customer service<h1 class="article-title">
Building World-Class Customer Service</h1>
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<span class="article-date">January 02, 2014</span> <div id="article-social-gestures">
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<img alt="" class="left" src="http://m.c.lnkd.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/3/005/035/0e7/2684de2.jpg" /><br />In 2014 you and your company certainly put many relevant topics on the agenda. <br /><br />There is one topic, however, which should be at the very top of your list:<br />
<strong>Improving and Exceeding at Customer Service. Really exceeding at it!</strong><br />
Why?<br /><br />It separates good companies from the best ones. And in times of turbo-speed, full transparency, and highly demanding customers it´s more important than ever!<br /><br />If you provide great customer service, you´ll receive great rewards in the form of loyal customers who will even bring their friends with them. <br /><br />Or as expressed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A._Warner_III" target="_blank">Doug Warner</a> from the opposite perspective: "In the world of Internet Customer Service, it´s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away.“ <br /><br /><strong>How to create and maintain an exceptional customer service culture in your company:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Offer A Good And Reliable Product/Service:</strong> That´s the basis. If not, no need to worry about a good customer service. What your product can´t deliver your customer service will not be able making up for. The best way to reduce customer complaints and to improve customer satisfaction is to provide high-quality products and services. Be willing to change/adjust your offered product(s) and service(s), if needed. Possibly even your business model.<br /><br /><strong>Put Customer-Focused Thinking At The Center Of Everything:</strong> Customer service is not a department, it´s an attitude and everybody´s job! It needs to be at the very core of the company´s DNA. Practice it everyday. Do not just talk about it. Instead show and proof it every day, every hour, and every minute by assisting your customers. Celebrate customer service-related achievements and successes. Make them visible throughout the whole organization.<br /><br /><strong>Worship Your Customer:</strong> He´s the boss. He´s paying the salaries. Ask, listen, and learn from them. Treat people like you want to be treated. However, only respecting them is not enough any longer. Instead improve your product/service based on their feedback. Even a complaining customer represents an excellent opportunity for more business. Treat all your customers with the same high level of sincere respect and make your customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. This will create good feelings and trust.<br /><br /><strong>Top Management Commitment and Engagement:</strong> Serving the customer starts at the top. It´s the CEO´s most important job. A good leader needs to be a good servant. He should lead by example and demonstrate how customers should be treated. He should know by heart the companies products and services. If your company wants to be world-class in customer service, your CEO needs to act as Chief Service Officer (CSO).<br /><br /><strong>Train, Excite, And Empower Your Staff:</strong> All of them and not only the customer service reps. Develop a holistic customer service approach, specific procedures, a rewards and compensation scheme with your staff. Based on detailed product and customer know-how. Get them involved. Let them develop, agree, and commit. Respect their opinions. Give every team member enough information and power to make small customer-pleasing decisions. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Treat your employees well, and they will treat your customers well!<br /><br /><strong>Act As Quickly And As Reliable As Possible:</strong> This is a very visible, and as such a very important, part to your customers. There need to be e.g. ambitious and tightly-managed KPIs in place for answering the phone, responding to mails, calling back customers, etc. Rule: Be super fast, polite, honest, transparent, and concise. <br /><br /><strong>Use Leading Technology:</strong> If needed tailored to your unique business and customer needs. Customers define the systems and IT structure required to provide outstanding customer service. Not the other way round. IT is not a cost. It´s a critical success factor. It certainly costs much less than delivering bad customer service.<br /><br /><strong>Radiate A Yes-Attitude And Be A Communication Master:</strong> Smile whenever you interact with the customer. Immediately deal with highest priority with complaints, be results-focused, know how to sincerely apologize (and not trying to put the blame on the customer) and how to treat every customer as an individual. Keep customers pro-actively up-to-speed.<br /><br /><strong>Constantly Inform And Educate Your Customers:</strong> Let your customers know about how your products and services work and how you operate. Also inform them about how easily they can exchange with you and whenever needed. Make it simple for customers to complain and value their complaints. Always deliver what no promised. No exceptions.<br /><br /><strong>Under-promise And Over-Deliver:</strong> Although this gap should be small (in order of not risking to loose credibility), as a general rule you should provide more than what customers expect to get. Also be helpful even if there is no immediate benefit or profit for you.<br /><br /><strong>Never Stop Learning And Improving:</strong> Think ahead. Anticipate future needs and wants (and possible problems) of your customers. Many might be emotional and not only rational. Always go a step further. Get constant feedback. You are much better prepared, if you know your customers and if every day you try to make the customer experience a little bit better. It is a beautiful and never-ending activity. It´s all about the long-term! <br /><br /><strong>Leverage Excellent Customer Service:</strong> Don´t be too shy talking about the good you do in an indirect way, e.g. by using the power of communities or brand advocates. Two rules you should follow: 1) Do not boast. 2) Only do it, if you are very good from your customers´perspective, i.e. only if you really built a great customer experience.<br /><br />At the end, the customer doesn´t know, doesn´t care, and shouldn´t need to care about what the reasons of his product concerns and dissatisfaction might be. He has the right to receive a high quality and well working product or service. That´s what he paid for. <br /><br />And the whole company´s responsibility is to deliver exactly that. Customer service is the basis for customer loyalty. Every great business is built on strong customer relationships. As such successful and visionary companies always put their customer first, not sales and market shares. They´ve understood that the latter ones are only a natural consequence of satisfied customers. <br /><br /><strong>In summary: It´s not really about customer service, it´s about customer obsession!</strong> <br /><br />Are you obsessed about your existing and potential new customers? How do you see and possibly practice the art of customer service? <br /><br />Best regards,<br /><br />Andreas von der Heydt<br /><br />Read in my next blog article how the world´s best companies practice Customer Service.<br /><br />*****<br />Andreas von der Heydt is the Country Manager of Amazon BuyVIP in Germany. Before that he hold senior management positions at L'Oréal. He´s a leadership expert, executive coach and NLP master. He also founded Consumer Goods Club. Andreas worked and lived in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.<br /><br /><em>Please click 'Follow' if you would like to hear more from Andreas in the future. Feel free to also connect via his <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Coaching-Training-Consulting-CTC-Group-7410711" target="_blank">LinkedIn Groups Coaching</a> or <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups/CGC-Consumer-Goods-Retail-Wholesale-4403118" target="_blank">Consumer Goods</a>, or via <a href="https://twitter.com/ConsumGoodsClub" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConsumerGoodsClub" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</em><br /><br /><strong>Other recent posts by Andreas von der Heydt:</strong><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131227153134-175081329-what-the-best-brands-will-do-in-2014" target="_blank">What The Best Brands Will Do In 2014</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131112110118-175081329-how-puma-can-compete-with-adidas-and-nike" target="_blank">How Puma Can Compete With Adidas And Nike</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130828082001-175081329-samsung-s-smartwatch-much-more-than-a-product-threat-to-apple" target="_blank">A Serious Threat To Apple</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130527130453-175081329-what-the-fitch-is-going-on-at-abercrombie" target="_blank">What The Fitch Is Going On At Abercrombie </a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131017164718-175081329-the-17-qualities-and-views-of-great-leaders" target="_blank">The 17 Qualities and Views of Great Leaders</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130926093853-175081329-the-art-of-breeding-intrapreneurs" target="_blank">The Art of Breeding Intrapreneurs</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130211201055-175081329-12-minutes-to-create-a-mind-changing-presentation" target="_blank">12 Minutes To Create A Mind Changing Presentation</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130826054157-175081329-the-most-underestimated-skill-of-a-great-leader" target="_blank">The Most Underestimated Skill of A Great Leader</a><br /><br />Photo: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-718048p1.html" target="_blank">Kyrien</a> / shutterstock</div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-40111669909832336242014-01-03T11:24:00.001-08:002014-01-03T11:24:34.973-08:00How the best Managers Hire the Best people<h1 class="article-title">
How the Best Hiring Managers Hire the Best People</h1>
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<strong><em><img alt="" class="center" src="http://m.c.lnkd.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/4/005/034/05d/2e023a6.jpg" />What do the best people do differently than the rest?</em></strong></h4>
This week I started reading <a href="http://goo.gl/w1PUOQ" target="_blank"><em>Switch</em></a>, by Chip and Dan Heath, describing how to use benchmarking techniques as a means to implement change. This reminded me that in the late ‘80s I read Tony Robbins’ first book, <em><a href="http://goo.gl/zBWmzc" target="_blank">Unlimited Power</a>,</em> describing how he benchmarked the best .45 caliber shooters to develop a training program for the U.S. Army. Based on this I began to benchmark best hiring practices to improve my search firm’s ability to find and hire top performers. The process eventually became <a href="http://budurl.com/EGFHp2" target="_blank">Performance-based Hiring</a>. There were two parts to this: first, what the best hiring managers did differently; and second, what the best people whom they hired did differently. Here’s the quick synopsis.<br />
<strong>What the Best Hiring Managers Do Differently</strong><br />
<ol>
<li><strong>Clarify expectations upfront</strong>. Although Gallup made a big deal about this in the late ‘90s with their book, <em><a href="http://goo.gl/3xoEoR" target="_blank">First Break All of the Rules – What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently</a></em>, clearly describing the performance requirements of the job was what the best managers always did. I refer to these as <a href="http://budurl.com/LIpbjd1" target="_blank">performance-based job descriptions</a>. They describe the 4-5 critical performance objectives required to be considered successful (the upper 25%) in the role.</li>
<li><strong>Refuse to compromise on their demand for hiring top talent</strong>. Just like the best coaches, the best managers didn’t need to read Jim Collins’ <em><a href="http://goo.gl/bBnmGX" target="_blank">Good to Great</a></em> to know that getting the best people on the team was the key to building a winning team.</li>
<li><strong>Fully engage in the recruiting process</strong>. Over the past 35 years I’ve worked directly with more than 500 different hiring managers. Those who consistently hired the best people spent more time with the candidates before, during, and after the interviewing process. Most important: all would meet strong prospects on an exploratory basis before the person agreed to be a serious candidate.</li>
<li><strong>Value potential over experience</strong>. While the person hired needed to have the basic skills, upside potential was far more important to the managers who hired the best people than the laundry list of skills and experiences listed on the traditional job description.</li>
<li><strong>Modify the job to fit the right person, rather than find the right person to fit the job</strong>. The best managers were always willing to see talented people whether or not they had an open job to fill. They were also willing to modify an open job to attract and better meet the career needs of a strong person.</li>
<li><strong>Take full responsibility for the results of every hiring decision</strong>. While the managers delegated much of the work to the HR and recruiting departments, they took full responsibility for the results of every hiring decision. Surprisingly, most gave credit for their successes to others, but took personal blame for the failures.</li>
</ol>
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<strong>Define Success: Ask, "What Do the Best Employees Do Differently?"</strong><br />
When I first became a recruiter, all of the jobs I initially handled were for positions I was personally familiar with, like staff and mid-level manufacturing and accounting positions. I became less effective as I took on different assignments. This changed for the better when I started to use Tony Robbins’ benchmarking technique. To understand the job I just asked hiring managers to <a href="http://budurl.com/EGFHp2" target="_blank">describe what the best people did differently than the rest</a>. While different for each job, some examples illustrate the benchmarking concept:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The best sales people selling business analytics software always prepared a monthly sales plan targeting the 20 highest potential accounts in their territory. They also prepared a preliminary needs analysis for each company before the first meeting.</li>
<li>The best counselors at YMCA summer camps always prepared the next day's activities the night before. They also asked other counselors what games worked best from an engagement standpoint. The least best counselors winged it every day.</li>
<li>The best people taking over any type of complex project always first figured out the problems or challenges involved. Then they conducted some type of trade-off analysis. Then they put a plan together with resource requirements and options. Then they got their version of the plan approved. They then successfully implemented the plan.</li>
<li>The best outbound call center reps selling yellow page ad renewals could keep an existing client on the phone making small talk for the first 3-4 minutes before asking for the order.</li>
<li>The best inbound call center reps for a big insurance company had perfect attendance, could handle 4-5 open calls consistently throughout the day, and within 1-2 minutes of answering a call could figure out the customer’s problem and implement a solution.</li>
<li>The best software developers for a gaming company fully understood and documented customer requirements before ever writing a line of code. This "define before design" concept was also true for a project leader handling one of the first SAP worldwide implementations, a factory manager charged with implementing a six sigma program and a financial planning analyst given the assignment to upgrade the management reporting system at a big entertainment company.</li>
</ul>
From a recruiting standpoint I would ask the hiring manager if he or she would be willing to have an exploratory meeting with a strong person who met the “benchmarking the best” requirements for the job even if the person didn’t meet all of the requirements on the skills-infested job description. The best all agreed and most used the <a href="http://budurl.com/AGnew" target="_blank">Performance-based Interview approach I also benchmarked</a>. They then took full responsibility for recruiting, assessing and hiring these people. That's how the best hiring manager hire the best people.<br />
<span>______________________</span><br />
<em>Lou Adler (<a href="https://twitter.com/LouA" target="_blank">@LouA</a>) is the CEO of <a href="http://budurl.com/AGnew" target="_blank">The Adler Group</a>, a consulting firm helping companies implement Performance-based Hiring. He's also a regular <a href="http://budurl.com/LAinc" target="_blank">columnist for Inc. Magazine</a> and <a href="http://budurl.com/LAbizin" target="_blank">BusinessInsider</a>. His latest book, <a href="http://budurl.com/EGFHp" target="_blank">The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired</a> (Workbench, 2013), covers the performance-based process described in this article in more depth. For more hiring advice join <a href="http://budurl.com/EGFHGroup" target="_blank">Lou's LinkedIn group</a> or follow his <a href="http://budurl.com/FBwisdom" target="_blank">Wisdom at Work</a> series on Facebook.</em><br />
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-63781108994733315782014-01-03T11:22:00.001-08:002014-01-03T11:22:44.239-08:00Daily Mortgage Commentary
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Greetings! Here's your Daily Commentary
report compliments of<br />
Alan Russell & Princeton Capital! <br />
Call me today for current rates and market information at (650) 947-2296.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Friday’s bond market has opened in negative territory with stocks in
positive ground. The Dow is currently up 71 points while the Nasdaq has
gained 7 points. The bond market is currently down 3/32 (3.00%), which
should push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of
a discount point.<br />
<br />
There is no relevant economic data scheduled for release today, but there
are a handful of speaking engagements from current Fed members. The first
is scheduled for 10:15 AM ET and the last at 2:30 PM ET. None of them are
considered to be highly important or likely to be market-moving, but whenever
Fed Members speak publicly, particularly Chairman Bernanke, their words
have the potential to heavily influence the markets. Chairman Bernanke is
expected to speak in Philadelphia at 2:30 PM ET, so the best chance to
see a noticeable reaction will come during afternoon trading.<br />
<br />
We seem to be stuck at 3.00% on the benchmark 10-year Treasury Note
yield. It can’t seem to move too far away from that level but every time
it breaks above, buyers push the yield back below. I still think we are
more likely to see its yield move below 2.90% than break above and stay
there though. Since mortgage rates tend to follow bond yields, moving
lower is beneficial to mortgage shoppers. However, it is worth noting
that there have been opportunities for the 10-year Note to fall below
2.95% during holiday trading. Unfortunately, we appear to be in a tight
range of 2.95% to 3.00%, making it difficult to predict its next move. I
am still comfortable with the optimistic stance on floating an interest
rate, at least for the time being. That said, it would still be extremely
prudent to watch the markets because a solid move above 3.00% is likely
going to be very troublesome for rates.<br />
<br />
Next week doesn’t have too many reports scheduled that are expected to
influence mortgage rates. There are only a couple reports worth watching,
although one is the almighty monthly Employment report. This is an
extremely important report that is highly influential on the financial
and mortgage markets. The week’s schedule starts with November’s Factory
Orders late Monday morning and concludes Friday morning with the
Employment report. In between we have a report or two in addition to a
couple Treasury auctions and the minutes from the most recent FOMC
meeting. Look for details on next week’s activities in Sunday’s weekly
preview.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if
my closing was taking place within 7 days... Float if my closing was
taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking
place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over
60 days from now...<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span class="style2"><b>Alan Russell</b></span><br />
<span class="style2">161 South San Antonio Rd. | Los Altos, CA 95022</span><br />
<span class="style2">Ph: 650-947-2296 | Fax: 408-335-1118 </span><br />
<span class="style2"><a href="mailto:alanrussell@princetoncap.com"><span style="color: blue;">alanrussell@princetoncap.com
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-91242242186592545442014-01-03T11:21:00.003-08:002014-01-03T11:21:48.200-08:00Housing Trust training for lenders
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<strong><span style="color: white; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">HOMEBUYER PROGRAMS UPDATE</span></strong><span style="color: #5d5c56; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><u><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">UPCOMING LENDER
WORKSHOP</span></u></strong><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Housing
Trust Silicon Valley has three available Homebuyer Assistance Loan
programs that help low to moderate income families purchase a home in
Santa Clara County.<br />
<br />
Guidelines and applications are being updated!<br />
<br />
Lenders, Mortgage Loan Originators and Loan Officers wishing to
participate in submitting loan applications for any of our programs <u>are
required to attend a lender training workshop.</u><br />
<br />
The workshop will cover the following:<br />
<br />
*Pre-approvals for GAP, MAP, & CCAP<br />
*Completing a loan application<br />
*Underwriting guidelines for all programs<br />
*Processing and funding timelines </span><span style="color: #a9a89d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Please join us
on:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Date:
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Time:
9:30am-12pm <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Location:
Housing Trust Silicon Valley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
95 S. Market Street, Suite 610<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
San Jose, CA 95113</span><span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Seating
is very limited!!! </span></strong><span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You must RSVP to</span><span style="color: #a9a89d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="mailto:adria@housingtrustsv.org" linktype="2" shape="rect" target="_blank"><span style="color: maroon;"> adria@housingtrutsv.org</span></a> </span><span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="color: #a9a89d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #a9a89d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #a9a89d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">PRE-APPROVALS
are available for MAP, GAP and CCAP</span></u><span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Please contact
the Housing Trust if you have any questions at <a href="mailto:adria@housingtrustsv.org" linktype="2" shape="rect" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">adria@housingtrustsv.org </span></a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Additional information
about our programs can be found on the Homebuyer Programs page:<br />
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mrTwBnPRSiqXLXNXagSTp8nhD5BH8kvm4FZi_4SRJArRw6TS_cVZMPFHbjNCbI59EggYzWg44sFvMuA3FxBm0zNNFEYax57DQHc2tl-1AQrRc1AN3-rzjYSW5oyf27glisZhbnS8Hmg1yWLTUsk0X8jDweEKllg_m0ANKjlj1LLURKhRBKn50HQ7m4G_5ZegrU_Hm7HFYUkxd_4mo2Ap8Q==&c=2c-Q3SfUQ82wkBMXJ1an4AlIcPMi2BfixqUhze0AWrX6J1FYWT0sjw==&ch=ClKqLrvvWbF6RdlwugI71VnocuYEEeYZWlh0l7F8NDjonP86U2lVJQ==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: maroon;">http://www.housingtrustsv.org/programs/first_time.php</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #595500; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mrTwBnPRSiqXLXNXagSTp8nhD5BH8kvm4FZi_4SRJArRw6TS_cVZMAF5LJVW3ncZ_V85TL9QJnp-saW2A4kJ5cCPTLCygyrrVzidKa8Ei4VgAohknYE7x787el5mo1vLnF99DLwMx7p3CHPTBK4cBrAOReQSHu8sxRcvqr99G_l4TA8arVFWt-QQKhQGreaQsxH1FY8Eyk8=&c=2c-Q3SfUQ82wkBMXJ1an4AlIcPMi2BfixqUhze0AWrX6J1FYWT0sjw==&ch=ClKqLrvvWbF6RdlwugI71VnocuYEEeYZWlh0l7F8NDjonP86U2lVJQ==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: maroon;">MAP
Loan</span></a></span></b><span style="color: #5995c1; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mrTwBnPRSiqXLXNXagSTp8nhD5BH8kvm4FZi_4SRJArRw6TS_cVZMAF5LJVW3ncZMWWMVFq0u3Gb53wce_DY94JoAqcs5nmP1LG8-MF3OHHD8hOoFucM0xVLOT4AL1aqd_WrNUrte3KAiGDNPdV8hwGiQ-5yZP4gZJfxV6-yYP76CIsW1uhGog1qBtn43OR8_EaILu7l-Ow=&c=2c-Q3SfUQ82wkBMXJ1an4AlIcPMi2BfixqUhze0AWrX6J1FYWT0sjw==&ch=ClKqLrvvWbF6RdlwugI71VnocuYEEeYZWlh0l7F8NDjonP86U2lVJQ==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: maroon;">Closing
Cost Assistance Loan</span></a></span></b><span style="color: #5995c1; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span style="color: #5995c1; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mrTwBnPRSiqXLXNXagSTp8nhD5BH8kvm4FZi_4SRJArRw6TS_cVZMAF5LJVW3ncZHM9INtNbASN2-2cdAepqNjAbe69YbjrxW0QPUAYkRp_t-b-ancDghTyQv26yVhk0ZDIde33x37czK4KfJuZwXDfqLUIFp5ydz0ewAMbN7O-zSSOKI1H0KRxDUgTK9TsEBs3w2bTO6HY=&c=2c-Q3SfUQ82wkBMXJ1an4AlIcPMi2BfixqUhze0AWrX6J1FYWT0sjw==&ch=ClKqLrvvWbF6RdlwugI71VnocuYEEeYZWlh0l7F8NDjonP86U2lVJQ==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: maroon;">GAP
Loan</span></a></span></u></b><span style="color: #5995c1; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">For more information about the Housing Trust Silicon
Valley or our programs, please visit our website at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mrTwBnPRSiqXLXNXagSTp8nhD5BH8kvm4FZi_4SRJArRw6TS_cVZMPXksJj7GSVH7HIicULL3dmepPHBmLNXqZyAOFPtbRbXsXRMpS8octvi8KtPdWAcRHBCXIK5eWRDiQwY0RX0zqyIDdZ_pFfb02vih1FuvkPTOiiGCzdWkuYiPANyFGvU7g==&c=2c-Q3SfUQ82wkBMXJ1an4AlIcPMi2BfixqUhze0AWrX6J1FYWT0sjw==&ch=ClKqLrvvWbF6RdlwugI71VnocuYEEeYZWlh0l7F8NDjonP86U2lVJQ==" linktype="link" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: white;">http://www.housingtrustsv.org</span></a> or
call us at 408.436.3450 ext 234. </span><span style="color: #5d5c56; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Housing Trust Silicon Valley</span><span style="color: #bababa; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> | </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">95 S.
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-52044686466994465682014-01-03T11:21:00.001-08:002014-01-03T11:21:22.850-08:00Existing home inforgraphic
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/" title="(http://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com)"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt; font-weight: normal;">NAR's
Exisiting Home Sales Report [INFOGRAPHIC]</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KeepingCurrentMatters/~3/OOj9plAUQcc/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"><b><span style="color: #00aeef; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">NAR's Exisiting Home
Sales Report [INFOGRAPHIC]</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: 1;"></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 140%;">Posted: 03 Jan 2014 04:00 AM
PST<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-81432159360740206782014-01-03T11:20:00.004-08:002014-01-03T11:20:57.585-08:00How to get more done
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<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Increase
accountability, get more done and see better results! Here's how.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It’s
a fast-paced world we live in and because of it, more and more employees
are expected to perform multiple jobs and tasks – wearing many different
hats, reporting to multiple people and having to think outside the box to
get the job done.<br />
<br />
The result?<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> The
lines of responsibility and accountability are blurred.</span></strong><br />
<br />
And the reality is – employees often don’t know what is expected of them
– causing frustration all around when deadlines are unmet; work isn’t
completed; and the blame games start.<br />
<br />
But there’s good news! As a manager or leader, <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">you</span></em> have the
ability to set your employees up for success. <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">You</span></em> can help define expectations to
help hold your employees accountable.<br />
<br />
In this brand-new <a href="http://wec.kevineikenberry.com/t/3530588/60216120/1172058/2/"><span style="color: blue;"><em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Remarkable Learning</span></em> teleseminar</span></a>,
I'll help you alleviate the frustration and stress of accountability (or
lack thereof). I'll show you how to harness the power of positive
communication to not only build capability and accountability but also
motivate performance.<br />
<br />
You’ll learn how to move beyond the basic (and often ineffective) annual
performance review to start using solid techniques and strategies for
having accountability communications all year long. In just 60 minutes,
you’ll learn the secrets of how to create an environment of high
accountability where people follow though, take action and do what they
say they will do.<br />
<br />
<strong><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">You’ll learn:</span></i></strong></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tips for crafting
consistent communication that clarifies expectations and leaves no
room for interpretation</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The importance of your
actions and how demonstrating your own accountability plays into the
success of your employees</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The importance of
listening in accountability conversations (and tips for doing it
effectively!)</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How to change your
conversations to create a “cascade effect”, causing the
responsibility and accountability to trickle down throughout the
organization</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Questions you need to be
asking to create ownership for your employees</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<a href="http://wec.kevineikenberry.com/t/3530588/60216120/1172058/3/"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Learn more
and make plans to join me here!</span></span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Here
are the teleseminar details:</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Date: </span></strong>January
21, 2014<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Time: </span></strong>1:30
– 2:30 pm ET<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://wec.kevineikenberry.com/t/3530588/60216120/1172058/4/"><span style="color: blue;">Learn
more & register here</span></a>!</span></strong> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
</td>
<td sectionid="sidebar" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 15pt; width: 112.5pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">UPCOMING
TELESEMINAR:</span></strong><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Accountability
Conversations:</span></strong></span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Communication
& Management Strategies That Will Increase Accountability, Get More
Done & See Better Results</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Date:</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> January 21,
2014</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Time:
</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">1:30
- 2:30 pm ET</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Kevin
Eikenberry Group | 8021 Westover Drive Indianapolis, Indiana 46268 United
States | (317) 387-1424<br />
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-82339292970071969002014-01-03T11:20:00.001-08:002014-01-03T11:20:28.810-08:00The Universe
<br />
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<span style="color: #000066; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do hereby proclaim
that today shall be the first day of the most exciting time of your life,
alan russell. <br />
<br />
Think of it, alan - <br />
The Universe<br />
<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="color: #000066; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.tut.com/facebookshare/facebookshare.php?emailDate=030114&emailIntro=I%20do%20hereby%20proclaim%20that%20today%20shall%20be%20the%20first%20day%20of%20the%20most%20exciting%20time%20of%20your%20life,%20alan%20russell.%20**Think%20of%20it,%20alan%20-%20%20*%5e%5e%5e%5eThe%20Universe*****&emailPs=%20The%20Friday%20angle%20is%20purely%20coincidental,%20alan.%20So%20is%20the%20to%20work%20from%20my%20essence%20or%20soul%20of%20love,%20just%20around%20the%20corner.%20"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://www.tut.com/images/like.gif" /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000066; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You've heard of the Seth Books?
Conversations with God? Siddhartha? I'm not much of a reader, but these 17
books have helped define and confirm my own thoughts and beliefs about life
over the last 30 years! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><a color="#0000FF" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Of58GpgAzBkCV3doJe4lVJX6SFrcHizQGx8quYFRRTNEPeS8crR6mTixKMBqinYGNLcoIEVUqW6HwHLPxu6nHC2c3KoALXnl0vsh3YsyvPe9Qi9lln5mtNUVjBKFjdxF2wwnhzTkSmqKWRBkbQCs_5AHS0eEMLM" shape="rect"><span style="color: blue;">My Reading List for 2014 and LIFE! ENJOY!!!</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-69278328942203318052014-01-02T14:31:00.000-08:002014-01-02T14:31:14.881-08:00Happy 2014I will be out of town until Monday and will begin to post again when I return.<br />
<br />
Thank you<br />
<br />
AlanAlan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-84768583806910879662014-01-02T13:13:00.001-08:002014-01-02T13:13:18.477-08:00Nest raising 150M at 2-3B valuation<div class="headArticles">
<div class="timestamp">
Jan 2, 2014, 6:25am PST </div>
<h1>
Smart thermostat maker Nest raising $150M at $2B-$3B valuation</h1>
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<a class="ct" ct="APT: Enlarge Photo" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/01/02/smart-thermostat-maker-nest-gets-150m.html?s=image_gallery"><img alt="Thermostat and smoke detector maker Nest Labs, led by CEO Tony Fadell, is reportedly raising between $150 million and $200 million in a new venture funding round that values that company at more than $2 billion." border="0" src="http://media.bizj.us/view/img/1522831/bloombergtony-faddellnest-labs*304.jpg" />
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Enlarge</div>
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<div class="photoBy">
<span>Bloomberg/Aidan Crawley</span> </div>
<div class="caption">
Thermostat and smoke detector maker Nest Labs, led by CEO Tony
Fadell, is reportedly raising between $150 million and $200 million in a new
venture funding round that values that company at more than $2
billion.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/01/02/sanjose/bio/3681/Cromwell+Schubarth"><img src="http://media.bizj.us/view/img/117911/cromwel-1.jpg" width="56" /></a>
<dl>
<dt><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/01/02/sanjose/bio/3681/Cromwell+Schubarth" rel="author">Cromwell
Schubarth</a>
<dd>Senior Technology Reporter- <em>Silicon Valley Business Journal</em>
<dd><a href="mailto:cschubarth@bizjournals.com">Email</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SVBizCrom" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/111926637238859584588?rel=author" target="_blank">Google+</a> </dd></dd></dt>
</dl>
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<a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/palo_alto/nest_labs_inc/3331369">Nest Labs</a>, the smart home device maker, is reportedly
raising between $150 million and $200 million, placing the company's valuation
somewhere between $2 billion and $3 billion.<br />
The funding of the Palo Alto company, founded and led by <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/cupertino/apple_inc/17304">Apple</a> veteran <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/01/02/sanjose/search/results?q=Tony Faddell">Tony Faddell</a>, was <a href="http://recode.net/2014/01/02/nest-raising-huge-new-round-from-dst-valuing-smart-home-startup-at-upwards-of-2-billion/" target="_blank">reported Thursday by Re/code</a>, the new online site started by
former All Things Digital staffers.<br />
The report cited unnamed sources who said several investors were competing
for the deal that appears to have been won by <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/01/02/sanjose/search/results?q=Yuri Milner">Yuri Milner</a>'s DST Global
investment firm. The sources said that current investors are also involved,
including <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/mountain_view/google_ventures/3337149">Google Ventures</a>, <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/menlo_park/shasta_ventures/184979">Shasta Ventures</a>, <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/menlo_park/kleiner_perkins_caufield_%26_byers/41256">Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers</a>, <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/dc/washington/generation_investment_management_us_llp/1253999">Generation Investment Management</a>, <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/menlo_park/lightspeed_venture_partners/184944">Lightspeed Venture Partners</a> and <a class="ct saveLink" ct="APT: Company Link" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/palo_alto/venrock/3321792">Venrock</a>.<br />
The last time Nest raised money, about a year ago, <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/01/30/nest-raises-80m-shipping-40-50k.html">it
took in $80 million </a>at a reported valuation of about $800 million.<br />
At the time, it was only selling a sharp-looking smart thermostat that
recalled to many the iPods that Faddell worked on while at Apple. Late last
year, Nest added a <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/10/08/nest-labs-revamps-the-smoke-detector.html">combination
smoke/carbon monoxide detector</a> to its product line.<br />
Faddell's young company will probably need all the new funding it can raise:
Not only is it competing in the hardware end of technology —which is more
expensive than developing new software products — <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/01/02/zjournals.com/sanjose/blog/2012/10/patent-office-rejects-7th-honeywell.html">it
is also embroiled in a patent battle</a> with Honeywell.<br />
And Apple itself <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/11/05/apples-gunning-for-nests-smart-home.html">has
filed for patents t</a>hat appear to indicate that it could get into the smart
home space that Nest is developing.<br />
Click here <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/promo/sanjose-ampm">to
subscribe to TechFlash Silicon Valley,</a> the free daily email newsletter about
founders and funders in the region.<br />
<blockquote>
Cromwell Schubarth is the Senior Technology Reporter at the Business
Journal. His phone number is 408.299.1823.</blockquote>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-75552460661351960282014-01-02T13:12:00.001-08:002014-01-02T13:12:15.345-08:004-keys to leading virtual teams
<br />
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<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Learn how to
create and manage remote teams with these tips!<br />
Having trouble viewing this email? <a href="http://wec.kevineikenberry.com/t/3528084/60216120/62/1/?6299e5a7=aHR0cDovL3dlYy5rZXZpbmVpa2VuYmVycnkuY29tL3JlYWQvYXJjaGl2ZT9pZD0xNzEyMTY3Jm1pZD02MDIxNjEyMCZlPWFsYW5ydXNzZWxsJTQwcHJpbmNldG9uY2FwJTJlY29tJng9MWJhNDU1ZjU%3d&x=a5515558" shape="rect"><span style="color: #243168;">Click here</span></a></span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What was once the territory of
geographically dispersed sales teams is now a reality for people in
nearly every field, in nearly every part of any organization. Whether
people are telecommuting or working in far flung parts of the world,
whether on project teams or as a part of their daily work: people are
being asked to work together, collaborate and create business results
when they don’t sit next to or near each other.</span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are four keys to help leaders of virtual teams...<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Recognize both the challenge and opportunity.</span></em> There
are clearly challenges when your team members are scattered across time
zones and space. Remember, there are opportunities too. People who are
remote and working from home have been found, in most cases, to be
individually more productive. When your team isn’t together you will have
different perspectives and inputs (and perhaps more cultural diversity
too), which means you should get more varied ideas and be less
susceptible to group think. Remote teams bring great opportunity; make
sure you are capitalizing on those opportunities.<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Have clear goals.</span></em> What is the team trying to
accomplish? Do they all know, and can they all consistently describe, the
goals? What are you doing to remind people of these goals and keep them
in front of them? While this is always important, it is especially so
when people are not in consistent contact with each other. As a leader
you must make sure the goals are clear and everyone is focused on moving
towards them.<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Manage team dynamics. </span></em>People are remote or virtual but
they are still a team. Make sure you are thinking about team dynamics. On
conference calls, is everyone participating? Do you have people checking
out or disengaging? Is your team the right size for achieving the desired
work product? Are there better ways to manage various pieces of the work?
Is there another means of communication that might work better? These are
just a small sample of the things you need to think about in terms of
group or team dynamics for your virtual team.<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Find small ways to nurture relationships. </span></em>Relationships
can be challenging at a distance. Find ways to engage people with each
other beyond the business and tasks. Communicate with team members
in the way they prefer. Send a tweet, connect on Facebook, call
unexpectedly to check in, or send a text. Whatever you do, make sure you
are making time to build relationships with each team member and helping
team members connect with each other, also. Do it proactively; don’t wait
until you have fractured relationships to get started.<br />
<br />
As you’ve read this you may think that many of these things would be true
for a “normal” team too. If you are thinking that you would be completely
correct! Many of the items here do apply to all teams. Why? Because virtual
or remote teams are still teams of people first. Remembering that is the
first step towards success. Focus on team first, and virtual second.</span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img border="0" height="58" id="_x0000_i1026" src="http://g.dmsgs.com/kevineikenberrygroup/kev_signature.jpg" width="53" /></span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kevin Eikenberry<br />
Chief Potential Officer<br />
The Kevin Eikenberry Group<br />
<br />
p.s. For even more resources on managing remote teams, check out our
brand-new webinar, <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How to Create and Manage Remote Teams</span></em>,
<a href="http://wec.kevineikenberry.com/t/3528084/60216120/1193062/2/"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.</span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">UPCOMING WEBINAR:</span></strong><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">How to Create
and Manage Remote Teams</span></strong></span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 7.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Date: </span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">January 28,
2014</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
</span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Time:
</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">11:00
- 12:30 pm CT</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 7.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In just 90 minutes, you’ll learn the
timeless traits of great teams and how today’s technology and a little
planning can help overcome distance, time zones and lack of connections.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 7.5pt;">
<a href="http://wec.kevineikenberry.com/t/3528084/60216120/1193062/3/"><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Learn more here!</span></span></strong></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-44426389783050051122014-01-02T13:11:00.001-08:002014-01-02T13:11:48.026-08:00More from Daniel Pink
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Welcome
to the latest issue of our irregular and irreverent newsletter. Today,
you'll hear about the new edition of <em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";">To
Sell Is Human</span></em>, my 2 favorite books of 2013, some startling
factoids about American life and public opinion, and 3 easy life hacks
for 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Let's
get started . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">A
NEW BOOK FOR A NEW YEAR</span></b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">I'm
happy to announce that the paperback edition of my latest book, <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=4f187bbb6e&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">TO SELL IS HUMAN</span></span></a>,
is now available across North America. If you missed the book in
hardcover, or if you want another copy for yourself or your colleagues,
you can now snag it for about 12 bucks. (<a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=1fbd5ae56b&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">Amazon</span></span></a>, <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=21a3ab0257&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">BN</span></span></a>, <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=8f841c309b&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">Indie</span></span></a>, <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=f39068bc9a&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">8CR</span></span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=08a8bd951f&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">TO SELL IS HUMAN</span></a></span></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> -- the only of my books to have scored the
hat trick of hitting #1 on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and
Washington Post best seller lists -- is chock full of takeaways to help
you sell your services, push your idea, interview for a job, or just try
to get your kids to clean up their rooms. Among the nuggets:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3 fundamental qualities that the latest social
science shows are essential in moving others;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6 weirdly effective ways to pitch your product,
your idea, or yourself; <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why extraverts actually *don't* make the best
salespeople;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5 ways to frame messages to maximize their
impact;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 irrational questions that can get resistant
people to change their behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Please
check it out. It'll be the best $12 you've spent, uh, this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span class="s2"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=f333105d52&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">Amazon</span></a></span></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=c3705f8b49&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><br />
<a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=d6b9936aa7&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">800-CEO-READ</span></a><br />
<a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=df9ca9fa8f&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">IndieBound</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">2
OTHER BOOKS WORTH READING</span></b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Last
week, I contemplated sending you a list of my favorite books of 2013.
But I reconsidered -- in part because everyone and their third cousin
now cranks out such lists. So instead of assembling the
most beautifully written and brilliantly argued books, I
started pondering which single novel and non-fiction work from the year
stayed with me the longest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">The
books I came up with aren't necessarily "the best" -- I also
loved <i>Give and Take</i>, <i>Decisive</i>, <i>Where
Have You Gone, Bernadette?</i>, <i>Scarcity</i>, <i>The Power
of Glamour</i>, <i>The Success Equation</i>, and all the books
featured on <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=7c39b321f3&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">Office Hours</span></span></a> --
but they are the two that I've continued to think about long after I
turned the final page. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span class="s2"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=c6959c29f0&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of
Extraordinary Athletic Performance</span></a></span></span><span class="s3"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> by David Epstein</span></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
I'm a big believer in Carol Dweck's research on mindsets -- as well as
in the importance of grit and deliberate practice. But this book was a
smart and bracing reminder that -- sorry, folks -- some talent is
innate. (It also helped explain why I'm such a pathetically slow
runner.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span class="s2"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=e280805b53&e=1e317627f7"><span style="color: #26abe2;">How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia</span></a></span></span><span class="s3"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> by Mohsin Hamid</span></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
This one's a novel, but in the guise of a self-help book. It tells the
story of one man -- a poor child who becomes a bottled water
entrepreneur in an unnamed country that resembles Pakistan -- from his
youth until his old age. Maybe I'm having a silent mid-life
crisis, but I still can't get this book out of my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">AMERICA
IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE</span></b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Regular
readers know my boundless love for startling factoids -- an infatuation
I now try to indulge more through Twitter than in this newsletter. But
I couldn't resist sharing some of the <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=8d6255f41e&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">key findings from the Pew Research
Center's 2013 surveys</span></span></a>. The results suggest
that the America of 2014 is very different place than it was even last
decade. Consider:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just over half the U.S. public now favors
same-sex marriage, up from less than one-third in 2003.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A majority of Americans (52%) now favor
legalizing marijuana, up from 17% in 1991.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">36% of Americans aged 18 to 31 now live in
their parents' homes, the highest share in at least four decades.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">40% of all American households with children
include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of
income for the family, up from 11% in 1960.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The U.S. is now home to a record 40.4 million
immigrants.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Internet is now the main source of national
and international news for 50% of Americans, up from 13% in 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">For
more, check out Pew's <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=03c21c06c5&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">13 Data Milestones for 2013</span></span></a>.
Then ask yourself: How do these trends affect your business? Your
career? Your life? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">3
LIFE HACKS FOR 2014</span></b><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Forget
grandiose New Year's resolutions. Instead, this year take one small
step to make your life more productive and interesting. Here are three
ideas:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Start the year with an empty jar. Then when
something good happens, write it on a slip of paper, and toss said
slip into said jar. (via <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=0aade57092&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">IDoneThis</span></span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Come hell or high water, write 20 minutes a day
in January. (via <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=84590f09f6&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">Copyblogger</span></span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #505050; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Video one second of your life every single day.
(via <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=7e6fb77465&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">1SE</span></span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">That's
it for now. Thanks for reading our humble newsletter. Have a healthy
and happy 2014. And don't forget <a href="http://danpink.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd386f06403a9ef25ce755fbe&id=5e1215c818&e=1e317627f7"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #26abe2;">that other life hack</span></span></a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Cheers,<br />
Daniel Pink<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932609487509159045.post-14377818294886960482014-01-02T11:27:00.001-08:002014-01-02T11:27:58.662-08:004 Tips to make the most of your garage storage space<a class="link hubspot-editable" data-hubspot-form-id="name" data-hubspot-name="Blog Title" href="http://blog.integrityhomepro.com/4-great-tips-to-increase-your-garage-storage-space" id="hubspot-name"><span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_name">4 Great Tips to Increase Your Garage Storage Space</span></a> <br />
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<span class="hs-author-label">Posted by</span> <a class="author-link" href="http://blog.integrityhomepro.com/author/donna-spencer">Donna Spencer</a> on Mon, Dec 30, 13 </div>
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<div class="section post-body">
<span class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body">Housing your car is one of the essential jobs in your household work. Garages are not used only for strong and securing cars but can double for functioning as space for various DIY projects or simply storing household items that are used once in a while like camping gear and sports equipment or your child’s bicycle. As you read on, you will learn how to create space in your garage for other purposes mentioned above.<br />
<img alt="Tips_to_Increase_Your_Garage_Storage_Space" src="http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/289993/file-428043154-jpg/images/Tips_to_Increase_Your_Garage_Storage_Space.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Garage is the Best Place for <a href="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/14/14155540_047e624a47.jpg">Storing One’s Unneeded Household Items</a></strong></div>
The following tips will help you make room for work as well as DIY projects in your garage by increasing its space.<br />
<h2>
#1- Storage Container and Shelf Installation</h2>
Pick on a wall for storage purpose. Install deeply inserted and highly placed sturdy shelves. This will make space for you to keep large items such as camping chairs and tent bags just above the car. You will have to make sure that the shelves do not fall under the weight. You can also choose storage containers for arranging items in the garage in a tidy manner. Stack up the containers to reduce usage space.<br />
<h2>
#2- Use Ceiling for Suspending Items</h2>
Generally, kayaks, bicycles and equipments used outdoor take up the garage floor space. To reduce the occupied space, you can install loops and hooks on your garage ceiling beams and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_improvement">place these outdoor items on top of your vehicle</a>. However, you should be able to reach them when necessary, otherwise making a lot of free floor space in your garage.<br />
<h2>
#3- Fold Away Tables for Use</h2>
For any of your DIY projects in the garage, you will require a work bench’s services. If there is space constraint in your garage, you can use the folding table instead. With the help of hinges, you can have the countertop attached to the garage wall along with sturdy legs that too can be folded when the table is folded. When you need to use the table for any project, you can take the car outside the garage and make the table stand up for use. Pack and fold up the table as and when its use is over.<br />
<h2>
#4- Tools as Wall Hangings</h2>
You cannot always fit tools such as pliers, hammers, drills, wrenches, files and saws in tool boxes. These items occupy space and are pretty heavy to carry around in a tool box. You can either hang all the tools on your garage wall right over the work area or keep them right beside the folding table.<br /><br /> In order to organize the tools, you will need to place a board on your selected wall, and use nails to hang the tools from the board. As you allot space to each of the tools, you will be able to hang up all the tools on the board.<br />
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
You can search for various websites that offer you guidance in tools and their utilization for DIY process of garage transformation. Opt for those websites that offer suggestions for free. And try to get professionals guidance as it will help you to go through the home improvement method in a technically correct way.<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Author’s Bio:</strong></span> Alisa Martin is a proficient writer who is an expert on property or home based topics. She regularly contributes articles related to <a href="http://www.professionalsvicpark.com.au/">Property management St James</a> or other real estate investing subjects.</span> </div>
<div id="hubspot-topic_data">
Topics: <a class="topic-link" href="http://blog.integrityhomepro.com/topic/garage-storage">garage storage</a>, <a class="topic-link" href="http://blog.integrityhomepro.com/topic/tips-to-increase-your-garage-storage-space">Tips to Increase Your Garage Storage Space</a> </div>
Alan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378144975831476021noreply@blogger.com18