Our Loans to Repay…

Happy Memorial Day in advance everyone!  

Next Monday is an occasion to celebrate America - our America - our nation of great opportunity and great diversity.  Even though we Americans are addressing many difficulties, Monday is a day to celebrate our blessings and our future possibilities.  

On any other day, it’s easy to get mired in everything that’s wrong with America.  What concerns you the most? Covid 19?  The economy?  Health care?  World peace?  Lots to complain about, true? 

Conservation of our Earth for future generations is another difficulty - and a hotbed of debate.  Nothing new about this however; it is a topic dating back to our country’s original landlords: 

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors – we borrow it from our children.  

Native American proverb 

Do you believe we’re experiencing (and contributing to) global warming?  If we are, what can each of us do about it?  Will our children feel the same way about lending us their Earth as we do about inheriting the Social Security trust fund from our parents?  (Not much “trust” in the use of that trust fund, yes?) 

Memorial Day is a day to remember and to honor the men and women of our armed forces who have preserved a country where cultures of diversity come together unlike any other place on Earth.  It’s a time to salute our service men and women; present and past; and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our way of life: 

We all benefit today from those who came before us.  But what are we making of our opportunities?  And what opportunities (and debts) will we leave for our future generations?  

In every community, there is work to be done. 

In every nation, there are wounds to heal. 

In every heart, there is the power to do it. 

Marianne Williamson 

Monday is a holiday and a time for celebration not worries; for national pride not fear; for appreciation not anger.  Monday, Americans can celebrate the interesting, diverse, and humorous lifestyle others have enriched us with as noted by our favorite, Unknown Sage: 

Only in America…

can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. 

Only in America…

are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

Only in America…

do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. 

Only in America…

do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke. 

Only in America…

do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to  the counters. 

Only in America…

do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.                       

Only in America…

do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.  

Only in America…

do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning  "bloodsucking creatures." 

Only in America…

do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.                            

Yes, remember “only in America” on Monday and enjoy the holiday.  Then we’ll go back to work Tuesday – working to overcome our difficulties; working to leverage our opportunities; working to preserve our way of life for future generations. 

Let’s start working to pay back the loan on our planet Earth to our children and their children. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Mental Health Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness month.  Please be aware.  As if our modern society isn’t tough enough, along came a worldwide pandemic.  It seems that people’s daily lives are now constantly shaken from violence; disrespect; and selfishness.  Worse, the social media fueled vitriolism is at a level I’ve never witnessed before in my entire lifetime. 

Truly today, awareness of our loved ones’ mental health has never been more important: 

I have known Eric for 45 years this past Tuesday.  Over that period Eric’s Mom and Dad have shared some of his most joyous occasions; and some of his most upsetting events; and in between these highs and lows Eric would tell you that he has been doing alright.  And for Eric, doing alright shows how amazing he truly is. 

You see, Eric is the strongest person I know.  I’ll give you an example.  Close your eyes and return to the happiest day of your life – feel how you felt during your most exhilarating moments.  OK, now think back to how you felt on your saddest, darkest, most depressed day ever.  Just set those mental bookmarks in your mind’s eye.  There is an unbelievably wide and powerful range of human emotion, yes? 

For most of us, we migrate from our highest highs to our lowest lows slowly; with long, “recovery” spans of simply feeling average in between.  Unfortunately, Eric is different; his mood swings back and forth, between euphoric highs and debilitating lows in a matter of minutes - multiple times - every hour!  Now picture your life with his type of mood swings – as if our other challenges aren’t enough to deal with. 

Rapid Cycling – that’s the technical term for Eric and others who suffer from Bi-Polar Disorder.  And Eric lives every day with this unwelcome guest.  Medical science is not much help.  Bi-Polar Disorder is an affliction of the brain; and very difficult to properly diagnose and treat.  Trial and error, mostly.  That means people with Bi-Polar Disorder typically wind up dealing with this on their own. 

Most can’t hold down a steady job.  Eric can and does in spite of unimaginable obstacles.  He is a skilled tradesman; good with customers; dependable; hard working; shows up no matter what; a positive attitude that no job is too tough; that’s Eric.  Most people with Bi-Polar Disorder can’t live independently.  Eric does – and if you met him, you would never know the internal turmoil he is living with.  He has a pleasant personality; a nice sense of humor; knowledgeable of current events; like the rest of us. 

But Eric isn’t really like the rest of us.  Just getting up and facing the day; every day; takes enormous strength.  And he offers no excuses – never has.  Eric has earned success and experienced failure.  No matter; Eric treats each day anew, the best he possibly can. And when you greet him saying, “Hi. How you doing?”  you will almost always hear him say, “I’m doing alright”. 

If Eric does alright each and every day even though feeling these uncontrollable mood swings – should we do any less? 

No, I don’t have Bi-Polar Disorder, but it lives close by. And though I don’t have it, I can see first-hand the strength Eric has as he lives with it.  I’m very proud to say that Eric is my son.  And one day I hope to learn the source of his amazing strength so I too can be, “doing alright”. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Feedback…

My Daughter-in-Law has a plaque hanging on their patio that reads: 

If a man talks in the forest and no woman is around to hear him, is he still wrong? 

                   Unknown Sage 

Here’s one of my wife’s: 

Man is woman’s best friend.  He will reassure when she feels insecure and comfort her after a bad day.  He will inspire her to do things she never thought she could do; to live without fear and forget regret.  He will enable her to express her deepest emotions and give in to her most intimate desires.  He will make sure she always feels that she’s the most beautiful woman in the room and will enable her to be confident, sexy, seductive, and invincible.  No wait… sorry… I’m thinking of wine.  It’s the wine that does all that.  Sorry. 

                   Unknown Sage  

It’s all good; our significant others mean well LoL!  But maybe I should stick to coaching salespeople. 

Are trends changing when it comes to giving feedback to salespeople?  “Feedback”; constructive criticism; critique; coaching; managing; inspecting; editing; testing…  how do you feel about receiving feedback at work? 

I’ve seen a lot of thought leadership online and in print these days suggesting that salespeople can only concentrate for mere minutes.  There is a lot being said and even more being written about how we must adjust to the varying learning styles of salespeople.  Four or five minute training boosters; just-in-time eLearning content; and who can leave out artificial intelligence?  My profession is surrounded with feedback about giving feedback. 

I have often said that sales is what we do when we can’t do anything else.  It is known as the unchosen profession.  Yet sales is still a profession and I believe we should be just as professional as any other profession, don’t you?  And I believe sales professionals get better by practicing their trade.  The best of the best leverage coaching. 

I like to make the comparison to Tiger Woods.  Many consider Tiger Woods the greatest golfer of all time.  Regardless of how you rank him, his commitment to his profession is world renown.  He is the first golf champion credited with treating his body like a world class athlete.  His workout regimen is certainly more grueling than sales training boosters of 4 or 5 minutes. 

What about “feedback”?  Well, when on the PGA Tour Tiger had three professionals coaching him.  One worked on his swing; one worked on his putting; and one was a sports psychologist who worked with him on his mind.  What do you think?  Was Tiger able to concentrate for more than mere minutes? Oh and by the way, he paid for these coaches out of his own pocket. 

Maybe it’s me; maybe I’m just a hard ass…  I try to coach salespeople very particularly: 

• Feedback starts with observation of their work.
• Then they self-assess.  They know what they were trying to do. 
• Next I ask how I can help.  They will set the blunt-gentle dial to their tolerance.
• Finally if they are open to it, I provide feedback.  Specific; objective; actionable; I try to show them their reflection in a mirror so they can “see” what they are doing. 

What if a salesperson is not open to feedback?  Well that’s OK, I suppose.  I’m not in the business of convincing the unwilling.  The marketplace is as brutal as the PGA Tour. IMHO, in the sales profession as in pro golf, only the skilled and well-coached survive. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Moms are special…

My Mom was special - I bet your Mom is (or was) special, too.  This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day.  In mind; in memory; or in person; be sure to make it a special day for your Mom.  Sending flowers is not enough.  Make her the center of your attention if only for one day. 

My wife is a special Mom.  She continues to lovingly mother our grown boys and our grandchildren even while their father worries, “How do I get all of these kids off the payroll?”  But I digress.  She keeps our entire, extended family together. 

Our Moms have a special sense of humor:  

A wife invited some people to dinner.  At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?”  I wouldn’t know what to say”, the girl replied.  “Just say what you hear Mommy say”, the wife answered.  The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”  

Unknown Sage                                  

Our Moms are special teachers.  Remember the life-long lessons you learned from your Mother?  Back to our Unknown Sage: 

What my Mother taught me: 

My Mother taught me logic;

“Because I said so, that's why.”

My Mother taught me irony;

“Keep laughing and I'll give you something to cry about.”

My Mother taught me about the science of osmosis:

“Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"  

Even Bill Gates has a take (including Mom and Dad in his reference to his parents - and ours): 

Excerpt from Bill Gates' speech to Mount Whitney High School, Visalia, CA: 

Rule 7 - Before you were born, your parents weren't

as boring as they are now.  They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were.  So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room. 

Our Moms have a special and immeasurable reservoir of power, true?  My Mom did.  She was stricken with cancer when I was 6 years old.  In fact, I can no longer remember a time when she was not ill.  The last 15 years of her life were spent undergoing continuous treatments: 

I watched my Mom’s great power, which she needed in order to deal with a new cancer treatment in the late 1960’s that was so unimaginably harsh – that the administration of this treatment was solely based on the primitive science of trial and error – where the doctors’ routine consisted of observing how much of a dose could she tolerate without dying from the treatment. 

It was an experimental treatment back then; offered only as a last resort for terminally ill cancer patients. This wasn’t a cancer cure; just a radical option to extend one’s life another year or two.  It was due to her staying power (and that of many other patients like her) before she finally succumbed in 1974, that has helped pave the way to the development of the commonly used, life-saving cancer treatment we all know today as chemotherapy. 

How many special Moms have died fighting terrible diseases (and brutal treatments) so the rest of us can benefit from the exaggerated term, “modern medicine”? 

Mother’s Day - make it special for your Mom if she’s living; make it special for you through your memories of your Mom if she’s not. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Pay attention…

 

I was behind a driver at a stoplight when the arrow turned green the other day.  Because she wasn’t paying attention; I missed the light.  Sound familiar?  

It reminded me of my profession and the coaching I frequently provide my clients.  In the sales profession paying attention is important.  Paying attention starts with good listening skills.  And listening skills are key.  Why?  Because then we will hear the prospect’s specific details.  In the marketplace today, specificity is a killer application.  

I know specificity can be hard.  When things are hard some believe that leads to fatigue.  Have you noticed the buzz about “Zoom Fatigue”?  One great competitor offered this: 

… fatigue makes cowards of us all. 

                   Vince Lombardi 

I choose to believe that paying attention really isn’t that hard and the reasons behind Zoom Fatigue are different.  Another great mind put it this way: 

Fatigue is often caused not by work but by worry, frustration, and resentment.  We rarely get tired when we are doing something interesting and exciting.  

Dale Carnegie 

Sales is a profession that is interesting and exciting!  When we pay attention we listen specifically for the specificity in our prospect interactions.  Prospects prefer buying from the salesperson who is paying attention.  Yogi Berra put it another way: 

You can see a lot by observing.  

I was observing the subject line of another client’s sales-prospecting emails recently.  There are people much smarter than I on the subject of email subject line mastery.  Nonetheless, I mentioned to him that I didn’t think his subject line was very appealing. 

That prompted him to look it up and he agreed.  Reviewing all of his recent email campaigns the emails with that specific subject line were, in fact, the emails least opened.  What’s remarkable about this encounter (to me at least) is my client is actually paying attention to the facts! 

Now before we go any further let me state for the record, I have my own moments.  If my wife was here she would tell you that at home, I don’t “watch” TV; I “become” the TV!  Talk about not paying attention to her; guilty as charged! 

Our lack of attention-paying is obvious to our prospects and clients and spouses (and other drivers), true?  They can tell.  It reminds me of my former colleague who offered this response when it was revealed he wasn’t paying attention during a meeting: 

You only have to tell me twice, once. 

                   Adam Katzenmeyer 

And to Adam’s credit for the remainder of that meeting he kept his word and paid attention. 

I know the challenge is harder today because of technology.  Technology leads to using multiple devices… multiple devices leads to multi-tasking…  and multi-tasking leads to not paying attention.  It’s almost as if “multi-tasking” is some sort of badge of honor – which in the eye of our prospects and customers and spouses (and other drivers) - it is not.  

Never mind there is scientific evidence stating that the human brain cannot multi-task in the first place.  The fact is we are merely switching our attention back and forth really fast across multiple, single-tasks which means (according to the facts)… we’re not paying attention to any one task very long.  Funny thing about facts: 

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.                                 

Aldous Huxley 

Today, may we heed the facts and strive to pay attention at work - and more importantly perhaps – on the road and especially at home. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

April 20, 1999 never forgotten…

Twenty-two years ago today, my hometown experienced the terror that two teenagers, feeling a sense of desperation and isolation, can bring to their high school, their community and our nation.  It was considered a rare event back then – unfortunately, it has now become all too common:

 

Life is hard and can often seem hopeless for many young people.   If you have a son or daughter; grandchildren; nieces or nephews; or neighborhood kids; reach out to them today.  

Tell them today that you love them and will support them as they try to make their way in the world.  And if they are struggling to make ends meet – give them a few bucks, reassure them.  Today, help them feel they belong.  Give them hope. 

Let’s reverse our society’s violence.  Let’s use our power of compassion to increase the sunlight for those heading towards darkness: 

It takes the sun to create a shadow – accept that the dark and the light live side by side in all of us.  

Chellie Campbell 

It’s not just my hometown of Littleton, Colorado - We are all Columbine: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Seqhcq23M

May you feel peace - and share the power of peace with others - today - especially today - and then every day thereafter! 

GAP

Oh well…

Hey everyone – its income tax week!  Hooray! 

Actually, we’ve been given a Covid extension until May – but who’s counting?  (Other than the IRS!)  Do you think our elected officials are cheering on the sideline as our tax returns flow in?  Oh well.  

Does it ever seem to you that no matter how you complete your income tax return; no matter how much outside, expert advice you leverage; no matter what plans you put in place to lessen your tax impact next year, you still seem to be funding everything? 

On the one hand… 

I dislike the immense level of government spending that takes place today at the federal, state, county, city and even master association level.  The media reminds us of the tremendous waste that seems to occur every day; every way.  Today, with our anytime, anywhere, all-the-time, political action committees – they all have a position on the state of our federal, state, and local taxation, true?  Could it be some of our taxes are funding their messages?  Oh well. 

On the other hand… 

When there is a natural disaster; when we hear of a scientific breakthrough funded by a government grant; or when we simply have a friend or family member in need who receives financial or medical support from a social services program… well, I for one am happy I live in America. 

This time is one time during the year when we total it up.  Sometimes we like the resulting sum; other times we don’t.  Talk about “new math”! 

The Income Tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.

                        Will Rogers 

Question:  If I work from home and my dog barks when the FedEx driver arrives; does she qualify as my receptionist – and can I write-off the cost of her dog food?  No?  Oh well. 

All in all, when I reflect on my financial picture – I am blessed.  How about you?  I suppose it all depends.  Filing income taxes forces us to look at our W-2; our 401k; our IRA; our mortgage interest; our real estate taxes; and all of the other numbers the IRS wants us to look at; and report on.  That’s one way we measure; some years good - some, not so much.  

When we look in the mirror, often our not-so-much years are self-inflicted: 

More and more these days I find myself pondering on how to reconcile my net income with my gross habits.                               

John Kirk Nelson 

We heard growing up that, “Money isn’t everything”.  Does that perspective apply as adults?  Hopefully so.  Our top line income, even when reduced by taxes, still can be more than enough for a man that is easily contented.  Unfortunately, the itch of discontent rears its head all too often.  I mean, how many billions does it take to content our billionaires?  

Nevertheless, it’s not what we make that counts; it’s what we save.  Today, “line of credit” seems to have replaced the importance of savings.  Like our federal government, line of credit means “debt”.  Unlike the Fed, we can’t just print money.  Oh well. 

We are looking forward to 2021 – this will be our best year ever!  We can stay in control of how we define “best” by following the guidance of the world-renowned author and poet, Robert Lewis Stevenson: 

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.                                

And no – the seeds are not tax deductible.  Oh well. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.