It has been several years since I have had to travel, or TOUR, with my wife. For me the travel ban due to Covid has been a blessing. The Covid-19 pandemic started in March of 2020. And our first trip was in July of 2022. On August 1, the Oceania cruise line said negative Covid test results were no longer required to board the ship.

 

Well, with the restrictions easing, and my step-daughter, her husband and two dogs moving into our house while they remodel theirs, my wife wanted to get the heck out of Dodge. So she planned a trip to Portugal and a Mediterranean cruise to Morocco and Spain. The trip is about three weeks.

 

Our first warning was Heathrow Airport requesting people avoid their airport. They are short-staffed and thousands (and I mean thousands) of suitcases are stacking up in the terminal and not getting to the intended destination.

 

Well, of course we are booked through Heathrow, so we packed an emergency carry on with necessary toiletries, medicines, and a change of clothing. We lucked out and things turned out fine with our bags arriving with us in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

We were easily able to get a cab at the airport and it took us directly to our hotel, the Avenida Palace. This is a beautiful hotel located in a great part of the city. It was walking distance to many restaurants, cafes, and the river with more restaurants.

 

When we checked into the hotel we used our passports. All hotels and trains require passports to check in or buy travel tickets. And this hotel also provided a wonderful buffet breakfast included in the room charge.

 

On the first morning at breakfast we are sitting at a table overlooking a lovely busy street when the server comes over with a makeshift cake. It had three pancakes with Nutella spread between each, and on top was free cut fruit and a single candle in the middle.

 

The server said this was a birthday greeting as he looked at me. My first response was, “It’s not my birthday.” And then it hit me; yes, today is my birthday. They must have noticed the date on my passport when we checked in.

 

We had a very similar experience in Paris, France about 15 years earlier. We were in the hotel, it was around dinner time, we were tired, but we were hungry. I offered to go out and bring back some food.

 

There was a nearby McDonalds and I brought back some hamburgers, and that was our dinner.

 

The next day as we are getting on a tour bus I noticed the date on the ticket was the date after my birthday. We realized we both completely forgot about my birth day. It only comes once every 365 days or so, so it’s easy to overlook.

 

And that explains my comment to the server in Lisbon that brought the makeshift cake, “It’s not my birthday.”

 

After breakfast we walked about a 100 yards and purchased tickets to the Hop On, Hop Off bus. If you don’t know how those work you purchase a ticket and it’s good for 24 hours. They have about six to ten languages that explain the city you’re visiting. There are about 15 or 20 stops where you can Hop Off and explore something in more detail, a museum, castle, palace, zoo or whatever.

 

When you are done with your visit you Hop On the next bus that arrives and continue your tour of the city. The full loop, if you don’t Hop Off, is usually around two hours. You get the history of a city anywhere in the world with these bus tours.

 

WiFi

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I have a lap top computer that will not connect to any unsecured, open WiFi network. While that protects my computer from anyone able to easily hack into it while it is in use, it also prevents me from using it to reply to emails and file them in my customer relationship management (CRM) program.

 

I am only able to reply to emails on my smart phone, and need to keep them all until I return home and can save them to the correct client, tenant or customer contact records.

 

After three days in Lisbon, it was off to Porto, Portugal, and that will be the next blog post.

New Blog and Website

We are excited to announce that we have a new website and blog at http://possibilitiesunlimited.com/. We will no longer be posting to this blog but our new site offers a lot, including several training courses in business management, sales and profit and our free Deeper Dive group call.  Join us at http://possibilitiesunlimited.com/.

http://possibilitiesunlimited.com/

How to Communicate Well at Work

How to Communicate Well at Work

WholeLife Matrix: Career Camaraderie – Communication 

“Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success.”  — Paul J. Meyer

Since we spend much of our time at work, learning good communication skills with others at work and having good relationships is essential.  Good communication helps to ensure that we are on the same page with others, makes us more efficient and happier both at work and in our personal lives.  Here are some tips to help you communicate well at work:

Listen Fully
Carefully listen to what the other person has to say.  Often we don’t listen very carefully because we are thinking about what we are going to say next or believe we know what the other person is going to say, which causes us to interrupt.  Giving the person your full attention while listening will help ensure that you hear and understand everything they want to say.  Open communication is also best for accomplishing goals.

Restate What Someone Tells You
Repeat the important points that you are told in the conversation by rephrasing it to show that you are listening and understand the information that you have been given.  This is valuable because it allows any possible confusion to be cleared up and will help you to remember what was said. 

Observe Body Language
Observing the body language of people can tell you a lot about what a person is thinking and feeling.  For example, spread out fingers covering the face can mean “I can’t believe this”; if the person wearily leans away, it may mean they are tired of listening; various forms of arm crossing may mean the person is retreating or angry; a hand on the heart may show sincerity.

Acknowledge Preferred Communication Methods
People like to communicate with different tools.  Consider whether someone prefers to communicate by email, phone, Skype, text, social media or instant message.  Using the other person’s preferred form of communication to contact them will make it easier to reach them and you may have a better interaction with them.  If you realize that someone is hard to reach by phone but responds quickly to emails, switch to email communication.  Also, when communicating with people out of state, consider their time zone.

Review Your Tone
Before sending a message, think about how another person may interpret the tone. Letters, social media, and emails can be easily misinterpreted since the person can’t hear your actual tone of voice or see your body language, so it is important to review your message for tone before sending.  You may be trying to communicate a joke but end up sounding angry or insulting and, as a result, offend somebody.  In some cases, you may consider using emotion icons so that people can see the emotion associated with your message.  Be sure to use clear language and when you are angry, take time to relax before you write an email and before you send it.  In some cases it may be better to meet in person to resolve conflict.

Use Grammar Check
Always make sure to check your writing for spelling and grammar whether you are writing a resume, letter, or social media message.  Proofread until you no longer see errors and your writing sounds good.  In some cases, you may even want someone to proofread your writing to have a second pair of eyes look at things from a different perspective and offer advice for improvements.

Act Professionally
It is important to act professionally with your colleagues as well as your clients and customers.  People will have more respect for you if your meetings, phone calls, and emails are professional and you keep your appointments and other commitments.

Use Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism is helpful in showing us where we might need to improve and teaches us new things.  Make sure that the person you are giving feedback to understands what you are telling them and make sure that you are considerate when giving feedback. Give positive feedback when a job is well-done.

Talk a Little About Life Outside Work
Talking with people a little bit about their life outside of work can help build a friendlier connection and trust.  You might ask people what they like to do outside of work or talk about someone’s kids if they have kids etc.

Continue to Practice Communication
The more you practice effective communication, the better you will get at it.  Notice how people react to your communication style to find areas where you can improve.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing good communication with colleagues:

1.  Shared Language

2.  Listen with Purpose

3.  Speaking Authentically 

4.  Supportive Communication

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Join the community taking a Deeper Dive into the WholeLife matrix. The free phone discussion meets every other Tuesday from 11am - Noon Pacific time.  Email me with "Deeper Dive" in the subject line: Ralph@Consulting2Win.com.

Have Fun with Great Friends

WholeLife Matrix: Relationships – The Importance of Friends / Time Together

 “As We Grow Up, We Realize it is Less Important to Have Lots of Friends, and More Important to Have Real Ones.”  — Unknown

Spending time with friends has many benefits because it can help to fulfill our social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs.  With friends, you can have discussions about common interests, do activities such as jogging or having a party, or discuss things that are happening in your life such as job changes, subjects on health, etc. These reasons probably account for why it has been found that people who have a good network of friends outlive those with few friends. Good friends provide support, help us to avoid or overcome depression and vices such as heavy drinking or smoking, and boost our self-confidence.  You don’t need to spend a whole lot of time with friends or to spend a lot of money to gain the benefits of having friends.  We offer some ideas on how to meet new friends and things you can do with them.  

Where to Meet New Friends
Sometimes, meeting new people can be a challenge, especially when you have moved to a new city where you don’t yet know anyone, or when you are busy. Meetup.com is a great way of meeting new people who have similar interests as you do.  It has business groups, groups for sports such as snowboarding, book clubs, groups for singles, etc.  Another way that you may meet new people is by taking a class you are interested in such as an acting class or a cooking class.

As we become busy with more commitments in life such as work and having a family, we may find that we have less time than we once did for spending time with friends.  So, it is important to schedule time in your calendar for spending time with friends, to nurture current friendships and to build new ones.  Over time, as we change and our interests change, we may need to make new friends who are similar and have similar interests.  Holidays and birthdays are also a great time to reach out to friends. 

If you are single, you might even find a significant other through your friends or through groups for friends. And if you already have a significant other, having friends can enrich your lives and can also give you breaks from each other when each of your see your friends separately.

In our modern world of technology, tools such as texting and social media make it easy to stay connected with people even when we are not physically with them. You can often see what a person is interested in or where they are with their life by looking at their social media profiles, and you can stay in touch by interacting on social media.  However, it does not replace meeting people face to face and interacting with them in person. 

To find activities to do with friends, find people who have similar goals as you do.  For example, if you have a dog that needs to be walked, you might find a friend who also has a dog that needs to be walked and you can walk your dogs together while having a conversation at the same time.

Below, are some ideas for things that you can do with friends:

Picnic
Having a picnic in the park lets people enjoy the outdoors.  You can do various activities outdoors such as playing Frisbee or board games. People can also bring their families. Many parks also host free concerts in the summer. The picnic can be a potluck. Everyone loves great food and having a potluck gives everyone a chance to contribute something to create a fun party with a variety of interesting dishes to try. 

Restaurants and Karaoke
Exploring restaurants with friends is fun and so is singing karaoke with them. For a less formal event, you can meet up with people at a local coffee shop such as Starbucks.

Organizational Party
On weekends, have an organizational party to help a friend clean out a room, closet, etc.  Trade items with each other and serve food.

Movie or Play
Seeing the latest movie with some friends can be fun and you also have something to talk about after seeing it.  You might also go to a school play and support your local community. Another idea is to trade movies and music with friends.

Sports
There are many sports that you can do with a friend or group such as tennis, hiking, biking, etc.

Explore a Town, Museum or Zoo
Visiting a museum or zoo can be a fun learning experience.  You can find out when the free days are. You might also go on a walking tour of your town or have a scavenger hunt where your friends need to find things in a city and receive prizes for finding them.

Volunteer
You can find various opportunities to volunteer in your community.  You might team up with your local senior center or YMCA.  By giving some of your time to others, you can help them and teach them new skills while you meet new people and make new friends, develop new sills and build self-confidence.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing friendships:

1.  One-on-One
2.  Large Groups
3.  Scheduling
4.  Spontaneity

Being with friends is essential to your well-being.  It can provide you with many benefits without costing you much and increase the joy in your life. 

Are you ready to win?

Create a Relationship with Staying Power

WholeLife Matrix: Relationships – Significant Other / Staying Power

“The secret of a long life…laughter.  The secret of a long-lasting relationship…laughing together.”  — Unknown

Have you ever wondered why some relationships are short-lived while others last a long time?  Many of us would like to have a great partner in our lives and have a wonderful long-term relationship with them.  Having good compatibility with this person physically, intellectually, emotionally, with shared activities and common goals increases the likelihood that you will have a lasting relationship.  When looking for a long-lasting partner, it is a good idea to identify these areas of compatibility early to determine whether pursuing a relationship will be worthwhile for you both.

1.  Compatibility Exercise

On a piece of paper, make lists of the physical, intellectual and emotional characteristics that you would like your ideal partner to have and the shared activities and common goals you would like to have with them. Also consider habits such as smoking and whether you want someone who wants children, already has children, or has no children. Rank each item as a “Must Have”, “Should Have”, or “Could Have”.  You might also have your partner or potential partner try this exercise, or you can answer the questions based on what you think their responses would be.  Then you can compare your responses to their responses and see how compatible you may be in each area.  Since people and relationships change, a couple can change in areas of compatibility; they may in time come closer or move apart in certain areas.  However, it is important to begin with a strong core foundation of compatibility so that those shifts will be less likely to negatively impact the relationship.  Understanding each other’s core priorities and connecting in ways that are important to both partners will help to create a long-lasting relationship.

2.  Do you Trust Each Other?

Trust is the foundation of a good relationship and respect and kindness are also important.  Has your partner proven himself or herself to be dependable and treats you and others with honesty and consideration?

3.  Does Your Partner Help to Bring Out the Best in You?

Just as different friends can bring out different sides of you, so can a romantic partner.  They may make you feel and act more or less confident, patient, attractive etc.  Pay attention and note what situations bring out particular sides of you.  Fundamentally, does your partner trigger the better or worse sides of you and do you like yourself in the relationship?

4.  Do You Communicate Positively with Each Other?

Great communication is an essential part of a relationship. When, instead of showing respect for each other, one or both of the partners in a relationship holds negative feelings of disdain toward the other, such as criticism, sarcasm, or harsh judgment, divorce becomes likely. When an issue comes up, an ineffective communicator tends to attack the partner instead of focusing on the issue. This is known as being “tough on the person and soft on the issue.”  In contrast, an effective communicator will focus on the issue and not the person.  Are you and your partner tough on each other or the issue and does your partner’s communication style generally lift you up or put you down?  If you find that you and your partner are experiencing communication issues, if you are both willing to learn news skills, it is possible to quickly learn them to improve your relationship.

5.  Do You and Your Partner Handle Conflict Within the Relationship Effectively?

Couples that are not effective at resolving conflict typically fight and stay mad for long periods of time (sometimes even years), avoid addressing important issues, or emotionally freeze in a relationship after being unable to resolve the issues.  On the other hand, couples with successful relationships focus on quickly addressing and taking care of an issue and then letting it go and moving on.  Even when they are upset, they still stay close to their partner and learn from their challenges.

6.  How do You and Your Partner Handle External Challenges?

In long-lasting relationships, partners support each other when challenges arise and when times are tough, which can create a unique bond.  Do you and your partner act maturely in the face of adversity; does it bring you closer together or pull you apart?  Can you share the bad times, or only the good times?

7.  Are Your Financial Values Compatible?

Couples who agree about finances are more likely to stay together.  One of the main reasons for divorce is disagreements about money, so it is good to have a partner that you are financially compatible with for a long-term relationship.  You can see signs of a person’s financial values early in a relationship such as who they believe should pay for dates, what types of gifts or purchases they value, and what they give to others including volunteering their time or giving donations. Are you and your partner mostly happy with what you have or do you want to acquire more?  It is important that you and your partner address financial differences early and can resolve issues as a team, and seek financial and couples counseling as needed.  Creating a financial plan is essential to helping you and your partner stay on track financially and for addressing future financial needs such as having a family or planning for retirement.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing relationships with staying power:

1.  Common Purpose
2.  Common Morals
3.  Focus on the Positive
4.  Defined Future

Whether you are single, dating, or in a committed relationship, these guidelines will help you to build a healthy relationship with staying power.

Are you ready to win?

How to discover your life purpose

WholeLife Matrix: Personal Awareness – Spirit / Life Purpose

“The Purpose of Our Lives is To Be Happy.”  — Dali Lama

As the Dali Lama said “The Purpose of Our Lives is To Be Happy.”  This is true since everything we want in life is because we believe we will be happier once we have it. But among all the options, expectations, and beliefs we encounter in life, it can become a challenge to identify the things that will truly satisfy us and lead to the most fulfillment in our lives. So, the first step to discovering our purpose is to let go of false beliefs and the opinions of others, and then to ask ourselves what really makes us happy.

Exercise to Find Your Purpose

An exercise you can do to find your purpose is to write at the top of a page “What is my true purpose in life?”  Write down the things that pop into your head and see what resonates with you most.  Try to write at least 100 answers. You can also rate each idea from a scale of 1 to 10. It may take 15-20 minutes to clear your mind of expectations of what others think your purpose should be. You can also make lists for all the things that are most important to you and all the things you want to do.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to come up with some answers:

1. Think about what you would like to be remembered for once you have passed.  What would matter to you at the end of your life and what things do you want to accomplish in your life.  Are you on track to accomplish those things?

2. What makes you smile or lose track of time? What things do you enjoy doing now and what have you enjoyed doing in the past?

3. What makes you feel great about yourself, who inspires you and what qualities in a person inspire you?

4. What are you naturally good at, what do people ask you for help about, and what could you teach others?

5. What are your strongest values and what would you regret not doing, having, or being at the end of your life?  

6. What challenges are you currently overcoming and have overcome? How did you overcome them?

7. What causes do you believe in and care about? If you could send a message to a large group, who would that group be and what would your message be?  How would you use your talents, values, and passions to contribute to people, causes and the environment?

Examples of Values and Goals

1. What matters to me most is feeling blissful.

2. I most value having meaningful connections with people. I want to have strong connections with my family and friends.

3. I want to have financial freedom so that I can have more free time and go anywhere at any time.  I want to achieve financial freedom by doing things I enjoy which align with my values and goals. 

4. I want to travel the world and experience different cultures.

What Are You Chasing, and Why?

Ask yourself what you are pursuing or chasing in your life and if it is worth going after. Should you be pursuing something else at this point in your life?  For example, maybe you will discover that having a family is important now or that you want to create a new business. 

Creating a Mission Statement

Based on your brainstorming of your life purpose, things you care about, and things you want to do, you can create a mission statement.  To create a mission statement, ask yourself, what you want to do, who you might want to help and what value or results you want to create. An example of a mission statement is “To inspire, empower, and motivate women to achieve their goals and live fulfilled lives.”  To find out what people, causes, animals, etc. you might want to help, make a list of them.  Your lists can change over time, and so can your mission statement.

Choosing Opportunities That Align with Your Mission

Using your mission statement can help you decide what opportunities to pursue.  For example, when an opportunity comes up that does not align with you mission statement, values, and goals, you can decide not to pursue it.  As Stephen Covey mentioned in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People," “Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs."

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing your live purpose: 

1.  Discovering

2.  Pursuing

3.  Reviewing

4.  Sharing

Once you have discovered your purpose, mission statement, values, and goals, you will be better equipped to choose things in your life that align with them and on your way to a more fulfilling life.

Are you ready to win?

How to have flexibility in your body

WholeLife Matrix: Health and WellBeing - Exercise and Fitness - Flexibility

"Make an effort to perform each exercise through a full range of motion to reap major flexibility benefits." - Jeremy DuVall, M.S., CPT

Improving flexibility by stretching is an important part of a workout routine.  Stretching helps you to get the most out of your workout and eliminates tightness in your body. Flexible muscles let your joints move through a full range of motion and prevent repetitive stress injury. 

Benefits of Stretching

In addition to improving your performance and reducing injury, stretching can help to improve your posture and reduce lower back pain and muscle soreness.  It helps by increasing blood and nutrients to the tissues and improving coordination.  Your stress level will be reduced and you will enjoy your exercise routine more.

When to Stretch

You should be completely warmed up before you begin to stretch.  It is also good to stretch after your workout when your muscles have become very warm and pliable.  Stretching throughout the day can also reduce tension and stress, so it is a good idea to do some stretches when you have breaks during your work day. 

Areas to Stretch

Stretch the muscles that you are focusing on using during your workout. If you have limited time for stretching, concentrate on major muscles or the muscles that are usually the tightest such as your calves, chest, hamstrings, quads, and hips. 

How to Stretch

Spend at least five minutes on stretching. As you hold a stretch, the sensation of tightness should diminish.  Stretch to the point when you feel a gentle pull on your muscle - before your start to feel discomfort.  Do not bounce when doing static stretches; bouncing can result in a pulled muscle. Breathe out into the stretch and do not hold your breath.  Each stretch should be held for approximately 15 to 30 seconds.  If you feel pain or too much tightness, stop the stretch.  Shake out your limbs in between stretches and do two to three stretches before doing the next exercise.  

Types of Stretching

There are several types of stretching. These include Ballistic stretching, Dynamic stretching, Active stretching, Passive (relaxed) stretching, Static stretching, Isometric stretching, and PNF stretching.  The most popular type of stretching is static stretching.  It involves stretching a muscle to its furthest point and maintaining that position.

There are also popular exercises that you can do to increase your flexibility that involve stretching, such as yoga.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing flexibility: 

1.  Stretching

2.  Yoga

3.  Pilates

4.  Isometrics

Picking a type of exercise that you enjoy doing that involves stretching is a great way to get the benefits or exercise while, at the same time, also improving your flexibility.

Are you ready to win?

Weight Management Tips

WholeLife Matrix: Health and WellBeing - Nutrition and Weight - Weight Management

"The key to keeping weight off after a diet is incorporating habits of sound nutrition, regular exercise, and reasonable expectations that you can stick to for a lifetime." - Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, clinical associate professor at Boston University

It is important to manage your weight to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.   Here are some tips for looking and feeling your best!

1. Enjoy Daily Exercise

Exercising regularly will boost your mood and concentration, reduce stress, and help keep your mind and body healthy.  Pick types of exercise that you enjoy doing and can continue to do on a regular basis.  There are many options such as running, biking, swimming, and tennis.  You do not need to do strenuous exercise to lose weight or to maintain your weight.  Just walking for twenty minutes a day can help you to lose weight or to maintain your weight. Regular exercise will help you to burn fat, feel less hungry, and stay fit. It is also important to get sufficient sleep to regulate our body.

2. Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of fluids every day will help keep you from overeating and will keep you hydrated.  Try to avoid sugary drinks. Drinking tea can also help. It has been shown to prevent dental decay, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. There are a variety of teas that are recommended for weight loss.

3. Fill Up on Fiber

The recommended daily intake for fiber is 25-30 grams. High fiber foods include whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta and rice, dried beans, fruits and vegetables.  Four to five cups of fruits or vegetables are recommended for each day.  They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and naturally low in calories and fat. Fiber helps you to eat less and curbs hunger by filling you up faster.  Eating a salad before your meal or a cup or bowl of vegetable soup can reduce calories by ten percent.  Also, soluble fiber can lower your cholesterol.  

4. Low Carb Diet

It is good to have a low carbohydrate diet because carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar level, increasing your insulin, which causes your body to store fat.  With a low carb diet, you won’t be hungry between meals because you will be burning fat.

5. Including Dairy

Including three servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese a day can help your burn fat and lose weight.  Dairy products are a good source of vitamin D and calcium.

6. Control Your Portions

Portion your meals in a calorie-conscious way thinking of both the quality and the quantity of the calories you will be consuming. Carefully counting calories may help you to lose weight, but for the long run, you need to learn to manage your portions to control your calorie intake. To control your portions, try to use smaller to medium sized plates. One quarter of your plate should include a palm-sized portion of lean protein such as fish or chicken (about 3 ounces).  Another quarter of your plate should contain unrefined grain such as brown rice (about the size of your fist).  Half of your plate should be filled with various colorful vegetables.  Eat your food slowly to enjoy your meal and to allow time for your body to signal that it has had enough.  If you still feel hungry after you have finished eating your portions, wait 20 minutes.  If you are still hungry, eat a piece of fruit, some more vegetables, or a tossed salad.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing weight management: 

1.  Weight Monitoring

2.  Exercise

3.  Body Mass Index

4.  Stability Over Time

7. Managing Your Calories

Do not skip meals.  Eat three meals a day and snacks to fuel your body so that it will work efficiently throughout the day.  Eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism and consume most of your calories in the first half of the day.  You will need less calories during the evenings when you are less active.  Check your weight on a scale if this encourages you and helps you to make sure that your weight is not going back up.  Weight fluctuates daily and hourly so it is recommended that you weigh yourself once a week. You can also tell if you are gaining or losing weight by how well your clothes fit.  Keeping a food log of what you are eating each day and the approximate number of calories for each food can help you keep track of how much you are eating and how healthy the foods are.  You can also include your exercise plan and weight goals.

Are you ready to win?

Community Beautification

Matrix Key: Personal Awareness - Community - Beautification

"Ugliness is so grim.  A little beauty, something that is lovely, I think, can help create harmony which will lessen tensions." - Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson fought for improving city neighborhoods throughout Washington DC - high traffic tourist areas and dilapidated inner city neighborhoods received equal support. She recognized that a neighborhood's appearance did not just reflect the status of the neighborhood, but could also influence the status of the neighborhood.  

Bringing a little beauty into the situation makes everything brighter, happier, livelier. Whether fixing up the first house in a run down Detroit neighborhood, or planting wildflowers on an empty lot, bringing new life to an area brings new life to everyone in the area. People have something positive to talk about, a reason to engage with a smile or a laugh.

I have identified four elements of bringing more life to your community:

1. Public spaces
2. Common Areas
3. Beautification
4. Environmental Impact

Maybe you are motivated to start a project on your own street, or join a community-wide effort.  From your local school or scout troop, to your city government, to a nationwide organization such as Habitat for Humanity, opportunities abound. Reach out and make a new friend, make a positive impact, and create something that brings beauty to your community.

Are you ready to Win?

What makes a good leader?

WholeLife Matrix: Financial Viability – Resource Management - People – Leadership

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

 —John Maxwell.”

When you think of a good leader, what qualities come to mind? How does this person connect, communicate, follow through on commitments and treat others? Good leaders have similar characteristics whether they are in business, politics, religion, or sports. Good leaders are not born, but made, and to become a good leader, you must start by leading yourself first.

1.  Create Win-Win Situations

A good leader has a vision for the future that encompasses the good of all. He or she does not want to win at the cost of loss to others but wants to succeed while helping others to succeed as well. This is a primary difference between good and bad leadership. Good leaders understand that you get back what you give, so they focus on being as positive as possible and giving positive energy to others. They are not complacent about things that may not be working but move ahead to find and implement solutions for the betterment of themselves and others.

2.  Courage to Do Things Differently

Good leaders have the courage to take the path less traveled by to explore new ways of doing things. They know that doing things the same way as has been done before will not lead them to discover new ideas and solutions, so they embrace the challenge of exploring new possibilities and taking new paths. They have the courage to face the unfamiliar and keep the faith even in the face of pressure, or when things look hopeless. They take the road of honesty, truth, love and non-violence.

3.  Motivate and Inspire Others

Often, people need motivation, encouragement, and inspiration to get to the next level, whether it is on a business level, such as encouraging an employee, or on a personal level. Great leaders take the initiative to create positive support and give hope, life, and joy in the face of hopelessness and despair. 'Inspiration' means 'breathing life into', which is what a great leader does for people.

4.  Effective Communication Skills

A good leader communicates well with people, connects with them and builds bridges. He or she is approachable, connects people with others and touches their lives. People respect a good leader because they know that the leader will take action and will do as he or she says.

5.  Create Next Generation of Leaders

Good leaders train the next generation and next level of leaders to continue their legacy and encourage leadership qualities in them. They guide and encourage the younger generation so that when it is time to step down, good leadership will continue. It is important to train the next generation of leaders so that they can match the performance of the previous leaders and keep the organization running smoothly.

Are you ready to win?

5 Sales Meeting Tips

Matrix Key: Financial Viability - Profitability/Finances - Weekly Meetings - Sales

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.'  Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." - Mary Kay Ash

1. Send a Relevant Agenda Before the Meeting
This helps ensure a productive meeting.  If you find that there isn’t really much to talk about, you might opt for sending an email rather than having a meeting.   When creating an agenda, ask yourself if the item really needs to be on the agenda or if it can be done outside the meeting.  To ensure that individual updates don’t take too much time, set time limits and create themes such as Key Findings and Future Areas of Focus.  Have others participate in the planning of the meeting.  For example, someone might secure a guest speaker, another might send out the agenda, another might be the timekeeper or topic leader, etc.  To make your agenda interesting you might ask your group to solve a challenge before the end of the meeting.  You might also give them an article to read before the meeting, ask them to think about ideas on a topic, or research something for the team.

2. Start with Some Fun
Start your meetings at the scheduled time and stick to the allotted time.  Begin with some fun to get people interested and to encourage people to arrive on time.  You may start with trivia games, funny stories, highlights of the week, or brainstorming ideas for the coming month.

3. Invite Relevant Guest Speakers
The guest speaker can share information with the sales team that will help team sales.  A guest speaker might be someone from the marketing team who shares a marketing report about your target market or a product developer who might answer questions about a new product.  A customer might also share their experience working with your company.

4.  Motivate and Reward Your Team
Sales is challenging and it is important to support and recognize your team for their accomplishments.  Celebrate successes! You may give away small prizes, even a little chocolate can make people feel good.  You might create different categories for rewards.  Rewards can be team-based, fun, competitive, or recognition-based.

5.  Ongoing Skills Development
Challenge the skills of team members to keep them on top of their game.  These can be skills in networking, lead generation, prospecting, closing, presenting solutions, public speaking etc.  You might ask someone at each meeting to teach a sales module.  Each week, ask a sales person to share something they tried that is working.  How and why did they do it and how can someone else try it?