GREG’S BUSINESS GROWTH NEWSLETTER #256
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Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week.
In this issue:
– Techniques for FIT
– Being Human
– Random Stuff
Techniques for FIT
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- “Givers get” is a pithy reminder to bring your seed to the soil, don’t just stand there waiting for a harvest. Studies prove it. Givers do get, but they also might get taken advantage of. Consider it the price of admission.
- Thanking someone for a fleeting moment of delight guarantees they’ll try to delight another person. The key is to be sincere in the thanks. It sparks a chain reaction.
- One thing giving me delight right now is The Clash’s “Sandinista.” In my youth I had this triple album of joy but gave it away. Never grew on me. Today? Delightful.
- Make an effort. It’s hard to make anything happen without it. Effort won’t guarantee life responds as expected, but something will happen. Take note, adjust, and keep going.
Being Human – Look around, it’s happening
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“Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” – Walter Hagen
The act of giving thanks forces us to be present, if just for a moment. Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving in the USA amidst a pandemic, a skyrocketing stock market, and endless food pantry lines. Even without challenging times, it’s easy to let your mind drift into the future, wondering what comes next, or focus on the past, when times were better. It’s hard to focus on the present, the right now.
The Jesuits have a practice called the Daily Examen which instructs the faithful to reflect on the day, looking for the presence of God. A secular approach is to reflect on the day, looking for the presence of joy. Both approaches help keep us in the present because the more you reflect, the more examples you will recognize at the moment. At the same time, you’ll subconsciously begin to put yourself in more situations where you might experience these small pops of happiness.
On the average, those of you reading this are well above average in most of life’s measures. Enjoy it by recognizing your daily bursts of delight. They are happening, right now.
Random stuff
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I am at the doctor’s office for a regular check up. I step on the scale, register the number, and ask if it’s close to what it was last time. Ding! One for me.
We plug into the blood pressure cuff, go through the process, and register the results. I ask if the results are normal. Ding! Another one for me.
We head to the wall where I stand and help the short nurse adjust the tape measure for my height. I take note on my rate of shrinkage. Ding! Still elevated.
Then I sit. Waiting. I read the notices on the wall learning about vaccinations, needle sizes, medical studies, and learn what shingles looks like. (I don’t want it.)
Thirty minutes in, I succumb to boredom and grab my phone. The CDC says I am in the 98th percentile for height, 84th percentile for weight. (I should be in the 66th percentile by the looks of the BMI chart. Assuming I want a statistically long life.)
The funny part about this is when pull up my LinkedIn profile, the first 100 men in my feed include a dozen taller than me. (weight is harder to judge by profile pics)
I find a UofM study showing my income percentile and again, surveying LinkedIn I see dozens of people making much more.
The Federal Reserve info on net worth for my age is humbling, but again, a cursory survey of LinkedIn suggests my peer group is far outpacing the public, leading me to question choices in life.
I’m trying to make sense of this when the doctor bursts in.
“How is Greg Chambers today?” he says.
“Honestly? I was better 35 minutes ago.”
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If you need to set up a time to visit, follow this link:
https://calendly.com/chamberspivot/