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	<title>Hal Alpiar's Blog &#187; Good Health</title>
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		<title>BUSINESS BUSYNESS</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/business-busyness/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/business-busyness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:06:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meetings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["Harried Executive"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["I'm too busy!"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["No Man Is An Island"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["Time and tide wait for no man"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Businesspeople]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIME is our most valuable commodity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verbal and Nonverbal Messages]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221;
(Translated: I&#8217;ll never be a leader because I don&#8217;t really care about anybody else!)
 
Is &#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221; the verbal or nonverbal message you might be putting out to others?
I just read a promotional endorsement written by someone I know who, years ago, I used to respect. He starts out his explanation of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221;</em></span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><em>(Translated: I&#8217;ll never be a leader because I don&#8217;t really care about anybody else!)</em></h6>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Is &#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221;</strong> the verbal or nonverbal message you might be putting out to others?</p>
<p><strong>I just read </strong>a promotional endorsement written by someone I know who, years ago, I used to respect. He starts out his explanation of why the particular newsletter he raves about is one of a very few that he actually makes time to read. He opens his statement by saying:</p>
<h6>                                                                              </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m busy &#8212; painfully busy, so </em></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>I&#8217;m stingy with my time&#8230;&#8221;</em> </span></h2>
<h6>                                                               </h6>
<p><strong><em>Pull-eease!</em></strong> Who cares? The source, though, may want to know that comments like this scream of the kind of personal frustration known to have led many to depression and isolation.</p>
<p><strong>It would be viewed</strong> by not a few psychology professionals as the monolithic signature of an individual who has deep fears of experiencing any forms of intimacy with others.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Intimacy,&#8221;</strong>defined by ground-breaking Gestalt Psychology authors James and Jongeward, &#8220;is free of games and free of exploitation. It occurs in those rare moments of human contact that arouse feelings of tenderness, empathy&#8230;genuine caring&#8230;and affection.&#8221; </p>
<p><strong>Businesspeople</strong> are not immune to these kinds of connections and cannot hide behind &#8220;business&#8221; as if it were a protective shield. But many don&#8217;t know that they&#8217;re doing it. It may be going on for so long, that it feels natural to be a &#8220;workaholic.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Some may say,</strong> why interrupt my career mission to get close enough to someone who will want me to pat their hand when they have a crisis? Dealing with other people&#8217;s crises slows me down and forces me to sidetrack.</p>
<h6>                                                                          </h6>
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;">Much has been written in the literature of Gestalt and Reality Therapy about those who play the <em>&#8220;Harried Executive&#8221;</em> game in life and business. </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;">These are people who define themselves as &#8220;overwhelmed&#8221; and &#8220;overloaded&#8221; and &#8220;swamped&#8221; and &#8220;up to my ears&#8230;&#8221; </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;">They make themselves too busy to have to spend any genuine quality time relating to others. </span></h3>
</blockquote>
<h6>                                                                          </h6>
<p><strong>This is not a healthy mindset</strong>, but it is often masked by offering token attentions and participating in general socializing. It frequently requires professional counseling and coaching to move this type of behavior beyond the personal relationship barricade the person has set up for her or himself.</p>
<p><strong>That you might be conveying</strong> to others that you are too busy for them, means you are close to the edge of the abyss that forecloses on many of life&#8217;s most valuable opportunities.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy&#8221; type statements can also be taken by many to mean:</strong></p>
<h6>                                                                       </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>&#8220;You&#8217;re worthless to me; get out of my way!&#8221; </em></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>(Can there be any more insulting an attitude to communicate?) </strong></p>
<h6>                                                                              </h6>
<p><strong>Can you, </strong>or anyone who works with you, actually afford to practice being too busy, never mind flaunting it as in the above example?</p>
<p><strong>Time is our most precious and cherished commodity</strong>. Of course we need air and water and food and clothing and shelter, but time is what drives those needs.</p>
<h6>                                                                      </h6>
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>One of your grandparents </strong>no doubt once told you that &#8220;Time and tide wait for no man&#8221; (a statement that predates modern English and whose authorship is ascribed to St. Marher in 1225) and that &#8220;No man is an island&#8221; (attributed to the Englishman who was proclaimed the greatest of all metaphysical poets, John Donne, 1572-1631). </span></h3>
</blockquote>
<h6>                                                                  </h6>
<p><strong>Surely you&#8217;ve heard</strong> those statements somewhere? Maybe they are worthy of re-considering from time to time.</p>
<p><strong>What kinds of nonverbal &#8220;I&#8217;m too busy&#8221; messages could you be sending out? </strong>Arms and/or legs crossed defensively in meetings? Parentally looking over the tops of your glasses at other&#8217;s suggestions that seem too time-consuming?</p>
<p><strong>You keep checking your watch</strong>, the clock on the wall? You keep checking for text messages? You keep reading emails while someone is speaking with you? Do you walk ahead of others you&#8217;re speaking with, or shoulder to shoulder?</p>
<p><strong>Do you pick up</strong> the phone and dial when someone approaches you? Do you put off invitations to family gatherings and neighborhood events, or show up to smile and handshake a few people and then slide out the side door when others seem preoccupied?</p>
<h6>                                                                    </h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #800000;">You may want to listen to yourself more . . . and  </span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #800000;">check out that great smile of yours in the mirror once in awhile!</span></strong></p>
<p>   </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;">  </span></p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone</span><span style="color: #800000;">!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>DEALING WITH INDIFFERENCE</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/dealing-with-indifference-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/dealing-with-indifference-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:52:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A trophy or plaque or certificate is not a reward for someone struggling wityh rent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business leader Responsibility One is to motivate and teach by example]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dealing with employee sensitivities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Don't we sometimes love those we hate and hate those we love?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hate and Love are very close on the emotional spectrum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Many seek increased job opportunities over increased benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open minds open doors!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The opposite of love is not hate - it's indifference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[When people can't get positive reinforcement - they seek negative reinforcement because it's better than no reinforcement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4608</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do You Hate 
                                   
What You Love?
 

 
That’s not as surprising a thought as you might think. On the spectrum of emotions, “Hate” and “Love” are not at opposite ends. In fact, they are remarkably close to one another. At the extreme opposite end from both of these emotions is “Indifference.” 
When a child, or puppy, or employee seeks positive attention [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">Do You Hate </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                   </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>What</em><em> You Love?</em></span></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em> </em></span></h1>
<div>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>That’s not</strong> as surprising a thought as you might think. On the spectrum of emotions, “Hate” and “Love” are not at opposite ends. In fact, they are remarkably close to one another. At the extreme opposite end from both of these emotions is “Indifference.” </p>
<p><strong>When a child</strong>, or puppy, or employee seeks <em>positive</em> attention (praise, pats and pets, a bonus), and doesn’t get it, she or he or it will turn around and begin to start seeking <em>negative</em> attention, <em>because even negative attention (a scolding, for example) is better than no attention</em> . . . or indifference! </p>
<p><strong>See, and you thought</strong> all those upstart types were just masochists. Nope, but it is true that those who get to a point of losing all hope for receiving attention of <em>any</em> variety stumble along the edges of depression, and can easily become prime prospects for illness, abandonment, homelessness, addiction, violence, even suicide. </p>
<p><strong>Okay</strong>, so indifference is the worst and arguably most destructive emotion? And love and hate are like cousins or something? Yeah. </p>
<p><strong>Well,</strong> don’t we <em>some</em>times love those we hate and hate those we love? </p>
<p><strong>How about </strong>the jobs we do? The employees we work with? Our clients, customers, patients, vendors, consultants, advisors? Spouses? Children? Siblings? Parents? Hey, let’s face it — it’s the stuff books and movies and TV shows are made of. </p>
<p><strong>But we seldom </strong>stop to think it through, right? The point is <em>EVERY</em>one needs recognition, or “strokes” as the shrinks call it. The challenge in motivating others is trying to figure out what kinds of strokes work best for <em>each </em>of them (See Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy) <em>at any given moment,</em> and being willing and able to reward each individual in the way(s) that is(are) most meaningful to that person. </p>
<p><strong>A trophy</strong> or plaque or certificate or news release feature doesn’t mean much to someone who’s struggling to pay the rent. A pay raise for a social worker isn’t as much of a motivational factor as a program grant that covers counseling resource expenses. Increased job opportunities are in fact often more sought after by employees than increased benefits.</p>
<p><strong>Indifference</strong> (especially lack of recognition or appreciation) makes hateful people more hateful, and turns those who want to give or seek love headed in other directions. So where does that leave us? As business leaders, Responsibility One is to motivate and teach by example. So . . . </p>
<p><strong>Pack up</strong> your feelings of indifference toward others. Stow them away with your ambivalence in a locked attic trunk. Open, instead, your mind and your heart to accept the weaknesses of others as you would wish them to accept yours. Open minds open doors.</p>
<p><strong>Watch what happens</strong> when you recognize and appreciate that others often say and do what they say and do because they seek your kindness, your pat on their head (or their back, or shoulder, or hand) plus your patience . . . and, of course, your smile. </p>
<h6>                                    </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">That IS a great smile you have, btw.</span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Pass it on to the next person </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">  you see after you read this!</span>  </h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
</div>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"> <em>NOTE: This blog article was originally posted two years ago in August, 2008. I have elected to repeat it here today because it touches on some sensitive leadership issues that have surfaced for a number of small business owners I&#8217;ve heard from recently.</em></h6>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>ENTREPRENEURIAL INSOMNIA</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/entrepreneurial-insomnia/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/entrepreneurial-insomnia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:12:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Calendar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delegation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INTERNET Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Objectives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[better greener quality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Better warranty coverage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business marketing must change with the business marketplace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Owners Need To Evaluate The Marketplaces They're In Every Day- not quarterly or monthly or even weekly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumer marketplace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consumer Rambunctiousness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic pressures dictate new behaviors for businesses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[faster delivery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[If the words you use to market your business don't work - nothing else can work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[improved customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial marketplace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kindle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lower prices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing approaches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing methods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing people]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[One Word Is Worth A Thousand Pictures!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[professional service marketplace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Mad Hatter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the pace of information access and exchange]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The place to start is at the point of word creation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What keeps business owners awake at night?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Without daily market analysis there's no time to adjust today what did oe didn't work yesterday]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4601</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What keeps small business 
                                                                
owners awake at night?
                                                        
With appreciation for the inspiration for this post to Meredith Bell info@2020insight.net (publisher of a great free weekly self-development newsletter titled GOLDEN EGGS), based on yesterday&#8217;s conversation with Meredith about what keeps CEO&#8217;s awake at night.
 
As recently as three years ago this past May, a respectable study identified [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">What keeps small business </span></h1>
<h6>                                                                </h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">owners awake at night?</span></h1>
<h6>                                                        </h6>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">With appreciation for the inspiration for this post to Meredith Bell <a href="mailto:info@2020insight.net"><span style="color: #0000ff;">info@2020insight.net</span></a> (publisher of a great free weekly self-development newsletter titled <em>GOLDEN EGGS)</em>, based on yesterday&#8217;s conversation with Meredith about what keeps CEO&#8217;s awake at night.</h6>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>As recently as three years ago </strong>this past May, a respectable study identified worrying about the caliber and extent of employee skills to get the jobs done that needed to be done (I&#8217;m paraphrasing here) as the number one reason that CEOs were unable to sleep at night.</p>
<p><strong>But the economic impact</strong> on business was nowhere near as catastrophic at that time, and consumers were nowhere near as rambunctious.</p>
<p><strong>Today&#8217;s business owners</strong> and managers are losing sleep over the inability of their business&#8217;s marketing efforts to keep up with the break-neck speed of change in the consumer marketplace (and slightly slower-to-respond industrial and professional service marketplaces). Wasn&#8217;t it just yesterday that $137 Kindle electronic readers were $400?</p>
<p><strong>Without belaboring</strong> what&#8217;s prompted all the consumer scrambling for better greener quality with better warranty coverage at lower prices and faster delivery with improved customer service &#8211;because everyone is acutely aware of the maddening pace of information access and exchange&#8211; suffice it to say that marketing tools, methods, approaches, and people must rise to the occasion.</p>
<p><strong>The place to start</strong> is at the point of word creation. <em>If the words you use to market your business don&#8217;t work, nothing else can work</em>.</p>
<p><strong>If the words you&#8217;re using</strong> aren&#8217;t doing the job, it doesn&#8217;t matter how dramatic your graphic designs are, how friendly your website is, what fantastic salespeople you have, how terrific your operations are, how low your overhead is, how many awards you&#8217;ve won, or how spectacularly your products and services perform.</p>
<h6>                                                          </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>It doesn&#8217;t matter</em></span>.</h2>
<h6>                                                                 </h6>
<p><strong>What does matter</strong> are the words you use to get your prospects and customers to be aware of and buy into all of those assets of yours.</p>
<p><strong>Business owners </strong>need to be evaluating their market performance daily, not quarterly or monthly, or even weekly.</p>
<p><strong>In this centrifuge</strong> of market activity &#8212; unless you enjoy being thrown up against a high-speed spinning back wall, <em>anything less than some form of daily analysis will not leave you enough time to adjust today what did or didn&#8217;t happen yesterday.</em></p>
<p><strong>This doesn&#8217;t mean </strong>you need to get yourself caught up in some kind of delirium and start behaving like The Mad Hatter. It means you need to keep a sharper eye on the changes that are taking place, even as you read this, and be prepared to make adjustments if and when and as they become necessary . . . not a month later. </p>
<p><strong>Except for branding themes</strong> and policies, marketing words can be changed in a day! If your words are not doing what you need them to be doing this morning, change them tonight.</p>
<p><strong>It&#8217;s true that one word is worth a thousand pictures</strong>. Not convinced? Consider how many images your mind can produce when you see or hear any of the following words:</p>
<ul>
<li>AMERICA</li>
<li>TODDLER</li>
<li>GORGEOUS</li>
<li>STRESS</li>
<li>FREE</li>
<li>HAPPY</li>
<li>HOME</li>
<li>NOW</li>
<li>HEALTHY</li>
<li>NEW</li>
<li>LOVE</li>
<li>WATERFRONT</li>
<li>BIRTHDAY</li>
<li>PUPPY   </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>KILLING YOUR SELF PRIDE</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/killing-your-self-pride/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/killing-your-self-pride/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:31:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[An object in motion tends to stay in motion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Behavior Is A Choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Controling behavior is a choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Well-Being]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goal pursuits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Growth and survival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Healing Energy In]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Immobilization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management Consultant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poor Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Pride]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sidetracking Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress and Tension Out]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stubborness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Under-Capitalization]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4572</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;You must be very
                                            
  proud of yourself!&#8221;
                                     
&#8220;No, I own a business 
                                     
and I have a life!&#8221;
                                                                    
Self-pride can, and almost always does, get in the way of progress &#8212; and even survival!
Self-pride. Now isn&#8217;t that like stubbornness? &#8220;Stop being so stubborn,&#8221; my stubborn mother used to say, &#8220;it&#8217;s gonna get you in trouble. People [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">&#8220;You must be very</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                            </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">  proud of yourself!&#8221;</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                     </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000080;">&#8220;No, I own a business </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                     </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000080;">and I have a life!&#8221;</span></h1>
<h6>                                                                    </h6>
<p><strong>Self-pride</strong> can, and almost always does, get in the way of progress &#8212; <em>and even survival!</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Self-pride.</strong> Now isn&#8217;t that like stubbornness? <em>&#8220;Stop being so stubborn,&#8221;</em> my stubborn mother used to say, <em>&#8220;it&#8217;s gonna get you in trouble. People care about you as a person and they respect what you&#8217;ve accomplished, but no body cares about your honor except you   . . . not even me!&#8221;</em></p>
<p><strong>So, yes, I am the son of a wise mother.</strong></p>
<p><strong>As a management consultant</strong> and entrepreneur coach for many years, I&#8217;ve seen my share of business and life failures. Research studies always point parental fingers to &#8220;being under-capitalized&#8221; as symptomatic of poor management and the key reason for business failure.</p>
<p><strong>But rarely</strong> does anyone look beyond &#8220;poor management&#8221; being the ultimate culprit to see what else is lurking in the shadows . . . what else is there to account for business and life failures?</p>
<p><strong>Someone should be looking. Why?</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #800000;"><em>Because at the end of this fraying personal and business lifeline is a very heavy anchor that is best categorized as self-pride. It&#8217;s something that happens when you choose to get sidetracked from your business and life pursuits, to deal with some imagined threat to your ego.</em></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>You put day-to-day operations</strong> off to the side to entangle yourself in a legal suit that you know you&#8217;re right about just to gloat in satisfaction at having humiliated an annoying competitor, or to realize a thousand dollars payoff after legal expenses.</p>
<p><strong>How much business is lost</strong> in the process of your ego-indulging diversions?</p>
<p><strong>The minute the sidetracking starts</strong>, it has a tendency (like <em>An object in motion tends to stay in motion</em>) to snowball itself into an avalanche. And it doesn&#8217;t take long (sometimes just minutes!) to get to the point of completely immobilizing growth and survival modes.</p>
<p><strong>In minor role applications</strong>, the sidetracking diverts needed attention from goal pursuits, family well-being, and from business and career opportunities and success.</p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Turning your spotlight</strong> inward takes the focus away from where you&#8217;re headed, and when it gets dark &#8212; you&#8217;re bound to trip over or run into some thing. You may or may not get up, or be able to.</em></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>In major role applications</strong> of this sidetracking, businesses go bankrupt, couples get divorced, children get abandoned, and some people can end up depressed enough to be taking their own lives as their failures become more pronounced.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">What to do? </span></h2>
<p><strong>There&#8217;s always choice</strong> involved. Turn the other cheek! Why not? Is letting go so hard when you consider the consequences of holding on?</p>
<p><strong>When you choose</strong> to feel insulted (you&#8217;ll know when you feel your face flush or knees wobble or stomach churn or head ache or fists clench), you need choose to stop where you are and stop whatever you&#8217;re doing.</p>
<p><strong>Force yourself</strong> to take some (at least 3 or 4) really deep breaths, while saying to yourself with each inhale, &#8220;Healing energy into my body!&#8221; and with each exhale, &#8220;Stress and tension out of my body!&#8221; Remind yourself again that your behavior is your choice!</p>
<p><strong>You can choose</strong> to escalate a situation or simply back away from it because it gets in the way of your success (and presumably because you prefer success to getting sidetracked). Getting (choosing to be) sidetracked is simply an admission that you have chosen for someone <em>else</em> to get inside your brain and control your behavior.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Don&#8217;t choose your self-pride over your self!</span></h2>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>EXCUSES: DISHONORABLE INTENTIONS?</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/excuses-dishonorable-intentions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/excuses-dishonorable-intentions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:17:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Objectives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teamwork]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Appreciate differences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Be Kinder Than Usual]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bill Gayes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cyberspace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dishonorable excuses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Excuses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henry Ford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humans crave recognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership by example. intentional excuses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mary Kay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Offering encouragement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productive Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reacting sets up-reacting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ReACTING vs. ReSPONDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The check's in the mail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The opposite of love is not hate - it's indifference]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The check&#8217;s in the mail. 
                               
I&#8217;ll get back to you Friday.
                                                          
I&#8217;ll send you that update
                                 
the minute it comes in. 
                                        
As soon as we get your  
                                                                  
invoice. When shipment 
                                        
arrives. But I never got 
                                                                         
your note. Your email 
                                
must have gotten lost in 
                          
Cyberspace. Oh, that?  
                             
That was a warning?
                                      [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">The check&#8217;s in the mail. </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                               </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">I&#8217;ll get back <em>to you Friday.</em></span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                                          </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">I&#8217;ll send you that update</span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                 </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">the minute it comes in. </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                        </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">As soon as we get your  </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                  </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">invoice. When </span></em><em><span style="color: #800000;">shipment </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                        </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">arrives. But I never got </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em></em><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                         </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">your note. Your </span></em><em><span style="color: #800000;">email </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">must have gotten lost in </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                          </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">Cyberspace. Oh, that? </span></em><em><span style="color: #800000;"> </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                             </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">T<em>hat </em>was <em>a warning?</em></span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;"><em>                                                      </em></span></em>                                                                       </h6>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>You&#8217;ve heard it all, right?</strong> Maybe you&#8217;ve even said some of it yourself. But when your intentions are genuine and sincere, nothing can be more frustrating than hearing a pile of excuses . . . from a customer, a prospect, a supplier, an investor, an employee, a boss.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">  <strong>   So, what&#8217;s the magic answer?</strong> It&#8217;s somewhere <em>within yourself</em>. You may not be able to control the attitudes that give birth to replies like these, but you can control your<em> own</em> attitude. You, in fact, are the only one who can.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">  <strong>   And by controlling</strong> your own response to the excuses you hear, you are cultivating an opportunity for yourself to set a true leadership example. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">By setting an example, you</span>:  </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>A) Keep your emotions out of the fray and </strong></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>B) May actually influence the offender to re-visit her or his initial behavior or verbal representation of it, and reconsider a better, more productive, higher integrity avenue.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>Perhaps you&#8217;re not</strong> Henry Ford or Bill Gates or Mary Kay, and the idea of changing the world is not on your breakfast plate, but &#8212; as a small business owner or manager or entrepreneur &#8212; <em>you are in an extraordinarily unique position to make a difference for yourself, for your family, and for those you work with, simply by choosing to respond instead of react.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #800000;">Besides, if you never react, you can never over-react!</span></span></h2>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                            </span></span></h6>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>People offer excuses</strong> to cover their own feelings of inadequacy. Most of the time, you can probably count on excuses being not so much intentionally dishonorable as a shortcoming of the person who&#8217;s offering them up in the self-esteem category. Some people who feel they can&#8217;t get positive recognition will opt instead for negative recognition because it&#8217;s at least <em>some </em>recognition.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>Humans crave</strong> recognition. And some recognition always beats indifference. </span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">The opposite of love is not hate; it&#8217;s indifference!</span></h2>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                                 </span></h6>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">   <strong>  When you hear excuses</strong>, appreciate the insecurities behind them. When it&#8217;s possible to overlook them, do it and then make a point of offering (genuine) appreciation for instances of getting a job done without a presentation of reasons why it didn&#8217;t get done. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    <strong> Offer more</strong> encouragement than you might usually provide. Be kinder than you might usually be (because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle). Appreciate differences in perso0nalities and behaviors and help others to grasp the choosing behavior idea through your examples. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>     Excuses are a way of life</strong>, but they are not always intentional or dishonorable. When you give the benefit of doubt to others, you may get bit in the butt a few times, but you&#8217;ll be serving the important purpose of minimizing anxieties and demonstrating productive leadership traits most of the time.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>     The captain</strong> who keeps an even keel and balanced ship through stormy seas marks every journey with success.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"> </span><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a><span style="color: #800000;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span>or 302.933.0116 or </span><a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #800000;">  </span></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and America’s Troops</span>. <em><span style="color: #0000ff;">“</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</span></em><span style="color: #0000ff;"> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
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		<title>BUSINESS HEALTH</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/business-health/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/business-health/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:03:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[All of your thoughts and behaviors are the result of a choice you make or have made - conscious or unconscious]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bad choices have a way of steamrollering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business stress spreads like wildfire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheeseburgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cigars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decide what's important and what needs to come first...then do it!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fried chicken]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[It's never too late to recognize that you ARE your body]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[minimal exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nightly drinks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[No one can reach inside your brain and control you]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Not sleeping much lately]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paying for your business with your health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[speeding ticket]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stomachache]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress a conscious or unconscious choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress and health solutions only happen if you choose for them to happen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The only answers to personal and business-related problems that work must come from inside you]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[toothache]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[using cell phone while driving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Without reasonable good health you cannot have a reasonably good business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4312</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you paying for your 
                                            
business with your health?
                                                           

&#8220;Hey, How&#8217;s it goin&#8217;?&#8221;
&#8220;Great! Second quarter sales have picked up and it looks like we&#8217;ll be steady through September. I&#8217;ve had to cut staffing, but the people who are still here are working double-time with me and keeping things on a roll.&#8221;
&#8220;Good to hear, but you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Are you paying for your </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                            </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">business with your health?</span></h1>
<h6>                                                           </h6>
<blockquote>
<h3><em>&#8220;Hey, How&#8217;s it goin&#8217;?&#8221;</em></h3>
<h3><em>&#8220;Great! Second quarter sales have picked up and it looks like we&#8217;ll be steady through September. I&#8217;ve had to cut staffing, but the people who are still here are working double-time with me and keeping things on a roll.&#8221;</em></h3>
<h3><em>&#8220;Good to hear, but you look, um, tired?&#8221;</em></h3>
<h3><em>&#8220;Yeah, well I haven&#8217;t been sleeping much and I was up all night with a toothache, and my stomach &#8211;aw, must of been something I ate&#8211; anyway, keeping the business alive takes it&#8217;s toll, y&#8217;know? Like that speeding ticket I just got cause I was thinking about this guy I was talking with on my cell phone instead of the gas pedal.&#8221;</em></h3>
</blockquote>
<p>    <strong> Indeed.</strong> Every one who owns and/or operates or manages a business knows this nasty little secret: Business stress is consuming. It spreads like wildfire and leaves little in its path besides smoldering ashes. Yeah, yeah, I know you know, but what you probably forgot is that you bring it on yourself. Sometimes disguised as unconscious, it&#8217;s usually the result of a conscious choice.</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>&#8220;If I grab this quick cheeseburger</strong>, I can keep working on my projects and not have to take a whole big long break to sit down in some restaurant while nothing gets done.&#8221;</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>&#8220;I get enough exercise</strong>. I pace around the worksite all day. Who needs to swim laps or workout in a gym with muscleheads?&#8221;</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>&#8220;I know I&#8217;ve been snapping</strong> at my family lately, but if I wasn&#8217;t bringing home enough to feed and clothe them and keep a roof over their heads, where would we be?&#8221;</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>&#8220;Relax?</strong> Sure, I get my couple or three drinks in every night . . . and even sneak in a cigar or two on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.&#8221;</span></li>
</ul>
<p>   <strong>  Nobody likes to admit</strong> that they made bad choices. So one bad choice often has a way of lumping itself right onto another one. Bad choices have a way of steamrollering. If you choose for them to do that. Ah, there&#8217;s that insulting &#8220;choice&#8221; word again. &#8220;Hey, I had three cheeseburgers yesterday; how about choosing a bucket of fried chicken today instead?&#8221;</p>
<p>     <strong>If any of this sounds at all familiar</strong>, you are not likely to respond well to a lecture and will delete this in a flash, so we won&#8217;t go there.</p>
<p>     <strong>If you&#8217;re at a point</strong> where you&#8217;ve made an honest decision to do better with yourself because you&#8217;ve concluded there&#8217;s only one <em>self </em>to go around in life, and now you&#8217;re looking for quick-fix answers, stop!</p>
<p>    <strong> Whatever answers you get </strong>that could possibly make a difference will have to come from inside you anyway, not from healthcare experts, not from healthcare pretenders, not from those all-natural treatments, pills, liquids, injections, organic this and thats or limiting everything you eat to stuff that has no eyes, or from ingesting magic books and tapes and CDs and DVDs and website videos.</p>
<p>     <strong>Those are all very nice things</strong> but they won&#8217;t make anything happen that you don&#8217;t want to happen.</p>
<p>    <strong> The only answers</strong> to your business health and personal health problems that can possibly work are those that come from <em>inside </em>you, from knowing that no one else can reach into your brain and control you, and that all of your thoughts and behaviors are chosen by you, or exist because of some other choices you made in the recent or distant past.</p>
<h6>                                                                                 </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">It&#8217;s never too late to choose to </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">recognize that you ARE your body. </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Without reasonable good health, you</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">cannot have a reasonably good business.</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Decide what&#8217;s important, and what </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">    needs to come first . . . then <em>do it!</em>    </span></h2>
<h6>                                                                   </h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;">  </span></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and America&#8217;s Troops.</span> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson]  </span><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>WHISTLING ON THE JOB</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/whistling-on-the-job/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/whistling-on-the-job/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:48:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creative Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delegation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humor/Satire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teamwork]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are You Breathing?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autobiography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Be Happy Don't "Work"!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costa Rican jungles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Doing work that makes you happy lowers blood pressure and reduces stress and leads to a happier and healthier existence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[If you're happy at work it's not "work"!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Judge Judy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Memoir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pat yourself on the back]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Take a deep breath]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Boss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What are your roadblocks?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[You CHOOSE the path you're on]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[YOU CONTROL YOU!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4292</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Be Happy&#8230;
                                    
 Don&#8217;t &#8220;Work&#8221;
                                                                    
     Whatever kind of work makes you feel happy is the kind of work you need to be constantly moving toward and doing more of.  Because when you do what makes you happy, you&#8217;ll perform with greater confidence and competence. You&#8217;ll also never tire of it, and guess what? You not likely to ever [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Be Happy&#8230;</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                    </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"> Don&#8217;t &#8220;Work&#8221;</span></h1>
<h6>                                                                    </h6>
<p>     <strong>Whatever kind of work</strong> makes you feel happy is the kind of work you need to be constantly moving toward and doing more of.  Because when you do what makes you happy, you&#8217;ll perform with greater confidence and competence. You&#8217;ll also never tire of it, and guess what? You not likely to ever think of it as &#8220;work.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote>
<h2><em><span style="color: #800000;">On top of all that, doing work that makes you happy has long been proven to lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and lead to a happier, healthier existence . . . mentally, emotionally, physically, financially, and spiritually. What&#8217;s not to like about that? </span></em></h2>
</blockquote>
<p>    <strong> Okay, so how to get started?</strong>  First, don&#8217;t pile all kinds of excuses in your face. You think because you own or manage a business, that you&#8217;re hooked into a slot you need to stay in to keep things moving? Nonsense. You&#8217;re no different than anyone else if you&#8217;re doing daily tasks that make you miserable. You need a target. Maybe, if you&#8217;re the boss, your target is moving. So what? You&#8217;re a mover to start with or you wouldn&#8217;t be the boss!.</p>
<p>    <strong> So take a deep breath</strong> <a href="http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy">http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy</a> and begin by clearly defining as exactly and specifically as possible what kinds of work make you feel most upbeat and positive and rewarded. Write this little bullet list down on paper. Try to avoid generalizations and generalities. You might want to carry your list with you for a day or so and edit it as new ideas come and go.</p>
<p>     <strong>You can&#8217;t tell</strong> where you&#8217;re going if you don&#8217;t know where you&#8217;ve been. So next, take a little inventory of where you are and how you got to where you are. This doesn&#8217;t need to be a memoir or autobiography. A couple of concise sentences should do the job. Be sure to include a one-liner that describes what kind of work you&#8217;re currently doing. If you&#8217;re the boss, itemize the parts of the job you hate.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Now you need to step back and become Judge Judy. </span></h2>
<h6>                                                               </h6>
<p>     <strong>Look critically and suspiciously</strong> at where you are, where you&#8217;ve been, where you want to go, and &#8211;BANG!&#8211; what&#8217;re the roadblocks you&#8217;re choosing to hold yourself back. Don&#8217;t give yourself excuses for why you haven&#8217;t done something sooner or why you think you can&#8217;t . . . deal with the roadblocks. What are they? How many? Priority rank?</p>
<p>     <strong>Hey, you&#8217;re doing great!</strong> You read this far so it proves you care enough about you to get the genuine you on track with where you need to be, doing what you most enjoy, instead of continuing to choose self-destruct no-outlet paths for yourself. Pat yourself on the back. Now take a good long hard look at how far you are from where you want to be and then decide the most workable route. Plan for detours.</p>
<p>     <strong>Pulling up stakes and moving to a hammock in the Costa Rican jungles</strong> may not be the best answer. But the bottom line is that you are the only one on Earth who knows what the answer is. and the only one who can decide how and when to proceed.</p>
<h6>                                                                </h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">You control you. </span></h1>
<h6>                                                                 </h6>
<p>     <strong>Short of perhaps physical threat</strong>, no one else can reach into your mind and force you to behave in certain ways. And no one under any circumstances can control the way you think, besides you. So what are you waiting for? If you&#8217;re not happy with your job or tasks you&#8217;re doing, start choosing to do something about it. If you&#8217;re happy at work, it&#8217;s not &#8220;work.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and our troops.</span> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span> <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Self-Awareness&#8212;&gt; SALES!</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/self-awareness-sales/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/self-awareness-sales/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 01:53:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Expectations Breed Disappointment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Focus on constantly learning about what makes you "tick" generates greater insight to others]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Focus on the present (here and now) moment generates increased sense of reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Increased self-awareness is a cornerstone of true leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Increased self-awareness is the key to human authenticity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Increased self-awareness translates to exceptional sales and customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nothing can be done to change past moments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The financial and emotional and mental and physical and spiritual ROI of self-awareness can be astronomical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What are you learning about yourSELF right this minute?]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4284</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What I am learning about 
                                   
me right this minute is&#8230;?
                                                                                
     A scene from my new novel manuscript traces its roots to my professor years when I would challenge students 5-10 times per class to complete the blank ending to the statement: &#8220;What I am learning about myself right now is . . . ?&#8221;
     [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">What I am learning about </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>                                   </em></span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">me</span></em> right this minute is&#8230;?</span></h1>
<h6><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                                </span></h6>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    <strong> A scene from</strong> my new novel manuscript traces its roots to my professor years when I would challenge students 5-10 times per class to complete the blank ending to the statement: &#8220;<span style="color: #800000;">What I am learning about my<em>self</em> right now is . . . ?&#8221;</span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>The repeated question</strong> and the answers, no matter what they are, or who offers them, achieve two primary objectives for human growth and development: </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>1) <span style="color: #000000;">The question itself literally forces increased awareness of the present (here and now) moment, which is of course the only true reality, and </span></strong></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>2) <span style="color: #000000;">The answers force increased awareness of the self.</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> <strong>    &#8220;Why would I want to know more about me?&#8221;</strong> is a question often offered in response to the question. And the answer to that one is that the more each of us knows about ourselves and what it is that makes each of us &#8220;tick,&#8221; so to speak, the better equipped we are to more easily relate to and communicate with and understand others.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>In business</strong>, increased self-awareness translates to exceptional sales and exceptional customer service. In management, it is the cornerstone of true leadership. In life, it is the key to human authenticity.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    <strong> So, let&#8217;s backtrack</strong> here a minute . . . increased awareness of the present moment. Is there any other? Are not the past and future moments we tend to dwell on and worry about simply reservoirs of fantasy? They&#8217;re not here now. </span></p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #666699;"><strong><span style="color: #999999;">If the moments are past</span></strong><span style="color: #999999;">, nothing can be done to change them. Though memories can be educational and also soothing, when we reach the point of <em>dwelling </em>on them, we are pushing the emotionally unhealthy envelope of make-believe, and losing sight of what&#8217;s right in front of us.</span></span></h2>
<h2><span style="color: #999999;"><strong>If the moments haven&#8217;t come yet</strong>, they may never. <em>Expectations</em> can be fun, but they also <em>breed disappointment</em>. Planning is an important function for all humans, yet when we reach the point of <em>worrying</em> about what hasn&#8217;t yet come. we are pushing that emotionally unhealthy envelope of make-believe &#8211; also losing sight of what&#8217;s right in front of us.</span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>So there you have a gourmet serving</strong> of reasons to want to be learning as much about your <em>self </em>as you possibly can. When? As many waking moments of your day-to-day existence as you can muster. The financial, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual ROI (Return On Investment, for our non-business-minded visitors) can be astronomical. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    <strong> You needn&#8217;t look far</strong> for great achievers in every walk of life who have strongly endorsed or who presently do underscore this thinking. Will you? What does it take for you to make the choice to open this focus? What are you learning about yourself right <em>this </em>minute?     </span></p>
<h6><span style="color: #000000;">                                                                            </span></h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.TWWsells.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;">  </span></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and our troops. </span><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day</span>!</h6>
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		<item>
		<title>Living on the edge . . .</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/living-on-the-edge-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/living-on-the-edge-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:09:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delegation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accident-proneness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anxiety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caffeine-loading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coffee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energy Drinks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Got Milk?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[illnesses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insomnia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prompting physical and emotional and psychological ailments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Bull]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sidestepping issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The majority of America's workforce is unhappy with work and relationships and sleep and money situations and over-caffeined]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unhappy work situations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[You're the boss but you're not a happy camper]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4272</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You&#8217;re the boss, but  
                                                      
are you a happy camper?
                                                      
     If you&#8217;re not a professional athlete and you need energy drinks to keep afloat, or nine or ten cups of coffee every day just to stay alert, on track, and in control, you are definitely not a happy camper.
     You are fighting with yourself and not sleeping [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">You&#8217;re the boss, but  </span></h1>
<h6>                                                      </h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">are you a happy camper?</span></h1>
<h6>                                                      </h6>
<p>   <strong>  If you&#8217;re</strong> not a professional athlete and you need energy drinks to keep afloat, or nine or ten cups of coffee every day just to stay alert, on track, and in control, you are definitely not a happy camper.</p>
<p>     <strong>You are fighting with yourself and not sleeping much.</strong></p>
<p>     <strong>But you&#8217;re not alone.</strong> You definitely don&#8217;t want to hear the latest findings about unhappy work situations, depression, anxiety, stress, illnesses, accident-proneness, and insomnia.</p>
<p>     <strong>Just know</strong> that the numbers are staggering enough to underscore that you&#8217;re in good company, or perhaps <em>bad</em> company as it may be (?).</p>
<p>     <strong>Just an awareness</strong> of how common these issues are should prompt you to pursue your options.</p>
<p>     <strong>But odds are &#8211;</strong>like a student I remember telling me didn&#8217;t think he had enough time to take my time management course &#8212; that you continue to manage to sidestep alternative ways of thinking. What&#8217;s that &#8220;Got Milk?&#8221; thing? Uh, got excuses? </p>
<p>     <strong>Sidestepping</strong> is an art form all by itself. Sometimes it&#8217;s in your own or others&#8217; best interests. Sometimes it&#8217;s not.</p>
<p>    <strong> Sidestepping is </strong><em><strong>not</strong> </em>in your own and others&#8217; best interests when it puts your life or the lives of others <em>on the edge</em> . . . hanging precipitously on the cusp of the kinds of physical, emotional and psychological ailments itemized in the third paragraph above.</p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #800000;"><em>Suffice it to say that being overworked, unhappy in relationships, constantly worried about money, jacked up on caffeine, and never sleeping enough is a description that probably fits &#8212; at least in part &#8212; the majority of Americans in today&#8217;s workforce.&#8221; </em></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p>    <strong> Sidestepping is <em>not</em></strong> in your own or others&#8217; best interests when you foster or nurture worklife environments that breed these kinds of symptoms.   <strong>Are you breathing?</strong> <a href="http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy</span></a>    </p>
<p>     <strong>Does this mean </strong>you need to be the Sheriff of Civility, and fire offenders, or put them behind bars? Silly, huh? Well how silly is it that you consistently choose to set yourself up to get whacked out by stress, and become the poster-boy or poster-girl for serving up on-the-job heart attack appetizers by setting a lousy example?</p>
<p>  <strong>   What if you </strong>came in to work tomorrow morning and drank juice or water instead of Red Bull or whatever it is that presently floats your boat? (Careful to wean off the caffeine unless you enjoy headaches.) Would people notice? Of course. Would they tease and whisper? Of course. Would it prompt them to think twice about their own caffeine-loading habits?  Of course.</p>
<p>    <strong> And would choosing</strong> to change that simple behavior be a good thing overall for productivity, customer service, sales,  operations, and your own well-being? Of course. Will it happen overnight? Now, come on, how long did it take to work up to nine or ten daily cups of coffee, or get everybody hooked on energy drinks? </p>
<p>     <strong>This isn&#8217;t about</strong> three or four cups of coffee a day, or getting into occasional bad moods, or interfering in people&#8217;s personal lives. It&#8217;s about closing the floodgates.</p>
<p>     <strong>This is about</strong> recognizing you have a chance to help others to live more enjoyable and rewarding lives by making the conscious choice to help yourself to do that, and setting an example . . . it&#8217;s about making that choice over and over every day.</p>
<h6>                                                                                                         </h6>
<p>    <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and our troops.</span> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BUSINESS LIFE</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/business-life/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/business-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:25:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creative Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are You Breathing? http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you setting a trap for yourself to start to think your life is also a business?.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breaks are rests for your brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breaks pay you back with increased energy and productivity and innovativeness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consider asking yourself more questions before you start looking for answers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Do you find the expression "Yes but . . ." creeping into more of your answers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[If you can respond instead of react you can never over-react]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life is just a bowl of worries http://bit.ly/bdRd19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pushing paperwork aside]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Bull]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saint Bernard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[When did you last stop to smell the roses?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Your business may be your life but your life is not a business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4096</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Your business may 
                                          
be your life, but your 
                                         
life is not a business!
                                                                                                        
     Entrepreneur, right? So what does it take to jolt your brain out of that innovative thinking tunnel long enough to appreciate and enjoy some of the real-life reasons you exist on this planet to begin with? (Clue: This is not [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Your business may </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                          </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">be your life, but your </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                         </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">life is not a business!</span></h1>
<h6>                                                                                                        </h6>
<p>    <strong> Entrepreneur</strong>, right? So what does it take to jolt your brain out of that innovative thinking tunnel long enough to appreciate and enjoy some of the real-life reasons you exist on this planet to begin with? (Clue: This is <em>not</em> a Red Bull chug-a-lug contest idea!)</p>
<p>    <strong> Will</strong> a family birth deliver enough power surge to give you a wake-up call? Not enough? How about a couple of funerals? Maybe a fender bender or stepping in your neighbor&#8217;s Saint Bernard&#8217;s leavings when you&#8217;re running late and rushing to an important meeting? A nasty bill collector pounding on your door?</p>
<p>     <strong>Stop</strong> for a minute. You&#8217;ve read this far looking for some kind of answer or provocation or support or or assessment tool, but maybe you need to consider asking yourself more <em>questions </em>before you start looking for <em>answers</em>?</p>
<p>     <strong>When</strong>, for example, did you last stop to smell the roses? Literally. Be honest here; no one else is looking. When did you last interrupt your compulsive workday habits to sniff?</p>
<p>    <strong> When did you </strong>last push the paperwork aside to give your complete attention to a troubled associate, employee, supplier, or customer? Did it make you crazy to have to shift gears out of your head space and into someone else&#8217;s?</p>
<p>     <strong>After all</strong>, life is just a bowl of worries, you might think, so why get caught up in other people&#8217;s bowls? <a href="http://bit.ly/bdRd19"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://bit.ly/bdRd19</span></a> </p>
<p>     <strong>When you</strong> make yourself too busy to socialize or too busy to deal with priorities, inventory your actions to make sure you&#8217;re not just doing tasks of avoidance. Do you find the expression, &#8220;Yes, but . . .&#8221; (or the sentiments it represents) creeping into more and more of your answers. Are your responses to questions starting to sound more like reactions, or excuses?</p>
<p>     <strong>If you</strong> can respond instead of react, you can never <em>over</em>-react!</p>
<p>     <strong>Are you breathing?</strong><span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy</span></a></p>
<p>     <strong>Your business</strong> may occupy most of your waking hours (and probably some dream time too!), but neglecting your health &#8212; eating, drinking, sleeping, and exercise habits &#8212; and neglecting your family and friends and neighbors and community, is not a good trade-off (unless of course you&#8217;re bucking to be the object of one of those funerals mentioned earlier)!</p>
<p>     <strong>The better you are</strong> at business, the more focused you are on your business, the more rewarding your business efforts, <em>the greater the odds that you are setting a trap for yourself to start to think your life is also a business</em>, or is part of your business pursuits. You will start making excuses to your<em>self </em>about why you need to stay on the job, to the point of being a crispy, well-done burn-out.</p>
<p>     <strong>You </strong>may start to look on life, and manage and operate it as if it were a business. This is clearly not a healthy place for anyone to be. Breaks are more than pulling yourself away from the desk or workspace. Breaks are rests for your brain that are like investments, and that will pay back with ever increased energy, productivity, and innovativeness when you return to your career pursuits.</p>
<p>     <strong>You</strong> need &#8216;em. Take &#8216;em! If you can&#8217;t do it, get some professional help . . . no excuses. </p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </h6>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and our troops. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]  Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
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