The Decision Is Yours

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae that we quickly lose sight of the big picture. Many who report having paused long enough to reflect on where they’ve been have concluded that they’ve squandered much of their precious time on earth.Even those who have secured enviable positions of power and material wealth admit that their decisions to follow these paths have come with real costs  in relationships and precious moments that can’t be replaced. This doesn’t have to be you.The path that you choose is your decision and yours alone. The only correct answer is the one that feels best for you. As George Eliot once said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” The key is to establish goals that matter most to you and your loved ones, align your priorities around these goals, and then pursue them, while taking time to enjoy your life and remain true to yourself and to those who love you.Your goal shouldn’t be cramming as much stuff as possible into your life. You’d think we’d have learned something from watching a hamster run around on its exercise wheel. Success and happiness are achieved by spending time and attention in areas that really matter to you. No matter how old you are, you still have time to change course. As Alan Lakein once said, “Time = Life, Therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life.” Are you spending your precious time in the areas that matter most to you? It’s your choice.

Theres No Dress Rehearsal In Life

“She called me a bad name.” “He took my toy.” “She didn’t like my dress.” “I had it first.” Ah yes, the thrill of being young again.
Remember how important these things seemed when we were young? In retrospect, they now seem so trivial.
Of course, as we get older and wiser, we focus on important things, like showing our friends how successful we’ve become, outflanking others to get a promotion, keeping up with the Joneses, and ensuring that we look young — forever. You’d think we’d have learned something from our kindergarten days, wouldn’t you?
The truth is, we’re often so busy running on our treadmill to nowhere that we can lose focus on the things that really matter in life. Before we know it, the seconds have become minutes, the days have become weeks, and the months have become years. And when we finally take time to catch our breath, we look back in retrospect and think, “Where did all the time go?”
It’s so easy to be blinded by ambition, power, and success that many folks miss out on the simple pleasures of life. For example, did your children’s birthday parties, Little League games, or dance recitals make your priority list? Were you available to counsel your friend in need? Did you make the time to help your kids with their homework, to attend back-to-school nights, or to put down your newspaper/telephone/iPad when your family wanted to tell you about their day? Or was something else more important to you at the time?
Now, I know that you lead a hectic life and that you’re getting pulled in a million different directions. The truth is, it’s not that you don’t have enough time to devote to things that matter to you — but rather, the time needed was spent doing something else.
It goes without saying that every time you decide to focus on one thing in your life, you’ve also decided not to spend that time on something else.
Unfortunately, once opportunities are lost, they’re often lost forever — life doesn’t come with a dress rehearsal. So, if you think you may regret the path you’re on, it may be time to change course.

Expectations Is The Key

A good precept to follow is to underpromise but overdeliver. Always try to do just a little more than the client expects. This can best be accomplished if you understand how expectations are created. Sometimes they are based on hearsay; for example, a client may get a rave review about you or your organization from friends. Expectations can also be based on advertising claims or on a prior experience: “Vendors have always provided me with terrific service.” Other times they are the result of personal expectations.
Once you understand how expectations are created, you can manage them:

• Carefully examine the situation for all possible problems before making promises about timing, costs, product performance, or service.
• When marketing intangibles, fully describe your end product so clients know what they will receive (and can avoid surprises).
• If clients request changes that translate into additional costs, be sure to spell them out as they are incurred to minimize the shock when the bill arrives.
• Explain tactfully that delays in receiving approval may translate into delays in the final delivery.
• When you know of delays or problems, don’t wait till they compound; bring problems to the client’s attention at the earliest possible moment.
• Be conservative in your estimates rather than promising the world and falling short on your promises.
• Don’t be afraid to be human––to say that you can’t deliver when it’s not possible.

Friends For Life

Are you a good friend? Let’s look at some of the telltale signs. A true friend takes action before a request is made; she volunteers to be the designated driver on New Year’s Eve; he helps himself to a beer rather than wanting to be “waited on”; she doesn’t take the picture because she’s expected to be included in the family photo; he doesn’t leave the party with the crowd but instead, stays to clean up the mess; she hears what you said, but also hears what you didn’t say; when he is awakened by your call, he still says he’s so glad to hear from you; she throws you a celebration party even though you beat her out for the promotion; he knows it’s only an argument and not the end of the friendship; she loses more sleep over your problems than over her own; he knows you’d give him the shirt off your back, although he’d never ask; she gives you the bigger piece of cake, even if it’s chocolate.
Being a friend involves so much more than doing a favor for someone or having an occasional chat on social media. It means more than sharing a sandwich or an occasional smile. Friends are people who share one another’s dreams, open their hearts, and complete one another’s life. As Muhammad Ali once said, “Friendship . . . is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”

Stages Of Friendship

There are several different stages of a friendship — beginning with casual acquaintance, then meaningful relationship, and finally, lasting friendship. While social media helps us keep in touch with our casual acquaintances, meaningful relationships require something more, while lasting friendships demand still greater personal commitment.

There More To Friendship

When I was young, my friend let me borrow the red crayon from his new box. So I let him ride my bike. When we got older, my friend defended me in a snowball fight and sat with me at lunch so I wouldn’t have to eat alone. Years later, when we were in high school, and I had forgotten my book, my friend “saved my life” by lending me her book so I could do my homework. What would I do without true friends?
Your definition of friendship may change during your lifetime, but its value won’t. True friends have fun together, even when they’re doing nothing special. They communicate without talking and seem close despite living miles apart. True friends take time to listen to your problem when you’re having a terrible day and help you find the sun on a stormy day. True friends are a source of honest feedback and continuous support. They watch your back, preserve your innermost secrets, and lend you a shoulder when things go south — they even know when you need your space.
True friends tell you the truth — even when it hurts — and they put up with you when you’re in a miserable mood. Since true friends know you better than you do, they know when you can, even when you think you can’t. And although they’ll help make you a better person, true friends won’t keep score. You can always be yourself around your true friends. They accept you for who you are rather than for who they want you to be. And, that’s because a true friend cares about your happiness and loves you unconditionally. As Elbert Hubbard said, “A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.”

 

What Causes Business Relationships To Fail

There isn’t a single set of rules to achieve success, but there are certain behaviors that should be avoided. For example, partnerships cannot succeed if a partner is kept in the dark and is unaware of key events. Partnerships also cannot succeed when one partner attempts to gain the upper hand or has selfish motives. Furthermore, partnerships cannot succeed if they involve scapegoating; everyone should have a vested interest in the venture’s success.
Relationships fail for many reasons; some important ones are: