Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.

Mistakes

We’re glad to have you with us.

In life, we all look at things. We look at the road not taken. We look at the might have been. And, we take stock of the, “how did I get here?”

We should be careful when looking at what could’ve been in the past. We are mostly sane rational people who strive to do our best. Do we make mistakes along the way? Of course, we do. Remember though it is only a mistake the second time we do it. The first time we error we need to look at it as a learning opportunity.

If we can understand why something went wrong and set actions and motion to try not to do that again, we have learned something. Does that mean will always make errors only once? I am afraid not. Often, not careful, we can make the same mistakes again and again. The more we pay attention, though, the higher our great can grow through effort.

Some people make lists of do’s and don’ts. Others, draw maps with goals and milestones. Some people just say wow I’ll never do that again. And some people just chalk it up to fate.

I believe that fate is what we make of things. If I’ve done something wrong and don’t take some steps to correct it, I am likely to repeat those mistakes. I believe if I take positive corrective action, I am more likely to succeed the next time the same circumstances up.

Please don’t take my word for this. Sit down and take a look at. Go out and try it. In the course see what works and does not work for you. We may face the same good things, and we also face the same bad things. Just remember, we are all individuals.

Thanks for being with me today. If you’d like to learn more about this subject, or would like to add to it, please comment, and we can discuss it farther.

Have a great and wonderful week.

Good News

It is a frozen morning with the hot sun as we begin the climb out of the deep freeze until we are thrown back in next week.

Great news! Right now is, Colorado over the last year has cut its employment to 3.1%. Looking at the figures for veterans, my age group as an unemployment rate of 2.9%.   The only veterans who have an unemployment rate over 5% are those who were just separated and are preparing to search for the new job. This is great news.

What about the reveille pilot course? Well, this is actually great news for the course also. The course is designed to help people research and understand what they wanted to do in their work life. There are more jobs to go around. Those who want jobs will be able to take this course and map their goals and milestones in life. Again, no guarantee that they won’t change their mind down the line, at least They know what they are looking to do.

Just because employment is low in Colorado does not mean it is low all over the country. So, I am enhancing my course and offering it nationwide on the Internet. I am still running the pilot, and because this is the first time the course is run, there will be more coaching calls, and you can write me personally anytime and get a response within 36 hours. I am also adding a Facebook group where you can contact me one-on-one through messenger. I am offering 3 coaching calls.  One as we start the course, one in the middle of the course and a follow-up call Within 2 weeks after the course is over.  You will receive the course with the companion eBook and all the handouts for the course.  The course which costs over $1,000 will be yours for less than $200.

This is not a sales pitch, and the actual signup will not even start until March 1st.  I just owed it to you to tell you why I did not offer it in February and when it will open. 

Like to know more about the course, please send me a comment.  If you want me to stop this and talk about something else, please let me know that also.

Talk to you again soon.

Now We Will Get Something Done

Yesterday we saw a wonderful demonstration of what this country was designed to do and does best.

Yesterday we saw citizens of our country who have been neglected and denied their civil rights, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, stand up and peacefully march on their legislatures and the presidency to demand freedom from the fear of death.

These citizens showed the rest of us the way. Those who could no longer be present had their concerns voiced by parents and loved ones. Their message was clear. Stop allowing people the means to come into our schools and kill us. They meant it.

Unlike past incidents where speeches were made and vague promises uttered, these citizens spoke clearly, had true empathy, and expect results. And yes, legislatures and the government will have to fix the problem.

These citizens are tired of the talk, tired of their numbers being shot at, and young, most in their teens. They are however receiving an education into our government, our democracy, our way of life. These young citizens have awakened early. They are smart. They have the energy. And they have what it will take to see their demands happen.

We need to pay very close attention. For these are the citizens that will guide us into the future defending those in danger and without a voice, and even defend and protect us as we grow old.

Thank you to all those who have stood to say, “Enough is enough.”

Are you listening?

The question asked is, “Are you listening?” The top answer to that question is usually yes, of course, I’m listening. In actuality, we are usually just partially glistening.

We partially listen. We partially think of the things we need to do. We partially things that we forgot to do. We partially think of how we perceive the person sending the information, whether we like them or not, whether they are usually right or not, and whether they are on our good side or our bad side.

Don’t feel bad, everybody does this. It is just better if we understand that happens than if we ignore it and just assume we’re listing 100%.

We do a better job of listening to others than we do of listening to ourselves. Our body talks to us all the time, and yet, we often ignore it. I call this the John Wayne effect. Reminds me of a friend whose normal line is, “Send me in coach, I don’t need a helmet.”

I call this the John Wayne effect because men grow up watching all the picture shows where men are chivalrous, and come to the aid of everyone, and do things even when they are hurt. It might look good on screen. It just doesn’t play in the real world.

It’s interesting to see the statistics from a safety and process improvement point of view. On average men working in manufacturing will last six months and then see a doctor concerning an injury. In the same setting with the same jobs, women work an average of 4 1/2 years before having to see someone about an injury.

What does this tell us? We need to listen better. Especially when it comes to listening to our bodies.

Smile

Smile often.

Laugh even more.

Try always.

A win is always linked to a try.  A loss is just the cost of learning something new.  And, a mistake only takes place if it’s the second time you’ve done it. One step on the ladder, no matter how small, is a Win.  Reaching the top is nothing compared to staying there. You can only go higher if you bring everyone else along. If you rise on the backs of others, they are actually the winners. If you push a person up the ladder of success, you are winning…   … and you’re doing it wrong.

It is easier to lead than you have ever imagined. Don’t believe me? Just try pushing a rope.

Leaders are those who believe it is possible. Leading others starts with belief. Starting each attempt you have with belief. Then take each ending, looking for the next beginning…   …With BELIEF.

The food of the soul is laughter.

Love always starts with self. Don’t worry about the faults of others, start with the person in the mirror. If you can’t tell the difference between work and fun, you’re doing it right. The trip to moving in a positive direction is to move. Plans are maps you follow in your life.

JOY is a three-letter word.

HOPE is a four-letter word.

FAITH is a five – letter word.

BELIEF is a six – letter word.

 We can continue to count all day or, we can put them into action.

 

 

Time to Reflect and Plan

Good morning it’s a wonderful overcast, cold wintry day here. The snow is on the ground, the winds are blowing, visibility is under 2 miles, and although not a blizzard, the roads are icy enough to stay home and work out of the home office today.

I’m using today to benchmark how all my plans are going. I also look at ways I should change to make my work more vibrant and meaningful. You may consider this the active laying in the easy chair and stare at the ceiling. I won’t deny that some of that happen, yet actually, there’s more to it than just that. I look over the last six months to see what worked, what did not work, what I could’ve done better.

I do some work with some standard tools such as the affinity chart where I list ideas and concerns on post-its. I then take that affinity chart and move it into a Fishbone diagram also called the cause-and-effect diagram.  Where the fishes head would be, I list the main thing I want to improve and then in the body of the fish I break the Post-Its up into five groups along main bones of the diagram.  I use plans, people, prosperity, procurement, and papa nature.

This diagram allows me to look at all the variables gives me my best options that if I change something, it may improve the overall output from my business or at least from the part of the business that I’m working on right now.

You always need to keep an eye on what’s going on, because change is always inevitable. Changes fast and sometimes ruthless because and taking the path of least resistance change can often run over anything or anyone.

Thank goodness we have days like this where we can take a step back, drink a little hot chocolate while we watch the snow fall, and take the time to ensure I am doing the best I can or what I want to do to change.

Thanks for joining me. Have a good day, and if you would like to have some charts to work with or know more about this, please reply to the blog, and I will send you an email with the charts and how-toes you would need.

 

 

Changing Goals

Thank you for being with us today.

How are your plans coming along with the plans for your goals?. Where do you want to be? How you are going to get there? At what milestones do you have to reach along the way?

Many people believe that these are questions that should only be asked in high school and if you haven’t mastered them by the time you’re out of college you’re too late to do anything about it. These thoughts are so far from the truth that you just would not believe it.

You need to look at this type of planning, as life stage planning. You can plan out your life for where you want to go what you want to do and what goals you want to obtain at any point. Also, as you get to those times of change and the life stage where next, you can stop and look again. Check out everything you can, plan accordingly and then move in those directions. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

  • Have I had something unseen or unplanned in my life that makes me need to change my direction or goals?
  • Have I completed my goals early and want to do something else?
  • Have I had a change of heart or for some other reason want to go in a new direction?
  • Am I happy where I am or do I want something different?
  • Where do I want to go and what do I want to do when I get there?

You may have other questions, and that is okay. In the end, it is actually up to you where you want to go, how you want to get there, and who you sure the future with. If you have a spouse or significant other, you want to share with them. If you have mentors and people who support you, you probably want to talk it over with them. In this day and life, there isn’t much on earth at least that happens in a vacuum.

We have talked before about many people who strive to do something, get there, and after a while realize they would really like to be somewhere else or doing something else. We see this happen as we age, grow wiser, our metal is tested, or we have life-events. And to choose new milestones towards new goals is actually a part of life. After all, the goal itself is nothing compared to the people and events we meet along the way.

Please join me again tomorrow when I am told we will have new snow in on the ground and slick streets, and if we do, hopefully, a cup of hot chocolate to watch everything out the window. Talk to you then, and thanks for being here.

Always Be Learnin’ Something New

Welcome back!

Our snow from yesterday has turned into a bright blue sky with temperatures that will reach into the 50’s today and the snow originally predicted is nowhere to be seen. This is the great mystery of Colorado weather.

You’ve heard me talk many times about how knowledge grows at exponential forms. What in 1900 took 100 years to learn we are now learning in about a year. And, as I’ve told you before, IBM has stated that by 2020 knowledge will be doubling every 12 hours.

We also have technology, which I have talked about before, which is taking over jobs in larger and larger areas of employment. Although the first thought of this is shocking, it turns out to be nothing new. If you think back to pre-World War II, or even post-World War II right after the war, the same type of thing actually happened.

There used to be groups of people who were in typing pools (mainly women). Or, worked in accounting pools utilizing a calculating machine that would add or subtract and put the figures on a cash register type paper tape when a large handle was pulled (these jobs mainly done by men). As computer mainframes and eventually, electric typewriters and desk computers came into business areas the need for these different pools was over. Nowadays, in most industries only the president or vice president actually has a secretary. Everybody else does their own work.

If your job is dangerous, dirty, or dull, computers are probably starting to take it over. This affects everything from the transportation industry to manufacturing, and 21 other jobs that computers are presently doing. The question is, what do we humans do about it? Actually, that is easier than you think.

Computers will not be doing everything for a long, long time. This is mainly because people don’t want to have computers do things for them. You go to the bar for socialization, computers are really not who you want to talk to at the bar. Can you imagine going to a barbershop or beauty salon where computers did your hair or manicured your nails? No fun at all. And who wants to order dinner from a robot?

The question becomes how do we prepare? Well, you do that now. You learn a little bit about coding, there are plenty of short free courses you can use on the net. You don’t have to be an expert, just understand the basics. Understand how your basic personal computer or tablet works or even your personal phone knows how to send and receive email, write documents, connect with others, and shop online. As new things come out learn a little something about them. You don’t have to own a massive program or use it continuously just know that it’s there and what it does and how it works.

Just as workers of the past learned and grew as technology changed and found new ways, we can follow their examples and do so now and in the future.

Have a great day, and I look forward to writing for you again tomorrow.

Thank you to juliette leufke and Unsplash for the image.

Don’t Panic

Hi everyone, hope you’re doing well today.

I’m sitting here on a wonderful cloudy day watching the snow come over Pike’s Peak and its surrounding mountains and for a cold, blustery day with an overcast sky the site looks pretty nice.

I found it interesting this week when everybody had raised eyebrows as the stock market took some corrections. When the stock market went up, nobody could quite put their finger on the why. With the executive branch getting off on so rough footing, and the legislature having a hard time agreeing on almost nothing, and the allegations of other countries meddling in our affairs, no one could pick a finger on exactly why the stock market rose so well. It is actually gone on for a couple of years without a correction. When things go this well, as the stock market did, you don’t question it. You go on the ride and enjoy it while you can.

When the market started to make a correction, then everybody really wanted to know why. Even with the 10% correction stock market looks like it’s doing still better than it had before. The stock market has always been a place where once you are in, you took your stock and through it in the back of the drawer somewhere and left it alone. Because in the long run, one certain thing is the stock market will rise, even though it takes peaks and valleys to do so. The ideas to pick good stocks or other market funds that meet your needs, don’t invest more than you can afford to invest, and realize the ups and downs, and up again

Thanks for being with me today. Tomorrow, will we will start a new series of finding a job for today and tomorrow.