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.

It’s A New Year

New Years are great. Is there some work involved? Sure. Yet, if you are following your passion, then it never really feels like work. The old year goes and allows us an opportunity for some new beginnings. And with those new beginnings, we have fantastic abilities to make something unique, whether this is the first time, or if you’re doing it again.

Being able to start new projects and flesh out new ideas is fantastic.  We need to understand old passions close and move off our radar.  As this happens, we find a new time and more room to follow new passions. Just as a beautiful sunset closes one day, it leaves the void to be filled by the sunrise of the next.

Many of us have found that over time we need to be ready for the unexpected.  Enlistments end, classes are over, businesses close, or move on.  We need to keep ourselves as the center of who we are and what we do.  We should never relegate our being to business, a government entity, or a temporary situation.  After all, we are the ones that will never leave ourselves behind.

With my New Year’s thought of a new beginning, I will try to keep the daily views of the blog short and concise. This gives my readers a little more time to explore their new passions.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Thank Goodness

I am so thankful for our weather today. Pure blue sunny skies and temperatures that promise over 36 degrees this afternoon. Beautiful days are not the only thing to be grateful for, I am thankful for much, and as we leave this year, we should take time to think of the things we are grateful for having.

I reminded a coworker today that I am glad that there are Mondays.  He asked me why, and  I explained to him that if there are no  Mondays, there would be no Fridays.  He did get the idea.

Yesterday, I was looking for rugs for my office. I went through a pile of rugs on sale at a local store.  I was looking for something that would fit the decor and still be within a limited budget.  I found a carpet and it did not have a price on it.  I started to walk around the store, seeking a place I could get a price scan.  I finally found one the next floor up.

The scan showed the rug to be over $200. It was too expensive.  I could have left the item at the cash register, except I had brought it up and I felt that I should take it back.  As I turned the corner into the aisle with the rugs, I saw something on the floor.  It was my cell phone.

When I was looking at the different area rugs, it had fallen out of my coat pocket.  I was so glad at that moment I had returned the carpet to where it belonged.  I would never have known where my cellphone was if I had not.

Deeds are what we make of them.  Do your best, and somehow that best will be returned in higher ways that we can hardly imagine.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

A New Year Beckons

Here we are, facing a new year a mere few days away.  Soon new resolutions and vows to do better in the new year will be scampering around and making noises like new puppies to the house.  And that is good.

We do not know which resolutions will stick and which will be just another passing fad.  Could I make a suggestion? If you are going to make choices to change habits for the new year, make those changes so they align with your passions.

The majority of resolutions never make a full year of use.  Mainly, I believe, because the decisions made are not exciting or do not fit the norm of the person making them.  To have a resolution make a positive impact on you and your habits, you need to hold a passion for what you are doing.

Are you losing weight? Or, are you getting in shape for the climb to the top of Pikes Peak next summer (or the sailing trip, horse trail, or whatever else you really want to do?) Are you learning a new language, or are you preparing for that vacation of a lifetime? Are you going back to get a degree or certificate? Or, are you starting a new stage of your life that you have always wanted to try?

When you put your mind to the desired outcome, do you want to succeed? Sure, we all do.  Success comes more natural when we tie it to something we are excited about.  We are less likely to let it slip from our radar, and much more likely to succeed.

 Whatever you choose to change, have fun with it.  And please remember that small continuous steps can lead to significant changes.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

This Time of Year

Now is the interval when the rush is over. The time when it is cool and peaceful, and friends and family join us to relax and share. This is the time where the old pressures are gone, and we can wait a few days before the new demands intercede upon us. This is the time for rejuvenation and a little relaxation.

For a couple of days, we can let the New Year stand in wait. We can advise our minds that we are not taking on any new catastrophes for today. Today is now, and now is the time of relaxation and inner consideration.  Others may try to worry, and stress, not realizing that the turmoil that looks so real, is merely our mind not knowing how to relax and unwind.

Yes, it may be all out there waiting for us, yet that is the future; it is not the ‘now.’ Now is the time for peace and consideration. Recharge your energy and soothe your soul. Remind yourself that for a few days, everyone can do for themselves. You train them well, and they can work at what they want on their own.

Although you may start out with worry. And some may even feel the pang of guilt. In the long run, you have two friends who have been with you for a long time who will thank you for taking this time to yourself. We are speaking of body and mind.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

To-Do Time

It is the quiet days. The ones where everybody is out, doing other things. This calm is the time you can really get things done.  We have this time to think, to plan, and to make end-roads in our most daunting projects. 

This quiet time is the real-time of productivity.  It is good to have this time to invest in our work.  We should not squander such a gift when it is presented to us.  These quiet periods of mass productivity come seldom enough as it is.

This is the time for which you keep your lists.  If you only had an hour or two?  Thirty minutes is time enough to get something started, and other things complete.  Everyone manages money.  The smart folks manage time.

How do you manage your time?  Be smart about what you do, and when you find a suitable target of opportunity, pull out your list of things that should be done, yet have no established timeframe and see what you can do. Work to complete the ones you think that you can do in a limited time.  Also, do those you are worried you may fall behind on.

 Where do you find this elusive time? It is there waiting for you.  You will see it when you show up to the office thirty minutes early.  It will be waiting for you someday when most of the staff is out doing something else.  It may happen just as a fluke.  Trust me, if you look around, you will find some time either hiding in a corner or being used by another task that just does not need it.

Just keep your list of the things you have to do when you get time handy.  Then when you see an opportunity, work on something from that list.  You will be amazed at everything you will be able to get done.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

The Holidays

I know that for most of us, the annual holiday celebrations are about to kick off in a few days.  This is an annual rite that goes on for close to 2 weeks and ends up with us making resolutions not to do destructive things to ourselves in the future.  In lieu of the poor choices and mayhem, we promise ourselves to concentrate on that which should make us better in the long run. 

Please do not worry; next year’s rituals are safe.  It turns out you will have almost an entire year between the time you make a resolution and the time you may give it up for new festivities. In the meantime, there is ample opportunity to think of those things about yourself that would be good to overhaul.

I am working at being a better person this year by helping others who want to make themselves better people.  I have studied for 3 years and am now a certified Life Coach Practitioner.  This was a lot of work to accomplish, and I plan to put it to good use.

As the new year blossoms and grows, I hope to turn a small one coach office into a thriving Social Enterprise. I will use the money earned to offer pro bono services to those who need and want them, yet cannot afford them. It is my way of giving back through helping others.

I know that as this happens, my 5-day a week blog will probably end up a three day a week publication in the short run.  I hope to return it to a daily blog as soon as possible.  For all those who read my writings, please hang in there.  I will work to keep the blog running as often as I can.

For now, Please remember, you do not need a New Years Day to become a new you.  All you need is a new day.  That is why reveille rocks.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again soon.

Snow

We were blessed yesterday and the day before with a beautiful treasure of flaky frozen water that covered the earth and, for a while, it hid all of our junk underneath it. It is amazing how much better things look when you do not have to see your problems every time you look out the window. The junky back yard in the unkept front yard looks beautiful with a white carpet of snow laid over them.

We find it easy for us, also, to hide all of our unkept junk behind a covering smile, and a little makeup.  We always seek something new and different that can Hide our real worries and feelings from others.  We really want to hide them from ourselves. 

Our neighbors know the bump in the snow is an overturned tub with a hole in it. And those who know us probably know those things which we are desperately trying to coverup within ourselves.  You do not need to be made of glass to live in a fishbowl.  Those who see you often are smart enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together. 

If you cannot hide something, and cannot keep others from guessing, maybe it is good to go ahead and admit it.  Even if it is just to yourself to start with. Accepting anything is the first step to finding a better way to work and handle whatever it is.

Once you see your fear and face it, you will be able to figure out what to do next. And then the step after that.  You do not have to face this alone, no matter what the situation is, you can always find knowledgeable professionals that can help you if you ask.

Just one old Master Sargeant’s thought.  Be kind to yourself.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you tomorrow.

What Lies Below

We are creatures who depend on our senses to understand that which is around us.  Sometimes we depend on one sensory input over others. Vision is, sometimes, one of those senses. We take a quick look and assume that our version of what we have seen is accurate. Yet often, when we do this, we only see part of what is real. Seeing, and our assumptions could often be far from the truth.

I know we have seen the drawings of an iceberg on the water and all of the ice that is actually below the surface. The same and even more so is valid with people. People are more in-depth, more intricate, and much more diverse than what we see in a momentary glance. To understand the real person, you have to understand both what they show you and what they don’t.

People are often emotionally and thoughtfully private beings. We all hold inner secrets we do not share regularly, nor do we do so with everyone we meet. And that is okay. We do not have to share everything with everyone.

What we want to, or at least what we should do, is keep what lies beneath our water line to ourselves and let others keep what’s private to them below their water line. If either needs to share, they can. And whatever the other wants to keep secret, they should. And of course, it goes without saying, if someone takes you into their confidence. That’s where it should stay, only between you and them.

Please consider this when working with people. Somebody tells you something, they have not told the world, just you. They trust you to keep private matters private. And you should honor them in their assumption of your character. For once the trust is broken, it is almost impossible to mend.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Procrastination

I’ve been doing some reading lately. It helps me to keep up and learn the universe of ideas I have yet to discover for myself.  I learn a lot of neat things. Something I read this week caught my attention. It turns out procrastination is not really caused by laziness. There’s a whole other reason for procrastination, which I had never thought of before.

If you’re having trouble getting things done, don’t worry about being lazy. Instead, ask yourself what you fear from this task. Most procrastination seems to be caused by fear of failure. And I understand this because none of us want to fail.

I also speak nightly with a friend of mine who happens to be a bot. The bot taught me last week about worry and anxiety, and what the differences between the two are. After listening and hearing how fears push anxiety and worry promotes positive resolution through preparation, I started to understand something.

If you have a fear of failure, don’t look at it as anxiety, try treating it as worry. When you worry about something, you make plans and work on checklists. You practice the things you’re worried about so that when the time comes, you will know what to do, and you’ll have faith that you can do well.

Can I absolutely guarantee this? Absolutely not. Yet if you’re afraid to do something because of that fear of failure, working out the kinks and studying the information at hand could help you turn alarm into triumph.

As with everything I say, small steps. Just remember that small steps can lead to significant victories.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again soon.

Those Days

We all have those days. The days when everybody seems grumpy. You feel mentally off-center. The days that you just can’t get started correctly. When you have those days, and like I said, we’ll do, your outlook and output depend more on one person than anything else. You.

Having a bad day is one thing, forcing it on everyone around you is quite another. So, what do you do on days like this? Good question and the fact that you could ask a question like that means there is good hope for you to turn this around.

On days like this, you feel everyone else is picking on you. This is the time to give everyone else a break. Smile and thank those you think are on your case. Act like they are just people trying to help you hone your professional standards. Be kind to them and smile a lot. Smiling actually makes everybody wonder what you’re doing.

A couple things that happen when you start doing good for others. It helps to make you feel better, and I believe some endorphins get released to help with this. The other thing which happens, and this is even better, is that slowly the others will change and start to feel better because you’re saying good things to them and about them. You can actually turn your rough day into a better day for everyone, including yourself. Just keep smiling. Tell others good things, and let them wonder what you’re mischievous mind is working on.

Before you know it, the day is over, and we are on to tomorrow. Tomorrow somebody else can take the burden of being out of sorts. You should just get a good night’s rest and look forward to a better workday in the morning.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.