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Ask

Thank you for spending some time with me today.

It never hurts to ask. And if you are hurting it is the perfect time to ask. So many things that get tied up in bureaucratic red tape and waiting to go through the endless line of paperwork or sitting in an in-basket somewhere waiting for overworked people to find the time to approve or decline and pass on can be handled swiftly and efficiently by merely asking the question.

Actually, those handling the paperwork appreciate a kind question being asked. The decision makers get to connect with the end-user of whatever the request is. They also can see their actions and motion actually helping a fellow human being. Asking the question makes everyone feel involved on a human scale.

If you asked the question, whether the answer is exactly what you wanted, or not, at least you know the question was considered and weighed, and a valid action was given. And you know, that at least your voice was heard in the making of that decision. It is better to stand up and ask than it is to just let the system run, and then gripe about the decisions for a long time to come.

Is there anything you would like to ask me?

Hate Work?

Do you hate your job? Not just the fact that you have to have a job, rather you really hate the job you’re doing. Doesn’t matter if it’s because of people, processes, pay or anything else. You just have a growing desire not to do what you’re doing now.

If you hate your job, I would like to talk to you. In the meantime, don’t quit just for the sake of quitting. And, if you find a job and are hired for the position you really want to work in go for it. Either way, I would like to talk to you. I can promise you I am not offering you a sales call. And I will not sell you anything during this call.

I have spent 24+ years helping others through coaching, leadership, and training. I would like to offer you a 20-minute session, for free, where we can discuss where you are and where you want to be. I may be able to give you some suggestions that may help you. And maybe, I could show you some ways to save money. I have some free pamphlets which may help. And I would be glad to share those with you.

If you are interested, please let me know. Send me an email to mikeb@reveille.rocks.  I would like to hear from you.

If you know someone who feels like this, please share this blog with them. The call is free and can be easily arranged. By sharing this, you could be doing a great service to someone else.

Thank you For Photo from    rawpixel.com on Unsplash

 

A Holiday Thought (for the whole year)

I quite often get admonished for talking to people when I’m out.  People who care about me worry, this, because, when I go out for a walk I say hello or something kind to most people.  I don’t actually do this to upset the people who care about me, I do so because I understand something.  And, I know there is something I should do.

Not everyone gets the same advantages and disadvantages in life. Trust me, everyone does get tested, it’s just hard to see how all tests work. When I go out and walk the streets, I never know how the other person I cross paths with feels. I never know who has had a good day or a bad day. It is not possible to know the wealthy person who is despondent or feeling abandoned. Nor is it easy to know the penniless person on skid row who is happy, because they are there with all their friends.

 

When I go out and walk down the street, and I say a kind word, for some people that would be just, “So what?” And yet and yet, for some other people, it may be the best or kindest thing they hear all day or all week.

 

If you knew you would make a difference, a dramatic positive difference, in someone’s day just by being kind and saying hi, would you do it? If you knew you would make that difference, you just did not know who you would meet who needed it, what would you do?

Thank you to Unsplash and Bryan Minear for the use of  this photo.

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A New Pilot Course

Many of you who read my blog regularly, have seen and participated in some of the lessons I have posted.  I am very excited today to announce a new pilot course I have developed to help people set and meet their goals. This course is a little bit different than most courses people take.

I have developed this new pilot course from things I learned over the last many years. I have taken that knowledge and set it into this new course which is called Reveille. Reveille, because we are working on new beginnings.

In the pilot, we will learn we can do what we want to ‘IF.’ If we are willing to work and do what it takes, we can go just about anywhere we wish and do just about anything we want. There’s very little that can stand in the way of a little elbow grease and determination

I have written this first pilot to help veterans. I am a veteran myself. I have gone through many of the problems those leaving or retiring from the service stumble on. I would like to help so that others can find a clearer path.

If you are interested in this, please email me mikebalof@readingsticks.com also, if you know someone who might be interested or benefit from a class like this, please pass this blog on to them.

Imagine what a gift this could be for someone. To find their right path and to learn and earn their way in life doing what they are truly passionate about.

Thanks,

Mike

Take Time

How are you doing?  Are you taking time for yourself?

We do so much for so many others, and often we forget to take time for ourselves. Sometimes, we demand so much from ourselves that when we cannot meet a goal or a deadline, we get upset…  with ourselves.

For being out there trying our best, I think we ought to give ourselves a break. After all, the bad news is, Hollywood already cast Superman and Wonder Woman, and we did not make the cut. We tend to give everyone else a break, and often we are much harder on ourselves.

Cutting ourselves some slack is not the same as backing off or giving up. It is the ability to take a step back, rest the body, clear the mind and rejuvenate the soul. If you can take 20 minutes a couple of times a day and possibly an hour or two a weekend, you will be amazed at what it does for you. Productivity you gain from that small time spent will more than make up the time you take to reset yourself.

What can you do in 20 minutes? You can take a walk outdoors and breathe some fresh air. You can walk up and down the hallway and do some stretches. You can sit in a quiet place and meditate. You can go watch a sunrise or a sunset. You could take a quick shower which would rejuvenate the mind and body. There are many things you could do, to take a step back from others, and the electronic world, and recharge a battery, your battery.

You get the idea. The thing to remember is, do not feel guilty to take care of yourself. After all, the good we do for others is important. Although, we should not destroy ourselves doing it.

Happy High Road

Would you like to know if the fact that will not only set you free, it will help you to work with anyone, anywhere, at any time, feel great, and get great things done? Impossible you say? Read this blog, and if you still don’t believe it’s possible, write me in the comments section, and I’ll call you, and we can talk for half an hour.

So, what’s the fact? If you can be happy and feel great, the majority of the time those feelings will transfer to the other person and be found in their responses. I hear a question already, about all the people out there who are so negative. Many times, that negativity and wish for dominance that others have for you, has nothing to do with you. The truth is often they don’t even know you.

Folks who display immediate negativity and desire to dominate others are those who have been hurt by other people. The neat thing is (and here is where the real secret lies,) they cannot dominate you any more than you can dominate them. For them to do so, you would first have to give them permission. You do that by starting off acting like they do.

The trick is to find your balance, your happiness, your drive for the path you want to walk in life. And then when negativity shows up in the forms of other people, be nice to the people, and don’t let the negativity in.

Easier said than done? Try this. Keep your positive attitude and your happiness. Then when you have to say something less than absolutely positive to anyone always start off with telling them three good things about themselves or three good things that they are doing. And then you can tell them something less than positive just do so in a positive way. Afterword’s, tell them one more thing very positive about themselves. It is often very hard to be mad at someone the when they’re telling you good things about yourself.

We all have some days that are better than others. However, you do get to choose. If you choose a happy high road, imagine all the others that you could bring with you.

Time Woes

Have you ever noticed how fast time moves?

Time moves forward one second at a time in a relentless fashion. Seconds become minutes, then hours become days, and months become years, and finally, here I am in November wondering whatever happened to the Fourth of July. I am shocked that time never takes a timeout. What is that all about.

There’s something that we have to learn, and many do not learn this until it’s too late. The thought is ignored even though the warning signs, statements, and cute kitsch are found everywhere. The simple truth, each second, minute, hour, day, or year can never be retaken.

This leads us to another simple truth. Time leaves us whether we use that are not. You can’t save it up for an emergency or that planned future vacation. And no one else can control your reaction to time. You use it on something important to you, or you lose it. All of this is up to you.

Take a couple minutes and write down everything that’s important to you. Then put priorities to the list. Ask yourself, are you sitting in a room for days looking at how messy it is and how unkempt? Or are you taking 10 minutes to put pick everything up, throw the trash away, and put everything else back where it belongs? So how much time are you really going to spend in a dirty room, 10 minutes or days?

Please don’t think I’m preaching. Actually, I believe I’m talking to myself.

Complacency

Complacency is something that will sneak up on all of us.

People love habits. They like the feeling of accomplishment. They love knowing that things are done. And they like the ease of living that good habits will give the people who use them wisely. More often than not many of us will also fail at long-running good habits.

If you don’t believe me, please take a poll about six weeks after New Year’s day. How many people you talk to set up goals for the new year, and within six weeks, have already failed at them? Did they not care? Did they not believe? Did they not try? The truth is they did care, they did believe in they did try.

In teaching new forklift drivers, safety and control are taught and preached for hours both in the classroom and during driver training on the forklift. You would think that most accidents would happen within a few weeks after the training, while the new drivers are still what behind the ears. Not so.

Most accidents for new drivers of forklifts, according to the statistics, happened about three months after training. Why? Complacency. Brand-new drivers are very cautious. They stick to every safety rule. And, they keep the speeds very low. About the three-month mark, new forklift drivers become complacent. They start to get a little sloppy in their safety, speed increases a little and the next thing you know, they bump into something. Sometimes they bump into someone.

Are they bad people? Do these accident-prone drivers not care? No. They did so well for three months driving the forklift that they started to let their guard down. Often, they don’t even recognize it.

These drivers were taught well. Were watched to ensure good habits were being formed. And, did a good job. Complacency just sneaks up on them.

The trick is if you like the results a habit gives you, pay attention and keep it up. Don’t  become complacent.