Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Four Unusual but Effective Business Practices



We could all stand to learn more when it comes to paving our way, no matter what industry we are paving in. Here are some tried and true tips I’ve litmus tested time and time again. They hold weight. Try ‘em and see.


Buy a Mood Ring
I don’t actually buy into the whole mood ring bit, but I do believe there’s value in paying attention to whether you’re having a red hot day or a blue afternoon. Watch your moods. Make cognizant and wise decisions to abstain from sending that life-altering email when you’re fighting the moody blues. When you’re singing the lyrics to “What a Wonderful World”, you might find that’s the best time to reach out and connect. Your positive attitude will rub off on others and you’ll probably encourage people along the way.


Remember to strike when the iron’s hot and sit on it when the iron’s not.


(I’m at my best when I’m hopped up on caffeine. It makes me extra nice and bold. Not even kidding on this one.)


Play Expectation Limbo
Expect more from yourself and less from others. It’s not fancy math I’m talking about here. Push yourself. Build upon your dreams. Work hard for them, but don’t be waiting with an irritating sense of entitlement for anyone else to be yanking up your bootstraps. Read
this link for more about expectation limbo.


Sinking Sand Sinks—Call out for Help
Be aware of your surroundings. Know when you’ve reached your limit. And call upon friends and trusted loved ones when you find yourself going under. This one is huge. We all have times of weakness and vulnerability. It’s part of being human. But it’s those who learn to temporarily lean on help that rise to the surface. Be honest with yourself. Are you in over your head? Do you need a break? Sinking sand sinks. You can’t bring your best if you’re sliding too far below ground level to even bring yourself.


Use Your Friends
Not literally of course. I’m a strong advocate of mutually beneficial friendships. What I’m talking about here is making connections. If you’re in the same industry, it’s really as though you’re part of one giant family. If your friend clicks with someone, it’s likely you will click with that person, too. Reach out. Connect. Broaden your network. It’s a big playground. I love to share my friends. In fact, it excites me to introduce two writers I think will get along well.

No big deal if the connection doesn’t gel. Not everyone will like you. Learning this took a lot of pressure off me. But friends can be excellent resources with valuable insight, and an abundance of contacts just waiting for you to make the first move.


Have you tried any of the above with success? Know of any other potential unusual, but effective business practices?


*photo by flickr

25 comments:

  1. I'm partial to the magic 8 ball. So fun to shake out the answer you're hoping to see. :)

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  2. Oh yes, Wendy, caffeine works well for me. LOL I'm at my best on mornings I go to the bank "hopped up" on Starbucks. *grin* Customers ask why I'm so happy and I tell them the truth: lovely caffeine. lol
    These are great tips. Very practical. :-) Thanks!

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  3. Good points Wendy. Especially the mood one-- I find I have to really watch what mood I am when I start to write. SInce I'm working on a romance now,I really want to be in a good mood!

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  4. Whaat?! Not everyone will like me? This is the first I heard this! ;)

    Great, post, Wendy. All great tips, especially the one about expecting less from others and more from you. LOVE that one!

    I had a mood ring in high school. I wonder what happened to that?

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  5. Thought-provoking as always. I'm with Jessica, the expect more from yourself and less from others really struck me. :)

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  6. I especially love your last one. Thanks for always reaching out, Wendy. (I had a terrible migraine all day Monday and was on the road yesterday--it made my night to chat!) Your friendship means so much to me. :)

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  7. Great points! I love the advice to depend on yourself the most, not expect anyone else to pull you up. I forget that one sometimes!!

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  8. I definitely expect less from others but I need to work on expecting more from myself.

    Great post.

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  9. Wow! What wonderful counsel. Like others, I love this line: "Expect more from yourself and less from others."

    And friends? Yes. I been blessed with a passel of them and love them to pieces. Spending time on the playground with you is a real joy, Wendy.

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  10. i'm naturally caffenated - so i dont need coffee! :)..these are great reminders - not feeling the mood ring thing but agree with being aware of your feelings. and i need to remember that sinking sand sinks, that why its great to have someone to pull you up.

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  11. These are such great points to remember, Wendy.

    The coffee one - most days I feel like I can conquer the world - for that brief period after the caffeine kicks in and before it wears off:)

    I love that you included both:

    Expect more from yourself and less from others.
    and

    And call upon friends and trusted loved ones when you find yourself going under.

    Way too often I find myself relying only on myself. I'm getting better at praying and asking the Lord for help but I'm awful at asking other people. Sometimes I wonder if that's part of being the oldest sibling and having been responsible for the younger ones.

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  12. Fabulous advice - my favorites were being watchful of your mood and lowering expectations!

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  13. p.s. I gave you an award last week on my blog (last Wednesday) - forgot to know let you know sooner! :)

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  14. Excellent advice, especially about the mood ring and sand. Have you considered submitting this as an article to a writers magazine? You should!

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  15. These work in business, in relationships, in so much of life!

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  16. good advice here and not so unusual .. just smart!

    thanks again for taking the time to help me w/ blogger. I actually had several issues going on. one blocking comments and one blocking my dashboard that allowed me to see other pals new posts. think it's cleaned up now but not sure I would have even known there was an issue had you not taken the time to let me know. that was super nice!

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  17. In addition to what you have here, persistence has worked well for me!

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  18. Great list, Wendy! I try to use all you've said, but like TiAnna Mae, my biggie is persistence. :) Thanks for the post!

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  19. I love this, Wendy! You are so right about our need to be careful to watch our moods when we are acting or reacting. I, too, like the magic 8 ball. I even have an app!! :)

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  20. These are great, Wendy. I can draw from them for my writing, and for personal life. Excellent thoughts.

    Hugs!

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  21. You are a hoot- love the modd ring. :) Have missed you friend- I have been void of all blog reading for a few weeks with new boy and book deadline. Bless you!

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  22. I have a really hard time with mutually beneficial friendships. I HATE asking for favors and get so nervous that I'll be seen as a person looking for a hand out...but I LOVE to do favors for my friends, so I'm not sure why that is...? Maybe someone else would love to know they've helped me?

    I don't feel like I have a large pool of friends...I think I've become so introverted! I gotta work on this!

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  23. mmmm loved your "sinking sands" bit!! I've almost hung up the writing thing twice in the last six months only to have dear writer friends bring me back to earth and reality!

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  24. Wendy:
    Your point about moods makes sense to me. The caffiene issue makes me too hyper. Being able to call on friends makes life easier to handle, be it the writing life or day to day life.

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