Friday, August 31, 2018

The week in review - August 31, 2018

Monday - "No particular place to go" Not much to talk about. "So, not only does this post have no particular place to go, without a car I don't really have any particular place to go physically either."

Tuesday - "Still no place to go" News on my car. "So, by this time next week I should have a basically new car."

Wednesday - "It's here!" Sounds kind of ominous, doesn't it? "The Power of Human Connection" by Kody Bateman is now available on Amazon."

Thursday - "How to Have a Good Day, Every Day #TBT" From The Art of Manliness. "I don't know about you, but having more good days sounds like a good thing to me. What are some of the things we can do to have good days?"

Interesting days



September will be Piano MonthChicken MonthHappy Cat MonthHunger Action MonthChildhood Cancer Awareness MonthSewing MonthSuicide Prevention MonthPulmonary Fibrosis Awareness MonthOvarian Cancer Awareness Month and Read A New Book Month

Tomorrow - Building and Code Staff Appreciation DayEmma M Nutt DayWorld Beard DayInternational Turkey Vulture Day and Ginger Cat Appreciation Day

Next Friday - Bring Your Manners To Work DaySalami DayLazy Mom’s DaySuperhuman DayBuy a Book Day and Beer Lover’s Day

September 31- You get a day off...relax

Thursday, August 30, 2018

How to Have a Good Day, Every Day #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year:

Today's post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness:
We’ve all had those days where everything seems to go just right. We set goals for ourselves and we accomplish them. Instead of frittering away our time on YouTube, we’re focused and get work done. Even when we experience setbacks, we’re able to deal with them graciously and effectively. It’s easy to attribute these sorts of days to luck, but my guest today argues that research from behavioral economics and psychology can show us how we can consistently have more of these good days.
I don't know about you, but having more good days sounds like a good thing to me. What are some of the things we can do to have good days?
If you decide to put yourself in a more positive mood, then you suddenly see the world is a more positive place. The research behind this is really robust … Some people know the term “confirmation bias”, others may have heard the term “selective attention”. The upshot for us is incredibly positive because it means that we just have to be a bit more deliberate about how we go into, I don’t know, everything that matters in a day.
You can do this every morning. You can say, “What really matters to me today? What’s my real aim? What attitude do I want to have? What assumptions do I want to have as I go into the day?” knowing that that will shape what you see. If you’ve got a difficult conversation coming up with someone that you think is kind of a jerk, confirmation bias means that your brain will look for evidence that you’re right. You’ll see everything that will be slightly annoying and you might actually miss anything that suggests that the person is trying to be more supportive or conciliatory.
Another way you can make a better day is to reduce the amount of things you have to think about. If our brain is overloaded, we tend to make bad decisions:
You can save your brain effort if you’re trying to remember to do something by deciding on a particular cue. Instead of saying, “Oh, I must exercise today. I really, really must exercise today”, you say, “When I come out from lunch, I will put on my sneakers, whether they’re Nike sneakers or not, and I will go exercise at that point.” By defining a really specific time and a really specific cue, you’re way more likely to allow your brain to remember that this is actually something you want to do.
These when/then’s as I call them or implementation intentions as they’re called by the behavioral scientists just have been shown to increase your chances of achieving your goals by something, like, three hundred percent.
Often, it's difficult to say no to somebody because it usually puts the other person on the defensive. There is a proper way to say no:
The trick then is actually to say no without putting them on the defensive. It’s not hard to do; it’s just quite different to how we normally do it. The trick is to start with the thing that you’re saying yes to. If you start with the thing that you’re saying yes to … First of all, start with something warm and appreciative and “Thank you for your invitation, blah blah blah”. We often forget to do that when we’re stressed about saying no. 
Then say, “I’m really excited to tell you about this book that I’ve been working on for the last four years and … I think things are going absolutely fantastically. It’s very intense, blah blah blah blah blah. As a result, I’m having to make” – and this is where the no comes in – “As a result, I’m having to make some quite tough choices about what I do and don’t do with deadlines looming. Regrettably, that means I’m simply going to have to say no to your very kind request.”
There's much more to it, these are just a few of the highlights. Go to the web page and listen to the podcast and begin having more good days!

Interesting days



Tomorrow - College Colors DayWe Love Memoirs DayTrail Mix Day and Love Litigating Lawyers Day

Next Thursday -  Fight Procrastination Day and Read a Book Day

September 30 - Mud Pack DayInternational Podcast DayInternational Translation DayExtra Virgin Olive Oil DayHot Mulled Cider Day and Pony Express Day


Wednesday, August 29, 2018

It's here!

"The Power of Human Connection" by Kody Bateman is now available on Amazon.

From Amazon:
When most people see the term relationship marketing, they tend to focus more on the second word than on the first. They want to know how they can market to get more business. But increasingly, the business world is beginning to realize the keys to building business are creating genuine relationships, appreciating your customers and clients, and networking to give
Since 2004, Kody Bateman s relationship marketing systems have bridged the gap between high-tech and personal touch to bring massive business growth to the people who implement them. The key is to focus on relationship 80 percent of the time and marketing 20 percent of the time. Kody highlights many success stories from people across a wide range of business niches who have implemented his relationship marketing principles with tremendous success.
This comprehensive collection of relationship marketing principles will teach you: 
What relationship marketing really is
How relationship marketing works within traditional sales and marketing
Why the relationship you build with yourself is most important
How the power of human connection can bring the world together
How relationship marketing is transforming the way people succeed
With several bonus chapters, Kody also shares personal development principles that help you nourish your relationship with self. The core theme of his message is to find out the best version of who you are and give yourself away to others.
Luckily, I got a pre-launch copy when I went to San Diego about a week and a half ago. Plus I have the e-book, because Amazon says that I won't be receiving my copy until next Tuesday or Wednesday!

And in a couple of weeks, the book will be available in the SendOutCards gift shop.

Interesting days


Today - Potteries Bottle Oven DayMore Herbs, Less Salt Day and Individual Rights Day

Tomorrow - Slinky DayToasted Marshmallow DayFrankenstein DayInternational Whale Shark DayHolistic Pet Day and Grief Awareness Day

Next Wednesday - Be Late For Something DayCheese Pizza DayInternational Day of CharityWorld Samosa Day and Global Talent Acquisition Day

September 29 - World Heart DaySave Your Photos Day and Biscotti Day


Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Still no place to go

Well, I got the word on my car...it needs a new engine! Which is not cheap! In fact, it's going to come out to $2,700 installed. Which brings the grand total of what I spent on this car, including the purchase price to $8,000...which is about $4,500 more than I had planned on.

But it has tires that are about a week old, new outer tie rods (also about a week old), a new gas tank which is a couple of months old, new wiper blades...also about 2 months old, a new ignition switch and ignition key...about a month old. I think that's about it.

It's going to take a few days to get the engine and then get it installed...possibly Friday but more likely Tuesday. Fortunately, one of my neighbors is letting me borrow her car at night while she's sleeping, so I'm back at work, which makes my boss and co-workers happy

So, by this time next week I should have a basically new car.

Interesting days


Today - Bow Tie DayRace Your Mouse Around The Icons DayRadio Commercials DayRainbow Bridge Remembrance DayCrackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

Tomorrow - Potteries Bottle Oven DayMore Herbs, Less Salt Day and Individual Rights Day

Next Tuesday - Wildlife DayNewspaper Carrier Day, and Macadamia Nut Day

September 28 - Hug a Vegetarian DayAsk A Stupid Question DayDrink Beer DayWorld Rabies DayGood Neighbor Day and Strawberry Cream Pie Day


Monday, August 27, 2018

No particular place to go

This post has no particular place to go...just some random musings.

It's about a quarter to three in the morning as I write this.


I really don't know what I'm writing about, but hopefully some coherent thoughts will make it onto the page.

Part of the problem is that my routine is off a little. It started on Thursday evening when I went out to start my car to go to work at about 5:00 PM. Unfortunately, the car wouldn't start. It was too late to do anything about it because the shops were closed already. I called my boss and told her that I wasn't going to be in that night. I woke up early Friday morning, found a shop to tow it to and called my insurance company to have it towed. I got it there at about 11:00 and they said they would look at it. I didn't hear anything so I started calling about 4:30 or 4:45 to find out what was going on with it since they closed at 5:00. The phone went to the fax machine after ringing a few times. I kept trying and at about 5 till someone answered. They said there was no compression and they'd have to look at it some more on Monday. It would've been nice if they would have let me know sooner.

Fortunately, I'm off on Friday and Saturday nights, so it had no impact on me. But I'm supposed to work Sunday night. Since my car was still in the shop, I called in again. But that threw my routine off and I didn't really think about writing a blog post.

I'm going to wake up somewhat early and call about my car. If there's still no hope for it, I'll get my card key for work from the car and take the bus in...it's about a 3 1/2 hour trip but I really have no idea how much it'll cost. The bad part will be when it's time to leave in the morning...the first bus isn't until about 2 1/2 hours after I get off work. I won't get home until about 6 hours after I leave work. Which means it'll be about time to head back to work as soon as I get home. I suppose I could look into renting a car also.

Hopefully, they'll be able to fix it today and I won't have to go through all of this.

I've only had the car for two months and I've already put more than $2,000 into repairs. I made the big mistake of taking someone's word on the condition of the car and not having it inspected until after I bought it. If I would've done the inspection I would've known that it needed $1,800 worth of work...which is actually about $2,200 now and not even counting this latest incident.

So, not only does this post have no particular place to go, without a car I don't really have any particular place to go physically either.

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Bow Tie DayRace Your Mouse Around The Icons DayRadio Commercials DayRainbow Bridge Remembrance DayCrackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

Next Monday - Skyscraper DayWelsh Rarebit Day and Mouthguard Day

September 27 - Tourism DayCrush a Can DayAncestor Appreciation DayMorning Show Hosts Day and Corned Beef Hash Day


Saturday, August 25, 2018

Your weekend guide to interesting days - August 25, 2018

This week


Sunday - Aviation DayPhotography DayHumanitarian DayPotato DayInternational Orangutan Day and International Bow Day

Monday - International Day of Medical TransportersInternational Homeless Animals DayChocolate Pecan Pie Day and  World Mosquito Day

Tuesday - Poet’s DaySpumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

Wednesday - Be An Angel DayTake Your Cat to the Vet DayPecan Torte Day and Eat A Peach Day

Thursday - Ride the Wind DayValentino DayBurger DayCuban Sandwich Day and Sponge Cake Day

Yesterday - Knife DayVesuvius DayInternational Strange Music DayPluto Demoted DayInternaut Day and Peach Pie Day

Today - Kiss And Make Up DayFranchise Appreciation DayWhiskey Sour Day and Banana Split Day

Next week


Tomorrow - WebMistress DayCherry Popsicle DayDog Day, and Women's Equality Day

Monday - The Duchess Who Wasn’t DayTug-of-War DayInternational Bat NightPots De Creme Day and Banana Lovers Day

Tuesday - Bow Tie DayRace Your Mouse Around The Icons DayRadio Commercials DayRainbow Bridge Remembrance DayCrackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

Wednesday - Potteries Bottle Oven Day, More Herbs, Less Salt Day and Individual Rights Day

Thursday - Slinky DayToasted Marshmallow DayFrankenstein DayInternational Whale Shark DayHolistic Pet Day and Grief Awareness Day

Friday - College Colors DayTrail Mix DayLove Litigating Lawyers Day and We Love Memoirs Day

September will be Piano MonthChicken MonthHappy Cat MonthHunger Action MonthChildhood Cancer Awareness MonthSewing MonthSuicide Prevention MonthPulmonary Fibrosis Awareness MonthOvarian Cancer Awareness Month and Read A New Book Month

Saturday - Building and Code Staff Appreciation DayEmma M Nutt DayWorld Beard DayInternational Turkey Vulture Day and Ginger Cat Appreciation Day

Next month


September 19 - Talk Like A Pirate Day and Butterscotch Pudding Day

September 20- Punch Day and Pepperoni Pizza Day

September 21 - World Gratitude DayPecan Cookie DayMiniature Golf DayInternational Day of PeaceInternational Grenache DayConcussion Awareness DayTradesmen Day and World Alzheimer’s Day

September 22 - White Chocolate DayDoodle DayElephant Appreciation DayDear Diary DayWorld Car Free DayBusiness Women’s DayIce Cream Cone DayInternational Rabbit Day and Hobbit Day

September 23 - Celebrate Bisexuality Day, Checkers DayRestless Legs Awareness Day and Supernatural Day

September 24 - Punctuation DayFamily Day and Cherries Jubilee Day

September 25 - World Dream DayComic Book DayOne-Hit Wonder DayWorld Pharmacists DayPsychotherapy DayCooking DayBinge DayBetter Breakfast Day and German Butterbrot Day


Friday, August 24, 2018

The week in review - August 24, 2018

Monday - "No blog post today" I think that's pretty self-explanatory. "i had a very hectic weekend, which I’ll talk about tomorrow, so no post today."

Tuesday - "The Power of Human Connection" Pre-launch event for the book. "So, there you have it...my weekend and why there was no blog post yesterday."

Wednesday - "The Adventure of Silence" From a podcast on The Art of Manliness. "I'm a big fan of silence."

Thursday - "How to get a 93% market share for your business #TBT" The fortune is in the follow-up. "And speaking of keeping their existing customers; it's just as important, if not more so, to keep your existing customers since it costs much more to get new customers as it costs to keep your existing ones, which is what we'll talk about tomorrow."

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Kiss And Make Up DayFranchise Appreciation DayWhiskey Sour Day and Banana Split Day

Next Friday - College Colors DayTrail Mix DayLove Litigating Lawyers Day and We Love Memoirs Day

September 24 - Punctuation DayFamily Day and Cherries Jubilee Day


Thursday, August 23, 2018

How to get a 93% market share for your business #TBT

Today's post was originally published two years ago. This is one of my all time favorite posts!

That's a pretty bold statement but let's take a look at an example.

Let's assume that there are 10 businesses competing for 100 customers. You would think that each business would get 10 customers and everyone would be happy. But it doesn't quite work that way. In fact, one business will probably get almost all of the customers!

I'm sure you've seen this before, especially since I just used it. But what does it mean?


Using the numbers above, all 10 businesses make a first contact but only 2 customers sign up the first time. Only 5 businesses make a second contact and 3 customers sign up. Two make a third contact and 5 customers sign up. But only one person makes 4 or more contacts and gets 90 customers. But this one person will also likely get some of the other 10 customers, too. Why is that?

This person has a 1 in 10 chance of getting each of the first 2 customers or a 1 in 5 chance of getting at least one of the 2 (1/10+1/10=2/10 or 1/5). And they also have a 1 in 5 chance of getting each of the next 3 customers or a 3 in 5 chance of getting at least one of those 3 (1/5+1/5+1/5=3/5), which is a 4 in 5 (80%) chance of getting at least one of the 1st five (1/5+3/5=4/5).

But wait! It gets better...only two people are going after the next 5 customers...so there's a 50% chance of getting each one or a 5 in 2 (1/2+1/2+1/2+1/2+1/2=5/2) chance of getting at least one of the five (that's a 250% chance which means they should get 2 or 3 out of the 5). Let's look at the probabilities so far: they have a 4 in 5 chance of getting at least one of the first 5 and a 5 in 2 chance of getting one of the next 5. If we give them the same denominator we get 8 in 10 and 25 in 10 for a total of 33 in 10 (8/10+25/10=33/10), so our hero (you) should end up with 3 out of the 1st 10 customers and 90 out of the next 90, for a total of 93 out of 100 customers or a 93% market share! And since there are only 7 customers left to be divided up among the remaining 9 competitors, that means that at least 2 businesses don't get any customers at all!

If a new potential customer enters the scene and asks for referrals, the person with the most customers will likely get the most referrals. In fact, the person who keeps following up will have at least 9 times as many customers as the other 9 people combined!  So, whose name will keep popping up when someone asks for a referral? The person who followed up 4 or more times.

But there are right and wrong ways to follow up, and the best way to find the right way to follow up is with the Master Relationship Marketing course offered by SendOutCards. The MRM course is a series of video lectures with lots of examples of how businesses are using relationship marketing to get new customers as well as keep their existing ones.

And speaking of keeping their existing customers; it's just as important, if not more so, to keep your existing customers since it costs much more to get new customers as it costs to keep your existing ones, which is what we'll talk about tomorrow.

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Knife DayVesuvius DayInternational Strange Music DayPluto Demoted DayInternaut Day and Peach Pie Day

Next Thursday - Slinky DayToasted Marshmallow DayFrankenstein DayInternational Whale Shark DayHolistic Pet Day and Grief Awareness Day

September 23 - Celebrate Bisexuality Day, Checkers DayRestless Legs Awareness Day and Supernatural Day


Wednesday, August 22, 2018

The Adventure of Silence


 Today's blog post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness:
We live in an age of noise. Not just audible noise, but visual noise. It seems like you can’t go anywhere these days without something or someone vying for your attention. My guest today thinks all this noise has made us a bit crazy, and that we need to re-capture the power of silence in our lives. He came to this realization while traveling alone, by foot, for fifty days to the South Pole. Since having that experience of what he initially found to be a disturbing level of silence, he thinks other people need more space for quietude in their lives.
I'm a big fan of silence. I don't have audible alerts on my phone for texts, messages, email, etc. Although I do have them on for phone calls and a few other things. I also don't listen to music, or even audio books, while I drive. Occasionally, I'll listen to an audio book, but not usually. In fact, I didn't listen to any music or anything during my trip to and from San Diego, plus no TV while I was there...just enjoying the silence. I will watch TV on the weekends when I'm home but very seldom during the week.

Although, I'm quite often distracted by my smartphone, even though I have the alerts turned off. I need to work on that.

On Monday, when I was at A Leg Up networking group, Kimmer Sue was talking about marketing and how the average person receives about 5,000 marketing messages a day! Thankfully, without radio and television I manage to miss a lot of them...but there are still many on billboards and social media.

Here are the highlights from the show:
  • How and why Erling became an explorer 
  • How Erling balanced exploring with his workaday life (including being a parent and lawyer)
  • What led him to study philosophy at Cambridge?
  • Why Erling argues that we should make life more difficult 
  • The two forms of boredom 
  • What is silence? Is it simply the absence of sound?
  • What does philosophy have to say about the idea of silence?
  • What it was like to be alone at the South Pole for 50 days 
  • How words themselves limit our experiences 
  • Why Erling didn’t feel the need to curse while alone at the pole
  • What is it about silence that makes us uncomfortable? 
  • What art can teach us about silence?
  • How can regular people find their own South Pole and experience silence?
Are you getting enough silence in your life?

Interesting days


Today - Be An Angel DayTake Your Cat to the Vet DayPecan Torte Day and Eat A Peach Day

Tomorrow -  Ride the Wind DayValentino DayBurger DayCuban Sandwich Day and Sponge Cake Day

Next Wednesday - Potteries Bottle Oven Day, More Herbs, Less Salt Day and Individual Rights Day

September 22 - White Chocolate DayDoodle DayElephant Appreciation DayDear Diary DayWorld Car Free DayBusiness Women’s DayIce Cream Cone DayInternational Rabbit Day and Hobbit Day

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The Power of Human Connection

Last week I did a blog post on the pre-launch book event for "The Power of Human Connection". I did manage to get my car fixed on Friday, so I was able to go to San Diego over the weekend.

That's also why there was no blog post yesterday...it was pretty much non-stop for me starting Friday morning.

I got off work at 5:00 Friday morning but the auto shop didn't open until 7:00, so I kinda dozed in my car for a couple of hours. They worked on my car from about 7:30 until 10:30. Then I took it to get new tires and an alignment...that took another couple of hours. Then I got my haircut, went home and finally went to bed. I was up for 28 hours...minus a couple of naps in uncomfortable places.

I woke up at about 12:30 AM...after about 6 hours of sleep.  I hit the road at 3:30 and got to San Diego at about 11:30. I checked into the hotel and went to my room and showered and cleaned up. I headed over to the event at 2:00. The event didn't start until 3:00, but there was mingling before then.

The event was broken down into 2 parts...from 3:00 - 4:00 was training for referral partners (distributors) and from 4 - 5 was the book pre-launch.

There's a new online training center for RPs (referral partners) and Kody Bateman, the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of SendOutCards, presented some training on the new training center. The presentation centered on using the 3 types of card sends (heart felt, group and scheduled), how to share SendOutCards with others, and how to build teams of people who do the same thing. If you'd like to find out more about the three types of card sends, the different packages and how you can get your subscription Paid 4 (paid for), let me know.

During the book pre-launch, Kody shared some stories from the book and also talked about the book being a great tool for anyone in any kind of business. Everyone knows that the fortune is in the follow up, but hardly anyone does it. Everyone in attendance got a free copy of the book. The interesting thing about the pre-launch books is that they were all printed on the same printers that prints the cards for SendOutCards. Of course, I got my copy signed and while I was getting it signed I asked Kody about the Master Relationship Marketing training portal. He said it's not going away and it will be updated...which is good because I use it in my monthly Business Acceleration Workshops, although it's not available at the moment.

After the event, I had dinner and went to bed at about 8:30. I was up for 20 hours. I slept until 5:30 (9 hours!) and hit the road at 7:00. I got home about 9 hours later Even though I stayed up until 3:00 the following morning (another 21 1/2 hour day!), I really wasn't up to working on my blog post...instead I watched a few episodes of Hawaii Five 0. Monday morning from 11:30 - 1:30, I had a networking event, followed by a nap then several SOC related calls, then back to work!

So, there you have it...my weekend and why there was no blog post yesterday.

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Be An Angel DayTake Your Cat to the Vet DayPecan Torte Day and Eat A Peach Day

Next Tuesday - Bow Tie DayRace Your Mouse Around The Icons DayRadio Commercials DayRainbow Bridge Remembrance DayCrackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

September 21 - World Gratitude DayPecan Cookie DayMiniature Golf DayInternational Day of PeaceInternational Grenache DayConcussion Awareness DayTradesmen Day and World Alzheimer’s Day


Monday, August 20, 2018

No blog post today

i had a very hectic weekend, which I’ll talk about tomorrow, so no post today.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Your weekend guide to interesting days - August 18, 2018

This week


Sunday - World Elephant DayInternational Youth Day and Vinyl Record Day

Monday - International Lefthanders Day and Filet Mignon Day

Tuesday - Creamsicle Day and Social Security Day

Wednesday - Relaxation DayAcadian DayCheck The Chip Day and Lemon Meringue Pie Day

Thursday - Tell A Joke DayRum DayWave At The Surveillance Cameras DayWorld Bratwurst DayAirborne Day and Rollercoaster Day

Yesterday - Thrift Shop DayMen’s Grooming DayBlack Cat Appreciation Day and Vanilla Custard Day

Today -  Bad Poetry DayWorld Honey Bee DayMail Order Catalog DaySerendipity DayBreak The Monotony DayInternational Geocaching Day and Pinot Noir Day

Next week


Tomorrow - Aviation DayPhotography DayHumanitarian DayPotato DayInternational Orangutan Day and International Bow Day

Monday - International Day of Medical TransportersInternational Homeless Animals DayChocolate Pecan Pie Day and  World Mosquito Day

Tuesday - Poet’s DaySpumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

Wednesday - Be An Angel DayTake Your Cat to the Vet DayPecan Torte Day and Eat A Peach Day

Thursday -  Ride the Wind DayValentino DayBurger DayCuban Sandwich Day and Sponge Cake Day

Friday - Knife DayVesuvius DayInternational Strange Music DayPluto Demoted DayInternaut Day and Peach Pie Day

Saturday - Kiss And Make Up DayFranchise Appreciation DayWhiskey Sour Day and Banana Split Day

Next month


September 12 - Video Games DayChocolate Milkshake Day and Quiet Day

September 13 - Fortune Cookie DayPeanut DayRoald Dahl DayProgrammers’ DayKids Take Over The Kitchen DayDefy Superstition DayPositive Thinking Day and Celiac Awareness Day

September 14 - Eat a Hoagie Day, Hug Your Boss Day, Gobstopper Day and Cream Filled Doughnut Day

September 15 - International Red Panda Day, Felt Hat Day, International Eat An Apple Day, Greenpeace Day, Coastal Cleanup Day, Make A Hat Day, International Dot Day, Gymnastics Day, Double Cheeseburger Day and Cheese Toast Day

September 16 - Wife Appreciation Day, World Ozone Day, Stepfamily Day, Collect Rocks Day, Play Doh DayWorking Parents Day and Guacamole Day

September 17 - International Country Music DayConstitution DayApple Dumpling DayMonte Cristo Sandwich Day and Locate An Old Friend Day

September 18 - Unfortunately, the site crashed before I could get this info!

Friday, August 17, 2018

The week in review - August 17, 2018

Monday - "Antici- (wait for it!)" A teaser post. "Actually, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow! I hope it doesn't kill you!"

Tuesday - "Antici- (the wait is over!)" All about dopamine...from The Art of Manliness. "In my opinion, the single greatest problem in society is the squeeze ketchup bottle!"

Wednesday - "The Power of Human Connection Pre-launch book tour" The new book on relationship marketing. "See Kody Bateman live in San Diego, CA on August 18, 2018, for additional insight on the book as he reads excerpts and dives deeper into the meaning, how-to's and more!"

Thursday - "How to join the 1% #TBT" How difficult is it to join the top 1% in network marketing? "The median income of those 200 top earners is $2,100,000 per year. But 200 out of 103 million is only about two ten-thousandths of 1%. So, how much does the top 1% make?"

Interesting days


Today - Thrift Shop DayMen’s Grooming DayBlack Cat Appreciation Day and Vanilla Custard Day

Tomorrow -  Bad Poetry DayWorld Honey Bee DayMail Order Catalog DaySerendipity DayBreak The Monotony DayInternational Geocaching Day and Pinot Noir Day

Next Friday - Knife DayVesuvius DayInternational Strange Music DayPluto Demoted DayInternaut Day and Peach Pie Day

September 17 - International Country Music DayConstitution DayApple Dumpling DayMonte Cristo Sandwich Day and Locate An Old Friend Day


Thursday, August 16, 2018

How to join the 1% #TBT

This post was originally published last year:

According to Networking Times magazine, there were 103 million people involved in network marketing worldwide in 2015, although only about 20 million were from the U.S. Since the population here in the States was about 326 million in 2015, that means that about 1 in 16 Americans were involved in network marketing 2 years ago. I don't have current numbers.

With 2015 global sales at $183 billion dollars and U.S. sales at $36 billion, network marketing is a huge industry!

How much do top earners make?  As of January 2017 the top earner made $2,100,000 per MONTH in 2016. The 200th made $1,440,000 per year...which isn't too bad. Jordan Adler, the top earner in SendOutCards, was number 126 on the list with an annual income of $1,800,000 per year. The median income of those 200 top earners is $2,100,000 per year. But 200 out of 103 million is only about two ten-thousandths of 1%. So, how much does the top 1% make? I don't know. I haven't found any definitive answers...but probably not very much...so it's easy to get into the top 1%.

Here's a perspective by Richard Bliss Brooke on why so many people fail at network marketing:
I am often asked by distributors, "What does the average distributor earn?" The answer sets them back a bit. "Nothing." The average distributor earns nothing, invests virtually nothing, learns nothing, practices nothing, risks nothing, and does nothing … all the while expecting to make it big like the company's video suggested. Network Marketing is not an opportunity for someone of average ambition, average courage, average confidence, or an average work ethic. Malmart is.
Be sure to read Richard's advice on how you can succeed at being in the top 1% (or better)!

Interesting days


Today - Tell A Joke DayRum DayWave At The Surveillance Cameras DayWorld Bratwurst DayAirborne Day and Rollercoaster Day

Tomorrow - Thrift Shop DayMen’s Grooming DayBlack Cat Appreciation Day and Vanilla Custard Day

Next Thursday -  Ride the Wind DayValentino DayBurger DayCuban Sandwich Day and Sponge Cake Day

September 16 - Wife Appreciation Day, World Ozone Day, Stepfamily Day, Collect Rocks Day, Play Doh DayWorking Parents Day and Guacamole Day Do you have a favorite guacamole recipe? Share it!

Because there just isn't enough chemistry humor in the world!


Wednesday, August 15, 2018

The Power of Human Connection Pre-launch book tour

The Power of Human Connection

 

How Relationship Marketing is Transforming the Way People Succeed

by Kody Bateman | Foreword by Ivan Misner, Ph.D


When most people see the term relationship marketing, they tend to focus more on the second word than on the first. They want to know how they can market to get more business. But increasingly, the business world is beginning to realize the key to building business is creating genuine relationships, appreciating your customers and clients, and networking to give.

The key is to focus on relationship 80 percent of the time and marketing 20 percent of the time. Kody highlights many success stories from people across a wide range of business niches who have implemented his relationship marketing principles with tremendous success.

I've read a copy of the e-book since I bought a copy of this book during the pre-launch. It's a really good book with lots of practical tips plus lots of case studies showing how businesses have used relationship marketing to grow their businesses.

I'm hoping to go to the pre-launch event in San Diego on Saturday, but it depends on whether I can get some work done on my car before then! If not, I'll probably go to the launch event in Las Vegas on the 28th.

See Kody Bateman live in San Diego, CA on August 18, 2018, for additional insight on the book as he reads excerpts and dives deeper into the meaning, how-to's and more!

Agenda


3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Referral Partner Business Training
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - The Power of Human Connection Book Overview
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm - Networking and book signing

Interesting days


Today - Relaxation DayAcadian DayCheck The Chip Day and Lemon Meringue Pie Day

Tomorrow - Tell A Joke DayRum DayWave At The Surveillance Cameras DayWorld Bratwurst DayAirborne Day and Rollercoaster Day

Next Wednesday - Be An Angel DayTake Your Cat to the Vet DayPecan Torte Day and Eat A Peach Day

September 15 - International Red Panda Day, Felt Hat Day, International Eat An Apple Day, Greenpeace Day, Coastal Cleanup Day, Make A Hat Day, International Dot Day, Gymnastics Day, Double Cheeseburger Day and Cheese Toast Day Check out the official Sizzler Free Cheese Toast Day page!


Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Antici- (the wait is over!)


Today's post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness, but before I get into that let me complain for a minute about millennials. First off, let's stop complaining about them! It's not their fault that they're the way they are. They were raised that way. Who insisted that every child got a trophy just for participating. We did! The parents of the millennials made them the way they are. And why did we do that? Because history repeats itself...we were destined to raise our kids that way. See this post for more on that topic.

The millennials were raised when there was very little to anticipate...they had access to instant communications, instant information, instant recognition and instant ketchup!


In my opinion, the single greatest problem in society is the squeeze ketchup bottle!

The podcast on AoM is about dopamine and the purposes that it really serves. So, what does dopamine have to do with anticipation? I'm glad you asked!
Why do you feel so motivated and excited about tackling a new project at first, but then get bored and abandon it?
Why does passionate love quickly turn into ambivalence? 
Why does it feel like you had more zest for life and work in your twenties than in your thirties and forties? (or your sixties!)
Much of the answer can be found in a single chemical in your brain: dopamine.
That’s the case today’s guests make. Their names are Daniel Lieberman and Michael Long, and they’re the co-authors of a new book entitled The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity. Daniel is a professor of psychiatry at George Washington University and Michael is a trained physicist turned writer. In The Molecule of More, they team up to explore a chemical that compels us towards achieving our goals, but also towards addiction. 
We begin our conversation discussing the situations in which dopamine plays a role in our lives, how it’s made, and how dopamine levels change throughout our lifetimes. We then discuss how dopamine drives our endless search for novelty, and the problems this can cause if we don’t learn to how to switch from the excitement of anticipating something, to enjoying it in the here and now. Daniel and Michael then walk us through dopamine’s role in addiction to things like porn and drugs and the differences between “desire dopamine” and “control dopamine.” Along the way, they share insights on how to harness your dopamine so it works towards your greater goals, rather than against them.
If you love the thrill of the chase, but have a hard time transitioning from pursuing something to actually building it, this is the podcast for you.
When it comes down to it, dopamine is the brain chemical that allows you to maximize future resources. Or it makes you want to do things that ensure your survival. It's triggered by an external trigger that is good and unexpected. If it's expected, it won't trigger the dopamine. It's the anticipation that makes you feel good...not actually getting something. That's also why Friday is most people's favorite day of the week, since you're anticipating the entire weekend. When you actually enter the weekend, the dopamine is reduced or goes away.

This is also why SendOutCards says that the unexpected card is the most powerful.

Here are the highlights from the podcast:
  • Two ways in which we interact with the world, and why they’re important to understand
  • What exactly is dopamine? What are some misunderstandings about it?
  • Why “Reward Prediction Error” fuels dopamine production 
  • Dopamine’s effects in the early stages of dating 
  • Why Mick Jagger and George Costanza are the same 
  • Are some people more sensitive to dopamine than others?
  • What are some characteristics of people who are especially sensitive to dopamine?
  • Desire dopamine vs control dopamine 
  • How much can you influence/control the flow of dopamine in your system?
  • Why taking Adderall when not medically needed is a bad idea 
  • Does dopamine sensitivity/production change over one’s lifetime?
  • The other neurotransmitters that play a role in our lives
  • The role of novelty and new experiences in relationships
  • Wants vs likes 
  • Dopamine and addiction 
  • You are not your dopamine circuits 
  • Triggers and opposing/avoiding your desire dopamine 
  • Dopamine best practices — getting the best of it while mitigating downsides 
  • The value of hobbies
There's a lot more to dopamine that I can cover here, so take about an hour and listen to the podcast. I'm going to try to get the book from the library, so you may be seeing more on the subject in the future.

Interesting days


Today - Creamsicle Day and Social Security Day

Tomorrow - Relaxation DayAcadian DayCheck The Chip Day and Lemon Meringue Pie Day

Next Tuesday - Poet’s DaySpumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

September 14 - Eat a Hoagie Day, Hug Your Boss Day, Gobstopper Day and Cream Filled Doughnut Day

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Your weekend guide to interesting days - August 11, 2018

This week


Sunday - Friendship DayUnderwear DayWork Like a Dog DayOyster Day and Psychic Day

Monday - Fresh Breath DayWiggle Your Toes DayRoot Beer Float DayInternational Sailor Moon Day and Farmworker Appreciation Day

Tuesday - Lighthouse DayParticularly Preposterous Packaging Day and Professional Speakers Day

Wednesday - International Cat DayHappiness Happens DayBowling DayOdie Day and Scottish Wildcat Day

Thursday - Melon DayBook Lovers Day and Rice Pudding Day

Yesterday - Lazy DaySkyscraper Appreciation DayEarth Overshoot DayS’mores DayDuran Duran Appreciation Day and World Lion Day

Today  - Son and Daughter DayIngersoll DayGarage Sale DayPlay In The Sand Day and Middle Child’s Day

Next week


Tomorrow - World Elephant DayInternational Youth Day and Vinyl Record Day

Monday - International Lefthanders Day and Filet Mignon Day

Tuesday - Creamsicle Day and Social Security Day

Wednesday - Relaxation DayAcadian DayCheck The Chip Day and Lemon Meringue Pie Day

Thursday - Tell A Joke DayRum DayWave At The Surveillance Cameras Day, World Bratwurst Day, Airborne Day and Rollercoaster Day

Friday - Thrift Shop DayMen’s Grooming DayBlack Cat Appreciation Day and Vanilla Custard Day

Saturday -  Bad Poetry DayWorld Honey Bee DayMail Order Catalog DaySerendipity DayBreak The Monotony DayInternational Geocaching Day and Pinot Noir Day

Next month


September 5 - Be Late For Something DayCheese Pizza DayInternational Day of CharityWorld Samosa Day and Global Talent Acquisition Day

September 6 - Read a Book Day and Fight Procrastination Day

September 7 - Bring Your Manners To Work DaySalami DayLazy Mom’s DaySuperhuman DayBuy a Book Day and Beer Lover’s Day

September 8 - Pardon DayLiteracy DayWorld Physical Therapy DayActors’ DayIguana Awareness DayStar Trek Day and International Drive Your Studebaker Day

September 9 - Hug Your Hound DayGrandparent’s DayWorldwide Candle Lighting DayWienerschnitzel Day, Wonderful Weirdos Day and Teddy Bear Day

September 10 - Swap Ideas DayBoss/Employee Exchange DayWorld Suicide Prevention Day and TV Dinner Day

September 11 - Make Your Bed DayHot Cross Bun DayPatriot Day and No News is Good News Day