Your weekend guide to interesting days - November 30, 2019

This week

Sunday - Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day, Sardines Day and Aura Awareness Day

Monday - Shopping Reminder Day, Blase’ Day and Parfait Day

Tuesday - Cake Day

Wednesday - Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Tie One On Day, Jukebox Day, Craft Jerky Day and Pins And Needles Day

Thursday - Thanksgiving, French Toast Day, Day of Mourning and Turkey Free Thanksgiving

Yesterday - Flossing Day, Chocolates Day, Day of Listening, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday, Electronic Greetings Day, Maize Day, Throw Out Your Leftovers Day, Systems Engineer Day, Buy Nothing Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, Square Dancing Day and Sinkie Day

Today - Computer Security Day, Mason Jar Day, Mousse Day, Small Business Saturday (US) and Stay Home Because You’re Well Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Next week

December will be Pear Month, Tie Month, Human Rights Month, Write a Business Plan Month, Operation Santa Paws and Food Service Safety Month

Tomorrow - Eat A Red Apple Day, World AIDS Day, Day Without Art Day and Walt Disney Day

Monday - Fritters Day and Cyber Monday

Tuesday - Make A Gift Day, Disability Day, Giving Tuesday and Giving Tuesday

Wednesday - Cookie Day, Wear Brown Shoes Day, Dice Day, World Wildlife Conservation Day, Cab Franc Day and International Cheetah Day

Thursday - International Ninja Day, Bathtub Party Day, World Soil Day, Repeal Day and Sachertorte Day 

Friday - Miners’ Day, Bartender Appreciation Day, Mitten Tree Day, Faux Fur Friday, St. Nicholas Day, Put On Your Own Shoes Day and Pawnbrokers Day

Saturday - Cotton Candy Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and International Civil Aviation Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Next month

December 24 - Christmas Eve and Eggnog Day

December 25 - Christmas and Pumpkin Pie Day

December 26 - Thank You Note Day and Candy Cane Day

December 27 - Make Cut-out Snowflakes Day, Visit The Zoo Day and Fruitcake Day

December 28 - Card Playing Day

December 29 - Tick Tock Day and Pepper Pot Day

December 30 - Bacon Day and Bicarbonate of Soda Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

The week in review - November 29, 2019

Monday - "All 5 ways to win #pumpkinSpiceCaramels" The pumpkin spice caramels drawing is still going strong! "Here are all the ways you can get an entry into the pumpkin spice caramels giveaway."

Tuesday - "The 12 Days of Giving revisited" Yesterday's blog post is already out of date. "And to help you do your part, I'm going to give you a ticket to the pumpkin spice caramels drawing just for signing up for the 12 days of giving"

Wednesday - "How To Sleep Well On Thanksgiving" Tips from Dr. Michael Breus. "It’s estimated that over 700 million pounds of turkey will be gobbled up this Thanksgiving!"

Thursday - "Are you giving your clients away to your competition? #TBT" Make sure you reach out to your existing clients a regular basis. "And now your current clients are someone else's prospects...being wined and dined, and told how wonderful they are...while hearing nothing from you!"

Interesting days

Today - Flossing Day, Chocolates Day, Day of Listening, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday, Electronic Greetings Day, Maize Day, Throw Out Your Leftovers Day, Systems Engineer Day, Buy Nothing Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, Square Dancing Day and Sinkie Day

Tomorrow - Computer Security Day, Mason Jar Day, Mousse Day, Small Business Saturday (US) and Stay Home Because You’re Well Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Friday - Miners’ Day, Bartender Appreciation Day, Mitten Tree Day, Faux Fur Friday, St. Nicholas Day, Put On Your Own Shoes Day and Pawnbrokers Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 29 - Tick Tock Day and Pepper Pot Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Are you giving your clients away to your competition? #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year:

"Of course not," you say. "I'm doing everything I can to keep them!" But are you? "I love my clients and they love me." Do they know that?

Let me ask you this: when you started your business did you immediately have all the clients you needed? I'm guessing probably not. You had to work for them. Work hard. It wasn't always easy to convince them to leave the person they were doing business with and to start doing business with you. But why did they leave? It may have been because of your price or level of service but usually it's because they think the person they were doing business with didn't care about them anymore. When they were a prospect they were wined and dined, and told how wonderful they were. Now, they don't hear anything at all from them except maybe a request to buy more of their stuff.

And now your current clients are someone else's prospects...being wined and dined, and told how wonderful they are...while hearing nothing from you!

It's said that 68% of customers leave because of perceived indifference...combine that with the 9% who leave because they are persuaded to go with the competition, you have more than three-quarters going away and probably to your competition.

Another statistic is that you lose 10% of your influence for every month that your clients don't hear from you. At first, your client may say "I have a guy (or gal)" but after a few months they're not so sure. It also takes 5 - 12 exposures for someone to make a buying decision. If your competitors reach out to them 5 - 12 times and they haven't heard from you in awhile, then guess what?

So, what can you do about it? I suggest making a list of your top 100 clients and if you don't have that many, then include your prospects and influencers that you know and reach out to them several times a year, if not every month. And the easiest way to do that is with a system like SendOutCards. SendOutCards lets you reach out to your list automatically...you just have to create your list and then decide what cards you want the system to send to them...automatically.

Interesting days

Today - Thanksgiving, French Toast Day, Day of Mourning and Turkey Free Thanksgiving

Tomorrow - Flossing Day, Chocolates Day, Day of Listening, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday, Electronic Greetings Day, Maize Day, Throw Out Your Leftovers Day, Systems Engineer Day, Buy Nothing Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, Square Dancing Day and Sinkie Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Thursday - International Ninja Day, Bathtub Party Day, World Soil Day, Repeal Day and Sachertorte Day 

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 28 - Card Playing Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

How To Sleep Well On Thanksgiving

Today's blog post is based on a blog post by Dr. Michael Breus.

You’d think everyone knows how to sleep well on Thanksgiving, and why they are sleepy.

It’s estimated that over 700 million pounds of turkey will be gobbled up this Thanksgiving! 

Hopefully, you’ll eat your portion (or perhaps a plant-based substitute) surrounded by the people in your life that matter the most to you. Afterward wolfing down yams, gravy and other goodies, you might find yourself getting a little drowsy.

Thanksgiving is maybe the only major holiday where sleep is an expected part of the celebration. After the feast, relatives retreat to the various recliners and couches to watch the football game but instead drift off to sleep. Traditionally, this post-banquet snooze has been attributed to the tryptophan in the turkey. However, the turkey and its tryptophan need to be officially pardoned. They aren’t to blame for the Thanksgiving food comas.

I'd always heard that tryptophan was the culprit. But if it's not, what is?

Tryptophan is an amino acid that the body uses to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that’s also an essential precursor for the sleep hormone melatonin. However, turkey typically doesn’t contain more tryptophan than red meat, pork or fish. You’d have to eat roughly five pounds of turkey in order to get about one gram of tryptophan! Most people eat less than a pound of turkey at Thanksgiving.

My friend Deb Bixler has the following recommendations for the amount of turkey to be served:

Turkey Tip:
What size whole turkey should I buy, you ask?
Figure on 1 1/2 Lb turkey per person if you want leftovers or 1 lb turkey per person if you do not.

So, what is the culprit?

However, it’s the carbs, overeating (Digestion takes energy!) and the alcohol that drive the holiday naptime, not the turkey.

Now that the turkeys have been vindicated, there are a few ways that Thanksgiving can disrupt your sleep at night. First, there’s the possibility of heartburn and indigestion, plus caffeine, alcohol and more. Here’s a few tips for sidestepping some of the big sleep risks on Thanksgiving.

How to Avoid Holiday Indigestion:

• Eat your food slowly. 

• Schedule the meal earlier. 

• Avoid spicy, fatty and tomato-based foods

•  Instead of heading for a prime snoozing spot on the couch after dinner, stay on your feet. 

Caffeine and alcohol are also big culprits in disrupting your Thursday night's sleep:

Caffeine: Not only can caffeine be a trigger for indigestion, it can also keep you from getting the sleep that you need. I generally recommend that people stop drinking caffeine at 2 p.m. That means, skip the after-dinner coffee and avoid other foods and beverages that have caffeine in them like chocolate, soda pop and ice cream. 

Alcohol: If you’re sensitive to heartburn or indigestion, alcohol is another trigger. Like caffeine, alcohol disrupts sleep even if it doesn’t upset your stomach. It dehydrates you and makes it hard to reach the deeper stages of sleep. You’re also likely to have to wake up to go to the bathroom.

Avoid any alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime (I've written about it here).

Stress is also a big sleep disruptor:

It’s not just the food and drinks that can cause you to lose sleep. Keep in mind that stress can run high around the holidays, especially when it comes to the topic of politics. November is election season, and Thanksgiving seems to be the time that families get together and argue about the issues facing our nation.

Although 2019 was a Presidential election off year (but, hey, who knows what kind of emotions local elections might have dredged up), 2020 will most likely be a doozy. People have been so stressed out by the political division in this country, that they are losing sleep, according to a recent study that is.

Researchers surveyed 800 U.S. citizens and found that 40% of respondents said that politics was a large source of stress in their lives, and 20% even claimed to have lost sleep over politics. The stress even transcends party lines, so it’s likely you’ll finally have this in common with your cousin who is on the opposite end of the political spectrum.

Since the majority of people are stressed out by politics, it might be a good idea to designate the dinner table a “politics-free zone.” That way, your family can sidestep uncomfortable conversations and everyone can go home and have a good night’s sleep without the added stress.

Check out his blog post for more information.

Interesting days

Today - Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Tie One On Day, Jukebox Day, Craft Jerky Day and Pins And Needles Day

Tomorrow - Thanksgiving, French Toast Day, Day of Mourning and Turkey Free Thanksgiving

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Wednesday - Cookie Day, Wear Brown Shoes Day, Dice Day, World Wildlife Conservation Day, Cab Franc Day and International Cheetah Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 27 - Make Cut-out Snowflakes Day, Visit The Zoo Day and Fruitcake Day

 Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

The 12 Days of Giving revisited

Last week I wrote about The 12 Days of Giving, and it launched yesterday. But your 12 days begin when you sign up.

It's very easy to sign up to receive a daily prompt...all you have to do is go to The 12 Days of Giving website and enter your phone number.

There's a short video at the top of the page, but you can watch it here:

Within about a minute of signing up, I received a welcome text:

Thank you for signing up for daily prompts for #The12DaysOfGiving. Your first prompt will be sent momentarily. 

We look forward to seeing your kindness shared with the world.  

Text STOP to unsubscribe.

And about 10 minutes after that, I received the first prompt:

Pay it Forward.

When sitting in the drive-thru line for coffee, tea, lunch, or for any other reason, pay for the person behind you. Simple gestures from a stranger can light up the day.

Share your experience with us by posting on social media with #The12DaysOfGiving #SendOutCards

I received this just as I was getting ready to leave for work, so I was able to stop at Starbucks and buy a coffee for the person behind me. I don't know whether they also paid it forward, or if it died with them, but I did my part.

And to help you do your part, I'm going to give you a ticket to the pumpkin spice caramels drawing just for signing up for the 12 days of giving, another ticket for each prompt that you complete plus another ticket if you share it to Facebook using the hashtags #The12DaysOfGiving and #SendOutCards. These tickets are in addition to the 5 ways of earning tickets from yesterday's blog post. This now gives you 8 ways to earn tickets for the pumpkin spice caramels drawing.

Just let me know when you've signed up and complete each prompt. And tag me in your Facebook post.

Interesting days

Today - Cake Day

Tomorrow - Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Tie One On Day, Jukebox Day, Craft Jerky Day and Pins And Needles Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Tuesday - Make A Gift Day, Disability Day, Giving Tuesday and Giving Tuesday

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 26 - Thank You Note Day and Candy Cane Day

 Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

All 5 ways to win #pumpkinSpiceCaramels

Here are all the ways you can get an entry into the pumpkin spice caramels giveaway.

1. Watch this video This is probably the easiest way to enter. You get one ticket for watching the video. Be sure to let me know when you've watched it. Also, if you've watched one or both of the previous videos, let me know that too!

2. Share the video There are several ways you can do this. Click on the Facebook icon on the lower right corner of the video above, then click on Share in the upper right corner and select how you want to share it...

You can share it to your wall or story, send it in Messenger, or start a watch party. Sharing it to your wall or story is the least effective, unless you tag people in the comments. Sending in Messenger is very effective if you only want to share it with a few people at a time. If you host a watch party you can invite all of your friends to watch it. Every one of your friends who watches the video gets an entry in the drawing...plus you get an entry also! Again, let me know who's watched it, so I can enter both of you in the drawing.

3. Download the app If you download the app to your phone, you'll get another entry into the drawing.

4. Share the app You can share the app directly from the app on your phone. Here's a video that shows how to do it...it includes instructions for iOS and Android. You and your friends each get an entry into the drawing, when they also download the app.

5. Send a card from the app Use the app to send a card. If you're not already a SendOutCards customer, the first card is free...including postage to anywhere in the world.

Be sure to let me know when you complete any of these tasks.

Interesting days

Today - Shopping Reminder Day, Blase’ Day and Parfait Day

Tomorrow - Cake Day

Next Monday - Fritters Day and Cyber Monday

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 25 - Christmas and Pumpkin Pie Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Your weekend guide to interesting days - November 23, 2019

This week

Sunday - Homemade Bread Day, Baklava Day, International Happy Gose Day, Take A Hike Day, World Prematurity Day, Unfriend Day and Petroleum Day

Monday - Occult Day, Apple Cider Day, Princess Day, Vichyssoise Day, Adoption Day, GIS Day, Mickey Mouse Day and Housing Day

Tuesday -  International Men’s Day, Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day, Play Monopoly Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day and World Toilet Day

Wednesday - Name Your PC Day, Wobbly Wednesday, Absurdity Day, African Industrialization Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day and Universal Children’s Day

Thursday - World Hello Day, Stuffing Day, False Confession Day, Red Mitten Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Social Enterprise Day and World Television Day

Yesterday - Go For A Ride Day, Flossing Day and Cranberry Relish Day

Today - Fibonacci Day, Espresso Day, Cashew Day and Eat A Cranberry Day

Week long celebrations:

November 11 - 17: Human-Animal Relationship Awareness Week

November 12 - 18: Talk Money Week 

November 18 - 24: Road Safety Week

Next week

Tomorrow - Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day, Sardines Day and Aura Awareness Day

Monday - Shopping Reminder Day, Blase’ Day and Parfait Day

Tuesday - Cake Day

Wednesday - Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Tie One On Day, Jukebox Day, Craft Jerky Day and Pins And Needles Day

Thursday - Thanksgiving, French Toast Day, Day of Mourning and Turkey Free Thanksgiving

Friday - Flossing Day, Chocolates Day, Day of Listening, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday, Electronic Greetings Day, Maize Day, Throw Out Your Leftovers Day, Systems Engineer Day, Buy Nothing Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, Square Dancing Day and Sinkie Day

Saturday - Computer Security Day, Mason Jar Day, Mousse Day, Small Business Saturday (US) and Stay Home Because You’re Well Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas 

Next month

December 17 - Maple Syrup Day and Wright Brothers Day

December 18 - Bake Cookies Day, International Migrants Day, Arabic Language Day and Roast Suckling Pig Day

December 19 - Re-gifting Day, Look For An Evergreen Day and Oatmeal Muffin Day

December 20 - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Go Caroling Day, Sangria Day, Underdog Day and Games Day

December 21 - Humbug Day, Dalek Remembrance Day, Crossword Puzzle Day, Ribbon Candy Day, Short Girl Appreciation Day, Short Story Day, Don’t Make Your Bed Day and Look On The Bright Side Day

December 22 - Date Nut Bread Day, Forefathers’ Day and Flashlight Day

December 23 - Festivus and Roots Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

The week in review - November 22, 2019

Monday - "#pumpkinSpiceCaramels update" New video released. "The timing is perfect for a holiday card sending overview!"

Tuesday - "12 Days of Giving" A new service from SendOutCards. "Let's all join the 12 Days of Giving and see what it does for our holiday spirit!"

Wednesday - "The 3 Stages of Failure in Life and Work (And How to Fix Them)" An interesting article. "What I found interesting is the way he talks about the how, what and why...just like I've talked about in creating your mission and vision."

Thursday - "Warning! Math geekiness ahead! #TBT" Fibonacci Day is coming up! "This sequence is 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5…where each number is the sum of the previous 2 numbers starting with 0 and 1 as the seeds."

Interesting days

Today - Go For A Ride Day and Cranberry Relish Day

Tomorrow - Fibonacci Day, Espresso Day, Cashew Day and Eat A Cranberry Day

Week long celebrations:

November 18 - 24: Road Safety Week

Next Friday - Flossing Day, Chocolates Day, Day of Listening, You’re Welcome Giving Day, Black Friday, Electronic Greetings Day, Maize Day, Throw Out Your Leftovers Day, Systems Engineer Day, Buy Nothing Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, Square Dancing Day and Sinkie Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 22 - Date Nut Bread Day, Forefathers’ Day and Flashlight Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

Warning! Math geekiness ahead! #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published five years ago (Wow! I've been doing this for over five years):

Sunday is Fibonacci Day

(This year it's on Saturday)

Who or what is a Fibonacci you may ask and what has it got to do with math? I'm glad you asked!

Fibonacci was a person who lived during the Middle Ages. According to Wikipedia:

Leonardo Bonacci (c. 1170 – c. 1250)^[2]—known as Fibonacci (Italian: [fiboˈnattʃi]), and also Leonardo of Pisa, Leonardo Pisano, Leonardo Pisano Bigollo, Leonardo Fibonacci—was an Italian mathematician, considered as "the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages.".^[3][4]

He is best known for creating a sequence of numbers, known as the fibonacci numbers or the fibonacci sequence. This sequence is 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5…where each number is the sum of the previous 2 numbers starting with 0 and 1 as the seeds.

Fibonacci also introduced the Arabic numerals 0-9 and place notation to Europe.

See the Wikipedia article about his life.

Fibonacci numbers

This sequence of numbers was used to describe a mathematical problem in Fibonacci's book. According to Wikipedia:

In the West, the Fibonacci sequence first appears in the book Liber Abaci (1202) by Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci.^[5] Fibonacci considers the growth of an idealized (biologically unrealistic) rabbit population, assuming that: a newly born pair of rabbits, one male, one female, are put in a field; rabbits are able to mate at the age of one month so that at the end of its second month a female can produce another pair of rabbits; rabbits never die and a mating pair always produces one new pair (one male, one female) every month from the second month on. The puzzle that Fibonacci posed was: how many pairs will there be in one year?

• At the end of the first month, they mate, but there is still only 1 pair.
• At the end of the second month the female produces a new pair, so now there are 2 pairs of rabbits in the field.
• At the end of the third month, the original female produces a second pair, making 3 pairs in all in the field.
• At the end of the fourth month, the original female has produced yet another new pair, the female born two months ago produces her first pair also, making 5 pairs.

At the end of the nth month, the number of pairs of rabbits is equal to the number of new pairs (which is the number of pairs in month n − 2) plus the number of pairs alive last month (n − 1). This is the nth Fibonacci number.^[15]

There are many uses for these numbers.

They are used to approximate the golden ratio. According to Wikipedia:

In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. The figure on the right illustrates the geometric relationship. Expressed algebraically, for quantities a and b with a > b > 0,

where the Greek letter phi (φ) represents the golden ratio. Its value is:

The golden ratio is also called the golden section (Latin: sectio aurea) or golden mean.^[1][2][3] Other names include extreme and mean ratio,^[4] medial section, divine proportion, divine section (Latin: sectio divina), golden proportion, golden cut,^[5] and golden number.^[6][7][8]

Here is a photo to explain this:

The ratio of any two adjacent fibonacci numbers is an approximation of the golden ratio, and as the numbers get larger the ratio gets closer and closer to the golden ratio, i.e. F(n)/F(n-1)

Also according to Wikipedia:

Fibonacci sequences appear in biological settings,^[9] in two consecutive Fibonacci numbers, such as branching in trees, arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruitlets of a pineapple,^[10] the flowering of artichoke, an uncurling fern and the arrangement of a pine cone,^[11] and the family tree of honeybees.^[55] 

I've also seen them used as a betting sequence in blackjack.

 According to Wikipedia:

Fibonacci numbers are used in a polyphase version of the merge sort algorithm in which an unsorted list is divided into two lists whose lengths correspond to sequential Fibonacci numbers – by dividing the list so that the two parts have lengths in the approximate proportion φ. A tape-drive implementation of the polyphase merge sort was described in The Art of Computer Programming.

Fibonacci numbers arise in the analysis of the Fibonacci heap data structure.

(This is computer science stuff).

Here is the link to the Wikipedia article on fibonacci numbers.

Interesting days

Today - World Hello Day, Stuffing Day, False Confession Day, Red Mitten Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Social Enterprise Day and World Television Day

Tomorrow - Go For A Ride Day, Flossing Day and Cranberry Relish Day

Week long celebrations:

November 18 - 24: Road Safety Week

Next Thursday - Thanksgiving, French Toast Day, Day of Mourning and Turkey Free Thanksgiving

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

December 21 - Humbug Day, Dalek Remembrance Day, Crossword Puzzle Day, Ribbon Candy Day, Short Girl Appreciation Day, Short Story Day, Don’t Make Your Bed Day and Look On The Bright Side Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

The 3 Stages of Failure in Life and Work (And How to Fix Them)

Here's another article from getpocket.com. This article is from James Clear, I've run across his name a few times but I don't really know any more about him than what's on his website. But I found this article interesting and thought I'd share it.

One of the hardest things in life is to know when to keep going and when to move on. 

On the one hand, perseverance and grit are key to achieving success in any field. Anyone who masters their craft will face moments of doubt and somehow find the inner resolve to keep going. If you want to build a successful business or create a great marriage or learn a new skill then “sticking with it” is perhaps the most critical trait to possess. 

On the other hand, telling someone to never give up is terrible advice. Successful people give up all the time. If something is not working, smart people don’t repeat it endlessly. They revise. They adjust. They pivot. They quit. As the saying goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” 

Life requires both strategies. Sometimes you need to display unwavering confidence and double down on your efforts. Sometimes you need to abandon the things that aren’t working and try something new. The key question is: how do you know when to give up and when to stick with it? 

One way to answer this question is to use a framework I call the 3 Stages of Failure.

What I found interesting is the way he talks about the how, what and why...just like I've talked about in creating your mission and vision.

The 3 Stages of Failure 

This framework helps clarify things by breaking down challenges into three stages of failure: 

Stage 1 is a Failure of Tactics. These are HOW mistakes. They occur when you fail to build robust systems, forget to measure carefully, and get lazy with the details. A Failure of Tactics is a failure to execute on a good plan and a clear vision. 

Stage 2 is a Failure of Strategy. These are WHAT mistakes. They occur when you follow a strategy that fails to deliver the results you want. You can know why you do the things you do and you can know how to do the work, but still choose the wrong what to make it happen. 

Stage 3 is a Failure of Vision. These are WHY mistakes. They occur when you don't set a clear direction for yourself, follow a vision that doesn't fulfill you, or otherwise fail to understand why you do the things you do.

There are three primary ways to fix Failures of Tactics. 

1. Record your process.
2. Measure your outcomes.
3. Review and adjust your tactics.

There are three primary ways to fix Failures of Strategy. 

1. Launch it quickly.
2. Do it cheaply.
3. Revise it rapidly.

And finally:

There are three primary ways to fix Failures of Vision. 

1. Take stock of your life.
2. Determine your non-negotiable.
3. Navigate criticism.

There's a lot more information in the article, so be sure to check it out!

Interesting days

Today - Name Your PC Day, Wobbly Wednesday, Absurdity Day, African Industrialization Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day and Universal Children’s Day

Tomorrow - World Hello Day, Stuffing Day, False Confession Day, Red Mitten Day, Use Less Stuff Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Social Enterprise Day and World Television Day

Week long celebrations:

November 18 - 24: Road Safety Week

Next Wednesday - Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Tie One On Day, Jukebox Day, Craft Jerky Day and Pins And Needles Day

December 20 - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Go Caroling Day, Sangria Day, Underdog Day and Games Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

12 Days of Giving

SendOutCards is going to send a prompt a day to your phone starting on Monday, November 25, 2019 and continuing for the next 12 days. What kind of prompts? These prompts will get you into the spirit of giving and will include such things as helping an elderly person out to the car with their groceries, and send a card and brownies to a grandparent. These may or may not be a couple of the actual prompts that will be received. 

You don't have to start on the 25th. The 12 days will start on whatever day you sign up.

This is a brand new idea that was announced on yesterday's corporate call. But it's a glimpse of things to come. There appears to be a plan to have some kind of prompt every day...but for now it is only for 12 days. And these prompts will help you to act on your promptings. What's a prompting? It's that little voice in your head that brings someone's name to mind. There is a reason that person popped into your mind when they did, and by acting on your prompting you'll reach out to that person via a call, text, or card.

I'll update this as I learn more about it. 

Let's all join the 12 Days of Giving and see what it does for our holiday spirit!

Interesting days

Today - International Men’s Day, Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day, Play Monopoly Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day and World Toilet Day

Tomorrow - Name Your PC Day, Wobbly Wednesday, Absurdity Day, African Industrialization Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day and Universal Children’s Day

Week long celebrations:

November 18 - 24: Road Safety Week

Next Tuesday - Cake Day

December 19 - Re-gifting Day, Look For An Evergreen Day and Oatmeal Muffin Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas

#pumpkinSpiceCaramels update

Jordan Adler will be hosting another call tonight at 6:30 PST and I'll be hosting another watch party at that time.

According to Jordan's description of this call:

Let's have EVERYONE DO A WATCH PARTY and I'll do a "Live" holiday overview for your friends

The timing is perfect for a holiday card sending overview!

As of the time that I'm writing this, there are 32 tickets in the drawing and Crystal Meisner is the only person with more than one ticket but you can change that tonight!

If you haven't watched the current watch party video yet, you need to do that before the new video comes out tonight.



Then when you watch the new video tonight, just type "Both" in the comments and you'll get a ticket in the drawing for watching the existing video (if you don't have one already) and another ticket for the new video.

And you'll be able to get additional entries by sharing the new video to your wall or by hosting a watch party of your own. I'll include the instructions on how to do that after tonight's watch party.

So, be sure you tune in for the watch party on my Facebook wall tonight at 6:30 PST.

If you're not able to watch it live tonight, that's ok. You can go back and watch it anytime and comment on it when you have finished. Plus, I'll have a new watch party every afternoon (except Wednesday) at 2:00 PST.

And the drawings are held every Friday at 8:00 PM PST.

Interesting days

Today - Occult Day, Apple Cider Day, Princess Day, Vichyssoise Day, Adoption Day, GIS Day, Mickey Mouse Day and Housing Day

Tomorrow -  International Men’s Day, Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day, Play Monopoly Day, Have A Bad Day Day, Entrepreneurs’ Day and World Toilet Day

Week long celebrations:

November 12 - 18: Talk Money Week 

November 18 - 24: Road Safety Week

Next Monday - Shopping Reminder Day, Blase’ Day and Parfait Day

December 18 - Bake Cookies Day, International Migrants Day, Arabic Language Day and Roast Suckling Pig Day

Month long celebrations:

November 28 - December 31: A Blue Christmas