Random musings: 2021

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

All the ways to win

You may have caught my Facebook Live yesterday where I talked about the new $25 and $100 American Express gift card giveaways. If not, now you will.

But first I'm going to talk about all the ways you can get entries into the brownie giveaway:

The first way, and most of you have already done this is to watch an 11 minute video, what you may not have noticed was an invitation to join a Facebook group. Both of those activities are worth 1 entry each. Plus, if you share the video (which I know some of you have done), the person who you shared with gets an entry for watching the video and another for joining the FB group. And you get an additional entry to match each of theirs!

The next way is a biggie...you get 5 entries for watching a live IM Academy presentation. These presentations last about 20 - 30 minutes. There are 3 opportunities a day - at noon, 5:00 and 8:00 PST every Monday - Friday. And everybody who watches gets 5 entries (and so do you). So, make some popcorn and sit down with your spouse...you'll get 5 entries for watching, your spouse will get 5 entries and you'll get 5 more entries because your spouse watched. Be sure to share with your parents, siblings, adult kids, friends and neighbors. Here's the link...the password is IM. It may just ask for your email address. Don't worry...they won't spam you. These presentations will be going on for the foreseeable future.

If you can't make one of the live presentations (or even if you can), you can watch a recorded version of a presentation. This is worth 3 entries in the drawing. And yes, you can watch both a live presentation and the recorded version.

So, by yourself you can get up to 10 entries in the drawing, plus you can double, triple or quadruple the number of entries. You're saying to yourself that the brownies are good, but they're really not worth that much effort. That' where the gift cards come in. On the first Saturday of every month, starting this Saturday, I'll be putting the names of all of the brownie winners into a bowl and drawing at least one name to win a $25 AmEx gift card. And on the first Saturday of a new quarter (starting in April), the winners of the $25 gift cards will be placed in a bowl and at least one person will win a $100 gift card.

But wait! What if I don't win brownies? Does that mean I'm out of luck for the gift card drawings? Absolutely not! There are ways to get entries directly into the gift card drawings.

First, to get entered into the $25 monthly drawing, you can do a 3 way Zoom with me and my mentor, Darla DiGrandi-Aguilera. She's much better at explaining all of this than I am! But please, only do this if you're willing to learn more about the academy. Darla's time, and your time, is too valuable to waste if you're not the least bit curious. You'll get one entry into the $25 AmEx gift card drawing when you do this. Again, if your friends and family are interested they can get an entry and you can get affectional ones. But again, only if they're interested in learning more.

And how about the $100 drawing? Become an IM Academy student. For every month that you're a student, you'll get an entry into the drawing. And between now and the end of the year, you can get a $50 rebate! You DO NOT get additional entries when other people sign up but there are other benefits offered directly form the academy. Want to learn more? Book a Zoom with Darla and me...just reach out to me and I'll set it up.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

What is the Vitality Movement?

The Vitality Movement is a program offered by Blue 42 for Life and consists of 3 parts:

Listen to your body! What does it need?
Use our four pillar assessment to determine what your body needs.
Review the package that your assessment built just for you.

1. What is your body telling you it needs so you can feel your healthiest?

You might be looking for more energy or to have a more active lifestyle.

• Or maybe you want deeper sleep and better rest so you can perform at a higher level daily.
• Or perhaps you want to work on your body and metabolism so you can feel better.
• You might want to boost your immune system so you can fight off illnesses.
• Or maybe you‘re looking for all of the above and want to feel better overall?

2. Take The Assessment

Use our four pillar system to take a quick assessment. Through the prompts below, we guide you through determining what your body needs, just click on the section that best suits what your body needs.

3. Review the package that your assessment built just for you.

After you take the assessment you will be taken to the shopping page to purchase the products you selected during the assessment where you can add or remove items before purchase. On this page you can download the daily tracker, which is featured in the video below.

You can access the daily tracker here.

It's almost time for New Year's resolutions and if yours include getting healthier then check out the Vitality Movement.

Interesting days

Today - Black Cat Day, Cranky Co-Workers Day and Navy Day

Tomorrow - Plush Animal Lover’s Day and Animation Day

Next Wednesday - Smart Home Day, Sandwich Day. Housewife’s Day, Cliché Day, Jellyfish Day, Stress Awareness Day and Wobbly Wednesday

Week long celebrations:

Nov 1 - Nov 7: Marzipan Week

November 27 - Bavarian Cream Pie Day, Pins And Needles Day, Craft Jerky Day and Small Business Saturday (US)

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Monday, October 25, 2021

How To Prepare Your Sleep For The End Of Daylight Savings Time

Today's blog post is from a blog post by Dr. Michael Breus:

When you think about daylight savings time, do you immediately think about getting more sleep or less? For some people, the time change is no big deal. But for a lot of people, daylight savings time means daytime sleepiness, sluggishness, and exhaustion.

Thankfully though, all this can be avoided with a few easy changes to your routine in the week leading up to the time change. Before we get into how to adjust to daylight savings time, let’s take a brief look at its history, and why you may feel so tired after the change.

The article then talks about why we have DST and the history of it. If you want to find out more, click the link at the top of this page.

Why Do You Feel Tired After Daylight Savings Time?

Daylight savings time may be intended to save energy, but it can have the opposite effect on your own body! This is because your circadian rhythm may fall out of alignment after the clock change.

Your circadian rhythm helps regulate your sleep cycle, and because it’s influenced by light exposure, the combination of the time change and changed light outside can cause circadian misalignment.

Are you a morning lark or a night owl? Each may react differently to the change in time. Check out the article for more info on the different chronotypes.

How to Get Great Sleep as Daylight Savings Time Begins or Ends

Whether you are preparing to lose an hour as you transition into daylight savings time or gain one as you return to standard time, the time shift can be disorienting and rough on your sleep.

To avoid any post-daylight savings time sleep problems, all you need to do is make some easy changes to your sleep hygiene and bedtime routine. These can help you sleep better whether you’re waking up to sunshine, or to darkness.

These tips aren’t just for adults— teens and kids of all ages will benefit too! Just be sure to incorporate these suggestions into your child’s bedtime routine as you would your own.

1. Follow a Consistent Sleep Schedule— Preferably According to Your Chronotype

2. Eliminate Blue Light at Night

3. Bring on the Morning Light!

4. Listen to Some Music

5. Take a Cool— Not Cold— Shower In the Morning

6. Eat The Right Breakfast

If you don't know your chronotype, now would be a good time to go to the article and take the quiz (I'm a dolphin).

How Daylight Savings Time Affects Each Chronotype

Remember how I said that daylight savings time affects the chronotypes differently? Here’s how the time change tends to affect people according to their chronotype.

When Daylight Savings Time Ends

Lions

When daylight savings time ends, you won’t need the extra hour of sleep— for you lions, it’s generally not in your nature to sleep in any way. If you’re a lion, Daylight Savings Time actually has a tendency to affect you negatively. Why? Because on this particular day, your internal clock will likely be going off at your normal time— 5:00 AM, which will now be 4:00 AM— and you’re not going to need to sleep in.

I recommend you try and stick to your normal schedule— plan a quiet activity like reading, extra meditation, or write and respond to emails. In about a day, your waking pattern should be adjusted. It’s best if you go into another area of your home and turn on all the lights. You won’t need melatonin production at that hour because you’re already up and starting your day.

Wolves

You’ll be very happy with your extra hour of sleep because wolves are generally affected positively. Why? Because you are always sleep-deprived!

Daylight saving time means you’re getting an extra hour of much-needed rest. However, I encourage you not to stay up later the night before. You’ll naturally want to stay up later knowing you’ll get the extra “free” hour, but it will eliminate any benefit you’ll receive from the catch-up sleep.

Dolphins

Now is the time to lower your anxiety and sleep in. Most Dolphins tell me they sleep best from 4:00-6:00 AM, so enjoy the extra hour! Just remember to get a glass of water to rehydrate when you wake and if you REALLY want to start your morning right, have sex. For you dolphins, sex makes a lot of sense from a chronotype and hormone perspective.

Bears

As you may have already guessed, if you’re a bear, daylight saving time will hardly have any effect on you. You can sleep in if you like. It will provide you with a little more rest, so enjoy the extra time if you’re so inclined. You’ve earned it!

The article then goes on to talk about what to do when DST begins...we'll revisit that in six months.

A few other guidelines I recommend you follow include:

If possible, avoid alcohol during the weekend of the time change.
For better sleep quality, keep up your exercise routine during the week. Maybe throw in an extra workout that weekend too.
On the morning of the time change, make sure you get sunlight to help reset your body clock.

Don’t Lose Sleep Over Daylight Savings Time!

The time change from daylight savings time can wreak havoc on your internal clock, but it doesn’t have to. You can get good sleep even as your body adjusts to the clock change. Give some of these tips a try and you can keep getting the restful sleep you need even as the daylight hours change.

Interesting days

Today - International Artists Day, Sourest Day, World Pasta Day, Punk for a Day Day and Greasy Food Day

Tomorrow - Microneedling Day, Mule Day, Pumpkin Day, Howl At The Moon Day and Mincemeat Day

November will be World Vegan Month, Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month, Pomegranate Month, Epilepsy Awareness Month, Movember, Adoption Month, Novel Writing Month, Manatee Awareness Month and Native American Heritage Month

Next Monday - Benjamin Banneker Week, Job Action Day, Broadcast Traffic Professionals Day, World Vegan Day, French Fried Clam Day, Vinegar Day, Author's Day, Extra Mile Day, Go Cook For Your Pets Day and Scented Candle Day

Week long celebrations:

Nov 1 - Nov 7: Marzipan Week

November 25 - Shopping Reminder Day, Parfait Day, Blase’ Day, Thanksgiving, Turkey Free Thanksgiving and Day of Mourning

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Your weekend guide to interesting days - October 23, 2021

This week

Sunday - Mother-In-Law Day, World Tripe Day, Bologna Day and United Nations Day

Monday - Global Dignity Day, Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, Chocolate Cupcake Day, No Beard Day and Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day

Tuesday - International Gin and Tonic Day and Evaluate Your Life Day

Wednesday - Hagfish Day, Community Media Day, Office Chocolate Day, International Chef Day, Brandied Fruit Day, Suspender’s Day, Information Overload Day and International Sloth Day

Thursday - Apple Day, Reptile Awareness Day, Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, Count Your Buttons Day and International Gin and Tonic Day

Yesterday - Caps Lock Day, Smart is Cool Day, Nut Day and International Stuttering Awareness Day

Today - Make A Difference Day, Snow Leopard Day. iPod Day, Event Organizers Day, Mole Day, TV Talk Show Host Day, Boston Cream Pie Day and SUDEP Action Day

Week long celebrations:

October 18 - 24: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Next week

Tomorrow - International Artists Day, Sourest Day, World Pasta Day, Punk for a Day Day, Bandana Day and Greasy Food Day

Monday - International Artists Day, Sourest Day, World Pasta Day, Punk for a Day Day and Greasy Food Day

Tuesday - Microneedling Day, Mule Day, Pumpkin Day, Howl At The Moon Day and Mincemeat Day

Wednesday - Black Cat Day, Cranky Co-Workers Day and Navy Day

Thursday - Plush Animal Lover’s Day and Animation Day

Friday - Internet Day, Cat Day and Bandana Day

Saturday - Checklist Day, Bandana Day, Candy Corn Day, Create A Great Funeral Day and Haunted Refrigerator Night

Next month

November 17 - Homemade Bread Day, Baklava Day, International Happy Gose Day, Take A Hike Day, World Prematurity Day, Unfriend Day and Petroleum Day

November 18 - Use Less Stuff Day, Occult Day, Apple Cider Day, Princess Day, Vichyssoise Day, Adoption Day, GIS Day, Mickey Mouse Day and Housing Day

November 19 - International Men’s Day, Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day, Play Monopoly Day, Have A Bad Day Day and World Toilet Day

November 20 - Name Your PC Day, Universal Children’s Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day, African Industrialization Day and Absurdity Day

November 21 - World Hello Day, World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, False Confession Day and Stuffing Day

November 22 - Go For A Ride Day and Cranberry Relish Day

November 23 - Espresso Day, Fibonacci Day, Eat A Cranberry Day and Cashew Day

Week long celebrations

November 16 - 21: Road Safety Week

Friday, October 22, 2021

The week in review - October 22, 2021

Monday - "Do You Want to Be Rich or Wealthy? (And Why the Difference Matters)" From The Art of Manliness. "I liked his ideas on the difference between being rich and being wealthy. I'll take wealthy!"

Tuesday - "How to Get Time, Priorities, and Energy Working in Your Favor" More from AoM. "When you think of your assets, you probably think of your money. But you also have three other hugely important assets at your disposal too: your time, energy, and priorities."

Wednesday - "5-Day Financial Fitness™ Challenge Work From Anywhere Edition" This amazing training is pretty much free! "For the FIRST TIME EVER...you will be able to Build a Master Plan with a Purpose-Driven Marketing Message, pay off your debt, create a plan for multiple streams of income, and learn how to generate leads online with ease!"

Thursday - "4 Ways to Upgrade Your S’mores #TBT" Yet another from AoM. "The bacon sounded especially good, although bacon always sounds especially good, As does the Baileys."

Interesting days

Today - Caps Lock Day, Smart is Cool Day, Nut Day and International Stuttering Awareness Day

Tomorrow - Make A Difference Day, Snow Leopard Day. iPod Day, Event Organizers Day, Mole Day, TV Talk Show Host Day, Boston Cream Pie Day and SUDEP Action Day

Week long celebrations:

October 18 - 24: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Next Friday - Internet Day, Cat Day and Bandana Day

November 22 - Go For A Ride Day and Cranberry Relish Day

4 Ways to Upgrade Your S’mores #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year:

I've spent a lot of time on The Art of Manliness website over the last couple of days and I kept seeing this article and even though it's nowhere close to S'mores Day, I figured it was a good time to share this with you!

Few fall activities are as enjoyable as sitting around a campfire on a cool evening and roasting up marshmallows, either to enjoy on their own or as part of that quintessential campfire dessert: the s’more.

This classic treat has been around for about a century, finding immediate favor with Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops as early as the 1920s. Despite this venerable history, and though I’m a guy who generally respects tradition, I think it’s perfectly fine to toy with its long-standing formula in the modern age.

That begins with how the s’more is roasted: while campfire-generated flame is certainly ideal, if that’s not an option because you’re living under a burn ban or due to other circumstances, you can get perfectly suitable results in roasting your mallows over a grill, gas stove, or propane fire pit. You can also get indoor s’more makers powered by electricity or Sternos which are great for parties. You can even make them in the microwave or en masse on a baking sheet in the oven, though the results aren’t quite the same, and you miss out on attempting the masterful, delicate art of roasting your marshmallow to a perfect golden brown.

A break from tradition is also entirely acceptable when it comes to the actual recipe of the s’more itself. A sandwich of two graham crackers, toasted marshmallow, and ½ chocolate bar is undeniably tasty, but certainly does not represent the limits to which the s’more horizon can extend. A few swaps and tweaks can actually elevate the classic treat to new heights.

Over the last few weeks, with help from various friends and family members, I’ve experimented with a number of these s’more “recipe” variations and upgrades. The fun part of the testing was doing it sort of buffet-style, laying out all the possible ingredients and allowing everyone to sample and rank their favorite combinations. Our findings were dutifully filed (with sticky fingers), and you’ll find our recommendations grouped into the four categories below.

I'm a purist at heart, but these do sound interesting. And as I always say:

If you decide to try these upgrades, be sure to let me know what you think.

Swap Out the Hershey’s for Other Chocolates
Swap Out the Graham Crackers for Other Cookies
Add Interesting Toppings
Dip It in Baileys

The bacon sounded especially good, although bacon always sounds especially good, As does the Baileys.

Interesting days

Today - Apple Day, Reptile Awareness Day, Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, Count Your Buttons Day and International Gin and Tonic Day

Tomorrow - Caps Lock Day, Smart is Cool Day, Nut Day and International Stuttering Awareness Day

Week long celebrations:

October 18 - 24: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Next Thursday - Plush Animal Lover’s Day and Animation Day

November 21 - World Hello Day, World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, False Confession Day and Stuffing Day

Week long celebrations

November 16 - 21: Road Safety Week

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

5-Day Financial Fitness™ Challenge Work From Anywhere Edition

This is a continuation of yesterday's blog post (not the priorities...that's coming next week). This is from the website of one of my mentors, Melanie Greenough.

HEADS UP:

After taking this 5-Day Challenge, you will know exactly what you need to do to increase your income, pay off your debt, become an #empirecreator instead of a consumer and finally have the ability to work from anywhere with a steady stream of leads for your business (even if you don’t have a business yet)!

In fact, you will identify your Mission and Purpose to propel you into profits and your social media will bring your EXACT BUYING CLIENT and you will hit every goal you set for this year. Plus I’m giving away over $2,000 in Prizes!

You will create a Financial Fitness™ Master Plan to explode your results, pay off your debt, create multiple streams of income, and build a profitable personal brand online (even if you do not know where to start) and to become a FUTURE FOCUSED EMPIRE CREATOR!

The step-by-step, day-by-day playbook is
perfectly designed and simple to follow.

Get your daily training (3o min or less!!)
See your simple action steps for success
Track your progress
Take notes on how to generate 100 leads in just 5 days

The 4 dimensions of the Financial Fitness™ Lifestyle make it FUN to build a business, online brand, and bank account you love!

For the FIRST TIME EVER...you will be able to Build a Master Plan with a Purpose-Driven Marketing Message, pay off your debt, create a plan for multiple streams of income, and learn how to generate leads online with ease!

Plus thousands of dollars in giveaways!

I have a special link that Melanie gave her clients. You can get all of that and much more for only $17.

Interesting days

Today - Hagfish Day, Community Media Day, Office Chocolate Day, International Chef Day, Brandied Fruit Day, Suspender’s Day, Information Overload Day and International Sloth Day

Tomorrow - Get Smart About Credit Day, Conflict Resolution Day, Apple Day, Reptile Awareness Day and Count Your Buttons Day

Week long celebrations:

October 18 - 24: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Next Wednesday - Black Cat Day, Cranky Co-Workers Day and Navy Day

November 20 - Name Your PC Day, Universal Children’s Day, Peanut Butter Fudge Day, African Industrialization Day and Absurdity Day

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

How to Get Time, Priorities, and Energy Working in Your Favor

Here's another podcast from The Art of Manliness...this ties in with some free training scheduled for this evening that I'll share at the end of this post:

When you think of your assets, you probably think of your money. But you also have three other hugely important assets at your disposal too: your time, energy, and priorities. When you manage these assets poorly, you can feel overwhelmed and scattered and yet unproductive and unfulfilled. When you manage them well, things in your personal and professional life click, and you experience traction and satisfaction.

How do you avoid the first situation and achieve the second? My guest today, Carey Nieuwhof, provides answers in his book At Your Best: How to Get Time, Priorities, and Energy Working in Your Favor. We begin our conversation with Carey’s story of achieving success, only to suffer burnout, and how burnout has become less of a job problem these days than a general life problem. We then talk about how to leave what Carey calls the “stress spiral” and get into the “thrive cycle.” We discuss the two mental shifts you need to make to better manage your time, how to keep other people (and yourself) from hijacking your priorities, the power of categorical decision-making in separating the good from the best, and why you need to put even your personal commitments on your calendar. We also talk about scheduling your daily tasks into what Carey calls your green, yellow, and red energy zones, and how to spend your time more strategically.

I thought this was an interesting podcast, so I bought the audiobook. You can also find out more here,

I wrote this Facebook post yesterday about the upcoming training:

Here's some more information on the training:

6pm PST/9pm est this TUESDAY

Have more fun, more money, and less pressure, YES PLEASE

DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!

We will be showing you a game plan to living by design and being able to control your time, business, overwhelm, and money like a boss!!

Free training open to guests.

I have a special surprise for you all too!

Invite as many people who need more money, more time, and more energy they will be truly blessed by these time secrets and money tips we share!

Men and women who want to level up NOW! You're in the right place

Finish 2021 with a bang and set up Christmas and 2022 to be the best you've ever had

Register now!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82540731521

I'm planning a blog post about priorities...I'm aiming for tomorrow but it'll probably be sometime next week since I've just started researching it.

Interesting days

Today - International Gin and Tonic Day and Evaluate Your Life Day

Tomorrow - Hagfish Day, Community Media Day, Office Chocolate Day, International Chef Day, Brandied Fruit Day, Suspender’s Day, Information Overload Day and International Sloth Day

Week long celebrations:

October 18 - 24: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Next Tuesday - Microneedling Day, Mule Day, Pumpkin Day, Howl At The Moon Day and Mincemeat Day

November 19 - International Men’s Day, Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day, Play Monopoly Day, Have A Bad Day Day and World Toilet Day

Week long celebrations:

November 16 - 21: Road Safety Week

Monday, October 18, 2021

Do You Want to Be Rich or Wealthy? (And Why the Difference Matters)

Today's blog post is from a podcast from The Art of Manliness:

When we think about finance, we typically think about numbers and math. My guest today, however, argues that doing well with money is less about what you can put on a spreadsheet and more about what goes on in your mind, and that if you want to master personal finance, you’ve got to understand how things like your own history, unique view of the world, and fear and pride influence how you think.

His name is Morgan Housel, and he’s an investor, a financial journalist, and the author of The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. Morgan kicks off our conversation by explaining how doing well with money is less about what you know and more about how you behave, and illustrates this point by comparing the true stories of a janitor who saved millions and a prominent Wall Streeter who went bankrupt. He then explains how the seemingly crazy decisions people make around money actually make a kind of sense. From there we get into why you need to know the financial game you’re playing and not play someone else’s. We then turn to why it’s hard to be satisfied with your position in life when your expectations keep rising and why not continually moving your goalposts is the most important skill in personal finance. We discuss how getting off the never-ending treadmill of wanting more requires seeing money not just as a way to buy stuff but to gain greater autonomy, keeping the “man in the car paradox” in mind, and understanding the distinction between being rich and being wealthy. We then talk about the underappreciated, mind-boggling power of compound interest, using the example of Warren Buffet, who made 99% of his wealth after the age of 50. We then discuss why you should view volatility in the stock market as a fee rather than a fine, why pessimistic financial opinions are strangely more appealing than optimistic ones, and why it’s best to split the difference and approach your money like a realistic optimist. We end our conversation with the two prongs of Morgan’s iron law for building wealth.

This was a really interesting podcast. I liked his ideas on the difference between being rich and being wealthy. I'll take wealthy!

Here's another blog post on the topic

Interesting days

Today - Global Dignity Day, Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, Chocolate Cupcake Day, No Beard Day and Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day

Tomorrow - International Gin and Tonic Day and Evaluate Your Life Day

Week long celebrations:

October 18 - 24: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Next Monday - International Artists Day, Sourest Day, World Pasta Day, Punk for a Day Day and Greasy Food Day

November 18 - Use Less Stuff Day, Occult Day, Apple Cider Day, Princess Day, Vichyssoise Day, Adoption Day, GIS Day, Mickey Mouse Day and Housing Day

Week long celebrations:

November 16 - 21: Road Safety Week

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Greener Still Holiday Kickoff

I wrote about this event a couple of weeks ago and told you I would write an update when the agenda was made available...well, here it is (All times are Mountain time):

Saturday, November 13, 2021

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.

Opening remarks presented by Kody Bateman

Including:

– A major announcement

– Product launch from SendOutCards

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Workshop #1: Holiday Kickoff

– How to offer the new holiday packages and holiday gifts with Kody Bateman, Whitney Jensen, and Brooke Adams

– How to offer Stream VA as an option to holiday senders with Jordan Adler and Mitch Paquette

– How to mine your existing customer and affiliate base and assist them with the holidays with Cathie Peterson and Joy Klohonatz

– How to dramatically increase your commissions with holiday and year-end sales. Including relationship marketing tips using year-end campaigns for your customers with Callie Teegardin

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Workshop #2: Postcard Program with Jordan Adler and Shawn Barklow showcasing postcard examples

The great connector to people in the world. The great connector to the Greener Still compensation plan.

– Includes a creative postcard sending activity

– Postcard sender awards that include:
Top 5 postcard senders
Top 5 $97.00 Unlimited recruiters
Top 5 success unit recruiters
Top 5 Star 1 sponsors

11:30 – 12 p.m.

Compensation Overview #1: with Kody Bateman and Callie Teegardin

– Understanding the Success Unit method for driving your compensation

12 to 1 p.m.

Lunch Break

1 – 2 p.m.

Workshop #3: Promptings Education Initiative with Kody Bateman

Introducing new:

– Flagship Promptings Event Programs

– Platinum Promptings and Relationship Marketing Courses

– Enhancements to Prompting U

– Additional compensation opportunities with these exciting new programs

– Featuring a leader panel with Judy O’Higgins, Willie Diefenbach-Jones, and Jordan Adler

2 – 3 p.m.

Workshop #4: Stream VA, Stream Marketing, Blue 42 for Life with Mitch Paquette, Dave & Lori Smith, and Ken & Isabelle Droog

This workshop will help affiliates take full advantage of all streams allowing them to personally build more success units and duplicate throughout their team.

Learn how Stream VA, Stream Marketing, and Blue 42 for Life are a natural addition to:

– SendOutCards

– SendOutCards gifts, including both Blue 42 for Life and Bella Cadeaux

– New Promptings Education initiative

3 – 3:30 p.m.

Compensation Overview #2 with Kody Bateman and Callie Teegardin

– How to leverage the Greener Still multiple streams to build success units and create substantial commission opportunities from your own efforts and from team building efforts

3:30 – 4:15 p.m.

Workshop #5 Special Leadership Panel Discussion hosted by Kody Bateman featuring – April Brumm, Cathy Connors, Jordan Adler, Callie Teegardin, and Shawn Barklow

Panel discussion will include:

– Recapping what was learned throughout the day

– Summarizing ideas from the information presented and how to implement in your business

– Sharing challenges and goals to make this the best holiday season

4:15 – 5 p.m.

Closing Remarks presented by Kody Bateman

– Special recognition segment

– Motivational holiday message

As you can see, there's a lot going on that day, and it's aimed mostly at affiliates, but there will be lots of announcements and training throughout the day!

You can register here and you can read the previous blog post here.

And if you're not an affiliate, you can become one for free by clicking here.

Interesting days

Today - World Heart Day and Biscotti Day

Tomorrow - Ask A Stupid Question Day, Thunderbirds Day, Rumi Day, Hot Mulled Cider Day, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day, International Translation Day and Mud Pack Day

Month long celebrations:

Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Next Wednesday - Canadian Beer Day, Random Acts of Poetry Day, Mad Hatter Day, World Cerebral Palsy Day, Physician Assistant Day, Noodle Day and Badger Day

Month long celebrations:

Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 29 - Bandana Day, Internet Day and Cat Day

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Develop strong friends, relationships to prosper #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year:

Today's blog post is from a column by Harvey Mackay:

A newlywed young man was sitting on the porch on a humid day, sipping iced tea with his father. As he talked about adult life, marriage, responsibilities and obligations, the father thoughtfully stirred the ice cubes in his glass and cast a clear, sober look at his son.

“Never forget your friends,” he advised. “They will become more important as you get older. Regardless of how much you love your family, you will always need friends. Remember to go out with them occasionally or keep in contact with them somehow.”

What strange advice, thought the young man. I just entered the married world. I am an adult and surely my wife and the family that we will start will be everything I need to make sense of my life.

Yet, he followed his father’s advice, kept in touch with his old friends and made new friends along the way. Over the years, he became aware that his father knew what he was talking about. Even as time and nature affect a person, friends are the bulwarks of our life.

Children grow up. When they become independent, they begin their own families. Grandchildren are a blessing, but we can’t expect them to be at our beck and call. And besides, your family will love you regardless of who you are or what you do.

Jobs/careers come and go. People can't do what they did physically when they were young. Parents pass on, but you persevere. Colleagues forget the favors you did. The race to achieve slows.

But true friends are always there, no matter how long or how many miles away they are. A friend is never more distant than the reach of a need, intervening in your favor, waiting for you with open arms or in some way blessing your life. Love your parents, take care of your family, but keep a group of good friends.

My good friend Dale Brown, former LSU basketball coach, sent me this story, and it reminded me of a fascinating study by Harvard University that tracked the physical and emotional health of 700 people. They followed these people and tested them (e.g., blood samples, brain scans) for 75 years.

Here’s the primary conclusion: “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” said Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.

The analysis showed a 50 percent increased likelihood of survival for participants with stronger social relationships. Put simply, if you have healthy relationships, your chances of survival increase by 50 percent.

“Social relationships, or the relative lack thereof, constitute a major risk factor for health – rivaling the effect of well-established health risk factors such as cigarette smoking, blood pressure, blood lipids, obesity and physical activity,” stated the three authors of the study.

Good relationships will help you deal with life’s minor annoyances and your most challenging problems. Without good relationships, you’ll have a hard time finding customers, making a sale, securing a job, hiring the right employee and having great friends.

As I like to say, you must “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty,” which coincidentally is the title of a networking book I wrote. Here is the most important line in that entire book: If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of relationships.

You can take all my money! You can take all my factories! You can take all my land! But leave me my network of relationships, and I’ll be back to where I was today in three to five short years.

I am so convinced of that fact that I’ve worked constantly to build relationships. It has served me every day of my life in ways I could never have imagined. And I am honored to be my friends’ go-to guy when they need a favor, a reference or someone to lean on.

If you want one year of prosperity, you grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, you grow trees. But if you want 100 years of prosperity, you grow relationships. With the coronavirus tipping the world upside down, one thing will remain constant – the relationships we develop over a lifetime.

Relationships matter.

Mackay’s Moral: In my entire career, I have never once heard a successful person say he or she regretted putting time and energy into working on their relationships.

Harvey is one of the master networkers in the world, so it's probably a good idea to at least think about what he has to say.

I have a handful of really close friends, mostly from growing up in Oakland. We're all friends on Facebook, but it takes more than that. Go to your high school reunions, call them on their birthday (I just got off the phone with my friend Joe Johnson, who has been my best friend since second grade, to wish him a happy birthday). I've been to the funerals of both of Jon Argyropoulos' parents, who were part of the core of the neighborhood where we grew up. Jon was the first kid I met when I transferred to a new school in the middle of first grade.

I've stopped by a few times to say hi to our old neighbors, the Taylors, another core part of the Maxwell Park neighborhood. I'm Facebook friends with Mrs. Taylor and it's good to be able to see what's going on in their lives (happy 63rd wedding anniversary the day before yesterday!), but it's good to be in their familiar living room and talking to them

And of course, I have newer friends that I like to do things with, or I used to do things with, but we'll be able to hang out again soon.

So, like their posts, comment on them, send them private messages, text, call or write but keep your relationships with your friends strong!

And if you've lost touch with your friends, tomorrow is Locate An Old Friend Day, which is easier with Facebook and other online tools. So, think of a friend you've lost touch with and see if you can reconnect with them!

Interesting days

Today - Guacamole Day, Play Doh Day, Teenager Workout Day, Working Parents Day, Collect Rocks Day, World Ozone Day, Stepfamily Day and Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Day

Tomorrow - International Country Music Day, Get Ready Day, Table Shuffleboard Day, Locate An Old Friend Day, Monte Cristo Sandwich Day, Apple Dumpling Day and Constitution Day

Week long celebrations:

Sep 12 - Sep 18: Housekeepers Week

Month long celebrations:

Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Next Thursday - Remember Me Thursday Restless Legs Awareness Day, Za’atar Day, Education Technology Day, International Day of Sign Languages, Celebrate Bisexuality Day and Checkers Day

Week long celebrations:

Sep 20 - Sep 24: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 16 - Repair Day, Sweetest Day, World Food Day, Dictionary Day, Department Store Day, Feral Cat Day, Steve Jobs Day and Bridge Day

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Greener Still Business Building Event

Today's blog post ties in with the How much does it cost to become a Greener Still affiliate? post from last week.

The event is going to be an all-day online event on Saturday, November 13th. The tickets aren't available yet but they'll be going on sale at 9:00 AM MDT today.

The tickets will be $35 and will give you access to the online mini-convention, where not only will you learn basics on how to build your business but there will also be recognition, workshops, and a big SendOutCards announcement.

The timing of this event is perfect since the holidays are right around the corner and are the best time to build your Greener Still business.

If you have an existing SendOutCards or Greener Still account, you can go to your account page and click the green button in the upper left corner to sign up for a free 12 month affiliate account and then purchase your ticket for the event. If you're not already a part of SOC or GS, then you can click here to join for free.

As more details become available I'll be sure to keep you updated.