Resolutions for a Healthier New Year

The New Year is a wonderful opportunity to look at how we live our lives ... and how we can live them even better. Below are some thoughts for organizing your goals in the New Year. Remember - you are 80% more likely to achieve your resolutions if you write them down!

Body: what will you do to take better care of your body this year? When we juggle so many different responsibilities, it can be hard to do the basic things that our body needs to feel good and be healthy. Almost everyone can stand to put "exercise more frequently" and "eat more fruits and veggies" on their lists, but what about some more simple ideas, like flossing every day (or at least once a week!) or keeping your nails in semi-decent condition or wearing sunblock.

Mind: what will you do to better understand your mind this year? Understanding ourselves and our true motivations is the single most important activity we can undertake to transform our lives. There are lots of ways to improve our self-awareness and emotional intelligence. I tend to gravitate towards books on the subject. I have also started a (short) meditation practice. Other people benefit from psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and other guided methods of better understanding themselves.

Business: what will you do to grow your business this year? Don't laugh - businesses are still growing, no matter what the newscasters are saying. An economic downturn does not mean that you are destined to have a negative year. Look at what worked well for your business in 2008, and figure out how best to repeat and expand upon those activities in 2009. You don't have to create an extensive business plan, but at least jot down what you would like to accomplish and the things you need to do in the coming months to get there.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

3 Things I Learned From My Fat Cat

We have two wonderful cats. Fly, older by a year, is the "normal" cat, who tends to sleep most of the time. Cootie, on the other hand, is a handful. He seems to have a personality bigger than his slightly-large cat body, and he has taught me much about life as a result.

1. There is such a thing as a "slow metabolism"
Cootie is decidedly "plump" (AKA "fat"). This is interesting given that we feed our two cats the exact same diet, and Fly is thin ... actually, she is scrawny. I have asked several vets about this phenomenon, and they all answered me matter-of-factly, that "he just has a slower metabolism." Ah-ha! As a child, I was always on the plump side, and as an adult I have to really work to stay within a healthy weight range. I can't tell you how reassuring it has learn that animals (and people) truly do have different metabolisms, and some of us are just naturally a little plumper than others.

2. Strong preferences are a tough burden to bear
Cootie is aggressive in his love of me - he sleeps on my pillow at night and next to my keyboard by day. He follows me around the house and is a very loving (if annoying) cat. However, he doesn't like other people, and the feeling is mutual. He tolerates my husband and daughter, but only barely. In short; he has very poor people skills. As a child, I was taught to treat all people equally and with respect, but Cootie can't learn this lesson. Instead, he sticks to his guns and doesn't pretend to like other people. There have been a few times in my business that I haven't listened to my instincts and have engaged a client that abuses my good nature and desire to help. Although I don't want to be exactly like Cootie, I do hope to develop more discernment about certain people.

3. Try, try, try again (and possibly still fail)
Cootie was rescued from a grim kittenhood. When we received him, he had been abandoned, and had a giant tummy full of worms and little else. As a result of some abuse, he has trouble seeing properly; his pupils don't dialate normally. Thus, he is often unable to do simple "cat" tasks like jumping up on a ledge or between two points the first time he tries. In fact, sometimes it takes him 10-15 tries before he makes the jump he's shooting for. Sometimes he doesn't make it at all. It was his grim determination to succeed even in the face of adversity that attracted us to him in the first place. Thus, I see that sometimes even things that should be "natural" and "inbred" can be challenging for us as individuals, and that it's OK to keep trying, and even to fail completely. In the end, he's still a good cat, even if he can't perch on a precarious ledge like Fly does.

The Anti-Doer (AKA Procrastinator)

I am a "doer." I like to do things, and I like to feel like I have done lots of things. Like most strong personality traits, this can be a great asset to my business, but it can also be a huge liability, depending on the situation.

In the next week, I'm focusing on my marketing plan for 2009. This is not an elaborate document, but rather a clean and clear definition of what I think I should do in 2009 to accomplish my goals. The doer in me is very motivated, and coming up with all kinds of great ideas to get started on.

The anti-doer (AKA procrastinator and scaredy-cat), however, keeps piping up, unbidden, with comments like: "oh, you should have done that last year!," and "it's too late to do that now - it's already been done by everyone else!" and even "you can't do that!" (Yikes!)

The truth is, in marketing, it's almost never too late to start something new, and, chances are, if done well, it will work. Thus, the real challenge in marketing is not always coming up with the right idea at the right time, but rather coming up with the idea, committing to it, and doing it.

What ideas are you sitting on right now that could be done? Why aren't you doing them? A lot of the time we look to comfortable explanations like "I'm too busy," or "I don't know how to do that," but look a little deeper, and you might find that you have an anti-doer: a voice in your head that is holding you back from your greatest potential.

Getting things done is more than just figuring out what you need to do and doing it. It also involves acknowledging your anti-doer and getting past her complaints and hesitation. Let me know if you have any techniques for accomplishing this!

3 Things You Should NOT Do When Angry

Sometimes I like to pretend that I can be all Zen, and I must admit that I enjoy 10-minute meditations and the occasional yoga class. In truth, however, I'm a classic "Type A" personality, and I struggle with anger sometimes. Here are three hard and fast rules that I have given myself to protect the world (and my future) from these moments.

1. Do Not Send E-mail: This seems obvious, but it's not. We're so used to being able to type off a quick response to someone that we forget sometimes that e-mail should never, ever be used to express anger or frustration. It is simply not a good tool for such severe emotions. Now, sometimes it can be a helpful form of venting in the heat of the moment to DRAFT an e-mail in Microsoft Word (so that there's no chance of it being sent), but never, ever send it!

2. Do Not Approach Facebook: In today's world, it seems as if everyone is jotting down thoughts and activities. "Just got back from Starbucks," "Waiting for the train," and "Loving my new haircut!" are all appropriate things to mention on Facebook, Twitter, and the many other social networking sites that we enjoy. Not so appropriate are notes like "I hate you Jimmy!" or "Jane is a b*tch." When you feel that way, it's probably better to write it on the bathroom wall than on a social networking site - the consequences will be much worse online.

3. Do Not Blog: Sometimes a blog is a wonderful place to be "real" and let the world know what's going on in your world. When you are angry though, it might be good to write what you feel in a more physical medium (say, a journal or a Word document) and then sleep on it for 24 hours before posting it online for the world to see. It's amazing how a little bit of time can make a huge difference in how we see things, and while all feelings are valid in the moment, you might not want to remember them for prosperity.

In short, when anger gets the best of you, perhaps it is best to avoid the computer alltogether. Go outside, take a walk, write the old-fashioned way. After all, most anger is (thankfully) fleeting, and can be replaced by more manageable emotions with some thought and time.

Transparency in Marketing

I recently updated my business website, and took a big leap that sometimes keeps me up at night: I published my firm's hourly rates. This is a big departure from typical firm operations.

I chose to do it because I believe that today's consumers want transparency; they want to know what they are going to pay and what they are going to get for what they spend. Despite having this desire as a consumer myself, I kept my business rates clouded and a little bit confusing up until a few months ago.

It's interesting: at a restaurant, they will put their prices right up front, but they will keep their recipes secret. In a retail store, each item is marked, but they may not tell you from where the item came. In a marketing firm, they usually keep both their pricing and their methods somewhat secret.

There is a great video about this concept that you might want to check out: The Benefits of Radical Transparency. Let me know what you think!

Life Will Be Normal Again

I am blessed with a large, mixed family within easy driving distance of our home. Thus, the holidays are an extensive process full of must-do family events. With a young child, the pressure to participate in everything feels even stronger than ever, as I want to ensure that she gets the full joy of the season. With Hanukkah falling the same week of Christmas, this year is more chaotic than ever.

An inevitable result of our constant rushing around in celebration of the season is that I am not able to follow my usual fitness routine. Luckily, my wellness coach, Nora, suggested that I write into my calendar "Life Will Be Normal Again" on Monday, Dec. 29. Having this firm date in my mind allows me to go easy on myself when I just can't squeeze in the exercise that I know I need.

This week we have a different family member coming over each night to light the candles, and next weekend will be our big family Christmas, as my brothers will be with their wives' families on the 25th. My goal is to simply do the best that I can in regards to exercise and eating, constantly reminding myself that life will be normal again next week.

3 Things That I Can't Figure Out

I am really trying to figure out how to use Web 2.0 concepts for myself and my clients, but here are three things that I can't figure out:

1. Facebook: I like Facebook - it's fun! I just can't figure out why so many businesses use it for shameless self-promotion. There seem to be two ways to use it: for genuine friendship reconnection and for yucky, over-the-top marketing promotion. There must be a way to find a blance, but so far the only people using it for marketing purposes are just kind of yucky.

2. Podcasts: I read "Podcasting for Dummies," and I get the concept, but what I can't find is anyone who listens to podcasts - other than podcasters themselves. Is there a true marketing opportunity here? I really don't know.

3. Site Conversion: It seems like we need to re-vamp our sites into more targeted sales machines, but, as with Facebook, it feels to me like the people who are doing this are cheezy and a little yucky. There has to be a way to be an authentic, transparent marketer online without being perceived as "yucky," right?

I'm working on solutions for all of these, but would love to hear comments and ideas if you have any!