Techniques For Balance - Summit Consulting Group - The Balancing Act® E-mail Newsletter

Summit Consulting Group - The Balancing Act® E-mail Newsletter

Alan Weiss

• See some live entertainment. There is s certain sterility that sets in listening to music through ear buds and watching performances on a flat screen. It’s far more invigorating.
  
  
• The other person may be rude and inconsiderate, but it’s probably not a personal affront, so don’t take it personally. They are rude and considerate to everyone, and you have no special claim to retribution.
  
  
• Ask your host who you’ll be seated with at the charity event or dinner, and then Google them. You’ll learn enough to be a brilliant conversationalist.
  
  
• Anyone who gives you references is going to have provided sterling references. Don’t waste your breath asking about the individual, but ask the reference if they know others for whom the person has worked, and call them. You’re apt to get much more balanced and honest feedback.
  
  
• Every two weeks take an entire day to yourself during the week. Or, take every Friday afternoon “off.”
  
  
• Don’t try so hard to “win,” try to enjoy. When you do win, it’s wonderful, but you’ll have a good time all the time. You’ll also be looser and less tense, so you’ll play better. (I’ve seen people curse their tiles in Scrabble.)
  
  
• I met a guy shoveling sand off the boardwalk in Cape May. “Doesn’t it just return tomorrow?” I asked. “Yes,” he said, “but this keeps it safe for the joggers in the mornings.” Focus on the outcome of your work!
  
  
• Never argue rules with a bureaucrat—charm and compliment them.
  
  
• With an expensive purchase, never sweat the small stuff. If you need to know the heating bill of the large house or the gas mileage of the sports car, you can’t afford it.
  
  
• If you are not happy, optimistic, and energetic when you first arise in the morning, you need to change some things about your life.

Balancing Act® is a monthly electronic newsletter discussing the blending of life, work, and relationships, based on the popular Balancing Act workshops and writing of Alan Weiss, Ph.D. Contact us for further information at: balancingact@summitconsulting.com.

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