Advice and insights to guide small businesses

Periodically I like to share some of the knowledge I have acquired over the past 30 years in business…from people much smarter than me.

Here are five tips that you can use in your business and life TODAY – and make things better all around you.

1) Have a plan – If we all had just a little advance planning, think about how much different…how much better our lives might be. With a plan, we can stay focused during rough times as opposed to letting the winds of fate guide us through some of the most important decisions and times in our respective lives.

2) “If you can’t find the time to do something right, when are you going to find the time to do it over?” –  I love the quote because I’ve made that mistake many, many times in my life. I don’t have the necessary time to do something, so I attempt to do it using 60% less time and wind up screwing it up. I then have to “undo” my screw up and make a 2nd or 3rd or 4th attempt to do whatever it is I’m doing…right.

3) Never explain, never complain –  A quote my father said to my siblings and me more than a few times. He was a principled man who led his life by example. He chose his words carefully as if each one represented some significant nugget of information that would help us all in our journeys. He never explained and he never complained.

4) “You can’t always get what you want.” – We live in a materialistic society where many of us have become addicted to our smart phones and instant gratification. We want what they have and we want it NOW! Something to remember as you add to your bucket list – the person who dies with the most toys doesn’t win. He/she loses! Don’t focus on material things; Seek inner peace which you will obtain when you start to fully lead the life you were meant to live.

5) Life changes on a dime – And when it does, it’s rarely for the better. Promotions, marriages, babies, new homes…they all happen after months of planning and waiting and are all happy occasions. Death, getting fired, getting into an accident, becoming disabled… most of the time these incidents strike without any notice. What’s the moral of this story?Learn to enjoy today because you never know when the day that you thought sucked turned out to be the last day before your life changed on a dime.

That’s it for now. Maybe next time I’ll give you my lighter side 🙂

Carpe diem my friends!