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I’m
waiting for my life to begin….
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In This
Issue:
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Issue 385 -- December 04,
2007
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3. The
Customer is Not always right!
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1. I’m
waiting for my life to begin….
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4. Humor
-- Christmas Spirit
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2. 48
Days Online Radio
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Dear Coach,
This can be either an exciting anticipation of the New Year
approaching – or a depressing time of realizing that life is
somehow slipping by. Be sure to read the first article below on
that topic.
I know of no easier method of raising your level of success than
reading positive books. In January I will highlight the top 10 I’ve
read this year. But if you send an email to reading@48Days.com you’ll get
an instant link to some of the timeless classics I recommend.
Christmas Specials
Thanksgiving is now past and Christmas is just around the corner.
If you’re looking for a special gift this Christmas, how about the
gift of Hope? Does someone you know need a dose of hope and
optimism about his/her future? Check out our Christmas
Specials. We ship same day UPS so there’s no problem being
assured of pre-Christmas delivery if you order now.
And in the end it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years.
Abraham Lincoln
*To view this newsletter on our website in full html, please go to http://www.48days.com/newsletter.php
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This morning I received
a life coaching
request from a 28-yr-old, working in the area of professional
specialty that match his academic degrees.
In response to the question: "Why are you looking for a
change?" he wrote: I am very unhappy with what I do. I am
usually a passionate person and like for what I do to have meaning
and to be of value to me. In my current job, I am not able to
achieve these things. I seem to be on the sidelines of my own
life, waiting for it to begin.
While this is a season for shopping, partying, and spending fun
time with family members, this year-end is also likely to be a time
for anxiously listening for company rumors, resume polishing and
exploring new options. For some of you the news is already in –
downsizing and the accompanying layoffs often come in more of a
flurry than any snowstorm as bosses look to trim their fixed costs
in a last-minute attempt to have a fresh start for a more profitable
New Year. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas more than
100,000 positions were slashed in December in two of the last three
years. And it seems that for every person who loses their job,
there are 1,000 more who are worried about it.
Don’t get caught unprepared. You should see yourself as
self-employed in some sense – even if you have only one client
currently. That will remove the feeling of being trapped and
vulnerable. In addition:
- Re-assess your
direction. Are you on track, or do you need a re-alignment?
- Recognize that a
change (even if unexpected or unwelcome) often wakes up old
dreams. What were the dreams you had as a child? What are
those recurring themes in the things you dream of doing?
- Stay informed. You
should be reading magazines like Fast Company, INC, and
Entrepreneur to see the best new ideas being
introduced. Don’t count on knowledge you got in college 20
years ago to insure your value today.
- Make age and
experience your assets. The experience you have today should
make you more valuable as a candidate than what you
could offer 15-20 years ago.
- Be ready to
document your value. Be able to describe unique areas of
competence you have refined and developed.
- Be willing to look
at all the options available to you. Perhaps you’ve been too
narrow in looking at ways to put legs on your dreams.
Welcome this end-of-year self-evaluation. Just maybe you’re ready
to get off the sidelines and begin living the life you were born
for.
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48
Days Online Radio Show
Thanks for the continuing variety of questions you are submitting
each week. As you know, I then scan through and answer as many as
possible in each week’s 48-Minute podcast.
Just click on this email link and you can ask about resumes,
interviewing, at-home business or finding your purpose in life. AskDan@48Days.com Please keep
your questions limited to 50-60 words.
If you click on the 48 Days Podcast Player here you can listen to
this week’s broadcast immediately – no downloading – no wait. http://www.48days.com/podcast.php
Here are just a few of the questions answered in this podcast:
- In September, I
started a web-site related to hunting and the outdoors. I'm at
a point where I need to expand my product offerings by
spending $500 (minimum wholesale order). My only hang up is I
have not made any money yet and here I am spending more money.
Any thoughts on deciding how much is too much to spend before
you know your business will be profitable?
- I have 6 kids and
my husband's business is struggling. He says that if I will
work front desk, we can save 30 to 40 grand a year, plus the
business will do better because I really care about it and I'm
a people person. I already bake bread, sew and clean, make all
the dinners from scratch and take the kids to all of their
activities, help with homework and teach a teenage girl bible
study class at church--plus activities during the week. What
do I do??? I don't know if I can handle it all, although I
really love working front desk.
- Dan, my husband
took a job in FL in Feb this year. Now, this company wants us
to move to Arizona. We don't know when, we just know it will
probably be in the next 2 months. We are tired of moving. We
took this job because our family is here in FL. Dan, we don't
want to move. But, we don't want to make a big mistake and
leave this job either. The tension in this house is quite
thick. Our 14 year old doesn't want to move again. I don't
want to move. But, I don't want my husband to give up a job he
loves for me then we suffer later for it. Dan HELP. We are
stuck.
- Just thought you'd
like to know that, doing what I love, my gross sales increased
49% this year to over 104K (and the year isn't over yet),
gross profits are up 69%, and net income is up 241%. All with
a 7-second commute. It can be done. Find something you love
and, although you will be working all the time, you will never
"work" again. Thanks for the encouragement. I have
much to be thankful for.
(I describe what Jim Hodges does for a living.)
- I'm a married woman
with a husband that's been on disability for the last 3 years.
He gets a disability check, but that goes right to rent,
leaving my paycheck as the sole source of income. We just had
an increase in our rent & are now starting to have
problems making our other bill payments. I need to find a way
to generate income quickly so we can start getting some of our
payments down on our credit cards and keeping our loan
payments current. What do you suggest?
- I have
re-structured my resume in a functional format and created a
new cover letter. However, I would like to know, what is more
appropriate in sending these documents, (fax, email, postal
mail, or in-person)?
- I am a 44-year-old
and I have been attending college part-time working towards a
degree in police science. Even though it is my dream to work
in law enforcement, I feel my age has become a factor and
maybe I should reconsider this decision. I would like your
opinion before I devote any more time or money pursuing a
career that isn’t age appropriate.
You can submit your
question right now – I’ll work as many in as possible for this
week's broadcast. AskDan@48Days.com
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Recently while shopping
in an Office Depot store, I overheard an angry customer blast an
obscenity at a very young female clerk. She apparently did not have
the information he was looking for – and he screamed that he wanted
to see the manager. As the next customer I assured the frightened
clerk that the behavior she had just seen was not acceptable and
should not be tolerated – but she said they are told the customer
is always right. I know that’s the old adage; but personally, I
think it’s nonsense.
Bad behavior, unreasonable demands, and disrespect do not have to
be tolerated in business. Trying to please every customer will
drive anyone crazy. Businesses that try to accommodate every
customer wish or demand will realize a diminished overall
effectiveness.
If you can be the leader of the most powerful country in the world
with 51% of the people’s support, I’m convinced you can run a very
successful business without having 100% of the people’s support.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series says that
to be a successful author you need to have 1/3 of the people love
you, 1/3 who hate you, and 1/3 who don’t really care. Pleasing
everyone likely means you have not said anything really new or
significant.
Even here at 48 Days we have the occasional belligerent customer
who demands a magical solution, expects results with no work
invested, or questions my Christianity because we charge for
materials rather than give them away. Anyone on our staff is
authorized to delete that person from our database, stopping all
further communication. We decided years ago to do business with
happy, positive, optimistic people. People who are excited about
the future they are creating and who see the many possibilities.
There will always be whiners, small thinkers, and complainers.
**********************************************
“Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to
be like them and endanger your soul.” Proverbs 22: 24-25
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A woman goes to the post
office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards.
She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps,
please?"
Knowing many people are still buying $.02 stamps to catch up to the
recent postage increase the clerk says, "What
denomination?"
The woman says, "God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 6
Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists."
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Get
this free book!
Have you experienced great results using the material from 48
Days to the Work You Love? Are you already sharing the
principles with others to help them find the work they love? Then
we value your help.
We now have a turnkey seminar series complete with Dan on DVD to
guide your friends through the 48 Days Curriculum. Would you become
one of our champions and introduce us to your church, university,
business, or organization and together we will partner to bring
this life changing information to your community. Just send an
email with the organization's name, key decision makers if you know
that to our National Seminar Director Alan Thomas at seminars@48days.com. As our
thank you for helping us, you will instantly receive a link for
your e-copy of Dan's popular book, The Rudder of the Day.
How about another turkey?
We used to hear about companies like Ben & Jerry’s where the
CEO decided he would never pay himself more than 7 times what his
average employee was being paid. By 1982 the average CEO of a large
U.S. company was being paid 42 times what his average employee
received. According to the December issue of Money magazine the
average CEO today makes 431 times as much as his/her average
employee. Starts to make that Christmas turkey look pretty lame.
Is my Business doing okay?
Feeling alone as an entrepreneur? This site offers a wide variety
of useful business data for free. Check out Bizstats.com to see average profit
and expense percentages of other U.S. small businesses like yours.
Will my idea work?
Here you can post your ideas for businesses and have others vote on
how successful they will be -- or at least how interesting they
are. At Spigit.com you can have an
instant team helping you with innovative technology and marketing
to launch your idea successfully.
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48 Days
P.O. Box 681381
Franklin, TN 37068-1381
(615) 373-7771
www.48days.com
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