2% - How Does 2% Impact You?

The USAToday newspaper recently, and then again today, had a headline that indicated the "plunge" of retail sales in the US. Now when you see the word PLUNGE what kind of a decrease do you think of? I thought of 20% or 30%, maybe even a 40% drop. A huge reduction that must be catastrophic! Then I went on to read the article and it said that sales were off 2% over 2007's Christmas and holiday season. It didn't mention that 2007 was a record year, which it was, or that we were still ahead of 2006 levels. Sorry, did you miss the amount? 2 percent change.

If your rent went up 2% would you care? If your income went down 2% would it crumble your world? If the price of gas fell 2% or rose 2% you would never notice! Where would 2% make a big impact on your life. Maybe on a LSAT exam or an SAT score. Maybe on a calculation of the number of days you had left to live ... I'd want that extra 2%.

In general economic terms when there is a 2% change in an economic condition they round it off to being a flat growth or recession period. Plunge ... wow, that is misleading and that is really what disgusts me with media. Their inability to give you a real representation of what is happening in your world.

Each of us has the ability to participate in this type of hype and the fear mongering that drives it. I bring up the example here to make a point. Otherwise I don't listen or participate. 2009 is going to be a year of substantial growth for my businesses. Why? Because I will make it so. No one has control or influence on me like I do. While someone else is watching for the next 2% change I am going to go get their businesss. I am going to push for growth and aggressiveness.

How are you going to be the largest force in your own life in 2009? How are you going to change your focus? What steps will you take? What will you participate in or avoid? Set a plan. Stick to your plan and ignore the 2% that anyone wants to talk about. Let them own that 2% and the overhead that comes with it.

Lady Di and The Need to Know Immediately

In the past I have blogged a number of times about controlling your inputs, avoiding the negative news and watching who is telling you what. Last week, a friend of mine said that she “needed to know what was going on” and that was why she watched the news everyday.

My first thought is of Lady Diana. When she passed away there was 24 hour coverage of her death, the paparazzi, the car wreckage and the family reaction. None of that coverage brought her back. None of it really changed my life for the better or hers. It was a frenzy of re-playing the same facts over and over again. Once you got the story, did it help you to sleep or cope in your own life? Probably not.

I was actually on a house boat trip the weekend she died. I didn’t hear about it until 3 days after her death. I returned and was still able to get ALL the coverage for weeks to come even though I missed the event. In a sense, I didn’t miss a thing.

So my thoughts are this … if it is a big event, you will hear about it anyway. No one who is illiterate is unaware of the economic challenges (I don’t support the use of the “R” word). How is that?! Oh, because unless you are the unibomber living in a shack you hear about big news from people around you.

If you didn’t know Diana and weren’t in the car, does it matter if you get the news now or 2 days from now? Some argue yes but I challenge you to answer why? Not to me, to yourself.

Think twice before you allow someone or some organization to sell you on their negativity and your need for it. Focus on what you need to make today better … exclusively!

Make It Personal

We throw around the word relationship very loosely in North American culture. We have relationships with our friends, our family, our office cronies, our neighbors, our Facebook pals ... but do we? How much time do you pour into your relationships? One of the best ways to get more from your life is to give more of it to others. Sincere, focused time and energy. Not a text message but a call. Not an email but a hand written note. Not a quick word but a sit-down coffee or meal. The people that love you really just want more of you. The people that think you are great really just want to hang out more.

Since we can't have a meal or special day with every person we know every week, find ways to connect faster but with your words and some emotion. Here is the order of good communication and relationship - face to face, phone calls, voice mail (still hearing your voice makes a connection to others), a hand written note (it says you took the time to write it), finally an email or electronic message.

Try this: Take an hour each week, at a set time (use an alarm if you need to, I do) and use that hour to write a note, make a phone call and have a coffee. You can do all three in an hour and make great impact. When you take time to really express yourself in a positive note, phone message or a quick coffee meeting you are building true, lasting relationships.

Learning to Leap from Young Entrepreneurs

I came back 3 weeks ago from Chicago where I was a judge at the GSEA awards (global student entrepreneur awards). These young people from ages 17 to 25 were unbelievable in what they do and what they build.

Their businesses rival any you see in papers or on the streets. They do millions in business. Some of these young people have big staff and innovations for industries that most can’t see innovation in (the last two winners are huge innovators in Jam Production and Drycleaning). Some of these young entrepreneurs already have charity organizations or divisions that give cash to causes they believe in. One guy became a pilot in his spare time … he’s 17!

I tell this story because the best part about being around these young guns, these young leaders was their enthusiasm and belief in just getting out and doing it. Their belief in being able to go out and make a difference overshadowed all the “reasons” they couldn’t do it. You’re too young, you don’t have any money, you have no expeirence, how are you going to do that with school, what about the economy, what about the competition, what about the …

These young people are an example of what happens when you realize you control more of your life and its outcome than anyone or anything else. Great things happen to those who leap.