Before we know it, the new year will be upon us. Questions are likely already coming to mind. Have both personal and business goals been achieved for this year? What of the New Year’s resolutions set earlier this year? Of the various goals and resolutions that missed the mark, what happened? What went wrong? Of those that did hit or exceeded the mark, what made the difference?

These are questions that must be answered to springboard into the new year. A plan must be in place well before January 1st to get off on the right foot. This means that there’s work to do between now and year’s end. Of course, the upcoming holidays can be a distraction.

And although it is important to spend time to get together and celebrate with family & friends, it is essential that work-life balance be maintained. Except, as the focus throughout the year is to ensure ample time is spent on the life part of the equation, now is the time to make certain the work component is not ignored.

A word to the wise… do not procrastinate! Do not push off planning until after the holidays lest the opportunity of moving forward as the ball drops over Times Square will be delayed. And, delaying attention to the tasks at hand for the time between Christmas and New Year’s celebrations is a recipe for disaster. Diligence will be lacking in the effort to just get it done.

With today’s challenges and economic uncertainty, there is no room in our lives for if, can’t & try – just do, as where there is a will, there is a way if something is wanted bad enough. It all comes down to commitment… relentless, unparalleled commitment!

Anthony Robbins says, “There’s always a way – if you’re committed.”

Yoda, of Star Wars fame said, “No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

And of course, Nike may have promoted it best with, “Just do it.”

The new year is a chance to start over – a fresh beginning. It is a good time to set new goals, change old habits and try new things. It is also a great time to revisit wishes, hopes, and dreams. If we do not use time wisely to get out of our comfort zone and our state of complacency, we will remain right where we are. Therefore, we must start our new year today, not in January.

I’ll leave you today with the following quote from Albert Einstein. I trust it will spur thoughts that I hope will be helpful as there are lessons to be learned in his words – actual ones for the world we live in today, and subliminal ones that can help us personally.

“Let’s not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress…

Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born from the dark night. It is in crisis that inventive is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies. Who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting overcome. Who blames his failure to a crisis neglects his own talent and is more respectful to problems than to solutions. Incompetence is the true crisis…

The greatest inconvenience of people and nations is the laziness with which they attempt to find the solutions to their problems. There is no challenge without a crisis. Without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. There is no merit without crisis. It is in the crisis where we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead…

Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it.”

Have a great week ahead. Act swiftly. Act decisively. Make it happen. Make it count!

When the future is fogged and ahead lays opportunity but risk, it is better to tread a careful path through the uncertainty than to wait for the mist to clear, if it ever does. – Anonymous

Sometimes we can barely see across short distances such as is often the case with early morning fog. However, if we’re pointed in the right direction, having positioned ourselves just right, we’re aware of what lies ahead.

Whether it be from past experiences, or by following a detailed map, or even by using our senses to realize points of reference, we must trust we’re moving in the right direction. Often, intuition kicks in prompting us to make slight changes in direction. We must trust that gut feeling and act accordingly — but we must prevent from wandering aimlessly off track and into the unknown.

Much can be said about life as a journey. It’s mostly clear sailing with occasional storms that can be navigated with minimal, yet steady effort. Until, of course, we’re faced with a category 8 hurricane or F5 tornado when just surviving becomes our primary goal.

“Confidence is something you create when you believe in yourself.” – Anonymous

We must have unwavering confidence in our plans and also in our abilities. We must listen to our intuition. We must make changes swiftly and decisively. We must make it happen. We must make it count!

Have a great day!

The mantra of Acceler8Success Group is to act swiftly, act decisively, make it happen, and make it count.

So, how does one do so in the face of fear?

“There’s nothing to fear but fear itself” is a very true statement. Unfortunately, that may be easy to comprehend but it’s not easy to act upon. Fear in hearing no makes the salesperson drag out the sales process. Heck, maybe is better than no is actually the justification.

However, the longer the salesperson hangs onto maybe the more time is wasted — time that could be used on realizing other opportunities including actually closing other sales. Of course, there are similar situations outside sales.

Doing nothing when a definitive decision is necessary is often due to fear in making the wrong decision. Not asking a question because of fear the answer is not what you want to hear. Fear causes wrong decisions, procrastination and so many different things that are certainly not progressive or proactive.

Typically, it starts a domino effect of reacting and like dominoes, once they start toppling over it’s difficult to stop the momentum… and quickly, it gets away from you. So, realize your fears, act decisively and move forward, but don’t let fear paralyze you.

Conquering Fear

Fear can only be realized as we’re able to admit being scared. It’s only with that admission and realization that we can work through fear and hopefully, overcome it. As fear is such a strong emotion that easily grips the soul, it takes time and patience to overcome such a grip. Little by little, fear can be replaced by courage gained from confidence that fear is just a challenge to be conquered.

Although, conquering fear does not have to be done alone. Instead, collaborative efforts aligned with common goals truly exemplify the phrase, ‘strength in numbers’ and it’s that strength that will make it easier to defeat fear. Easier said than done? Possibly, but the alternative is being overwhelmed by fear and that, we recognize, is not living…

Talk to a friend or a colleague today about your fears. Doing so will go a long way toward realizing that there truly is nothing to fear but fear itself.

Conquering Fears to Becoming an Entrepreneur

Have you ever dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur?

If you answered yes, what’s stopping you?

If it’s because you’re scared, then you’ve got company. Fear is the most common reason people fail to start their own businesses. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, or fear of losing the steady income from their day job.

Of course, there’s a good reason for all of these fears. Around 50 percent of small businesses fail within five years, so it’s no wonder people hesitate to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship.

Making the decision to become a full-time entrepreneur and go “all in” on my startup was one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences of my life. If you’ve got big ideas for a business but fear is holding you back, read about some steps you can take to move past those worries and start your entrepreneurial journey HERE.

“Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.” Benjamin Franklin

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

A positive person focuses on what’s good in their life, finds joy in the simple things, and takes the general attitude that while there are lots of things they can’t directly control, they can control what they choose to focus on. Positive people can inspire and influence others to reframe and to think about things differently. They can be infectious in a good way.

Beginning each day on a positive note can increase your productivity and even improve your overall health. Time to get those positive thoughts flowing! Starting your day off right has always sounded like a nice idea, but now a new study indicates that “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” is more real than ever.

Positive & Motivational Quotes: A second voice that echoes our thoughts, beliefs & claims.

If you spend even a short amount of time on social media you’re bound to come across a quote or two. I’m sure we could divide quotes into quite a few categories but to me, it’s really just three categories. Quotes that either motivate me, inspire me, or those that spur my emotions.

Mind you, I’m not referring to memes. I’m talking about quotes from influential and famous people, from movies, books, and the like, and from individuals that actually write inspiring words and place them on beautiful images.

Quotes can open our eyes and minds to understand truths and acknowledge things we might otherwise have missed. They let us see life from another, wider perspective, and in this sense, they expand our mind and awareness.

A quote can spur us to reflect as they may be applicable to a specific task or event occurring in our lives right at that time. Reading quotes can improve how we feel and change our mood for the better. Often a quote can offer inspiration for the day or week, and inspire us when our normal motivation has lapsed.

Quotes can act as reminders to focus us toward a specific goal or plan of action. Either as a short sentence or as several sentences, quotes are typically easy to memorize. As such, we can refer to them often and as we may be so inclined, share with others at appropriate times.

Inspirational quotes can remind us to see our mistakes and setbacks as great learning opportunities, and provide comfort that there is nothing that we can’t learn from. Rather than living in the past and recycling old news, we gain support to move past our regrets and learn from them.

Another reason we love inspirational quotes? They affirm what we already know (or think we know) about ourselves. One of the greatest human motivations is our desire to be able to both fit into categories or types of people, and to feel like we’re in good company (and, often, limited company) once we’re there.

Interestingly, scientific research has shown that motivational quotes make us feel the same as actually accomplishing something. If that is correct, then that could be a very, very, very bad thing.

Quotes, especially on social media can be quite distracting as there are just so many that are shared every day. I do value the ones where the person sharing the quote actually shares their own thoughts about the quote.

A good quote can be the heart of a compelling article, an interesting story, or a compelling speech. As such, good quotes help to tell a story and enhance the credibility of a press release, news story or speech.

Words that are crafted well can leave a lasting impact on us, while similar words presented by us can leave a lasting impression on others.

11 Reasons to Read Positive & Motivational Quotes

1. Motivational quotes motivate, inspire and encourage.
2. Motivational quotes energize and prompt you to take action.
3. Positive quotes create optimism and hope.
4. Motivational quotes give insight and wisdom.
5. Motivational quotes offer hope.
6. Positive quotes bring light and happiness into our day.
7. Motivational quotes teach.
8. Motivational quotes open the mind to see life in a wider perspective.
9. Motivational quotes are mood changers.
10. Positive quotes inspire you to adopt positive thinking and take positive action.
11. Reading motivational quotes does not require effort.

*Credit to Remez Sasson, author of the blog post, Motivational Positive Quotes – 11 Reasons to Read Them at SuccessConsciouness.com.

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

With recent news of a Chick Fil A franchisee being creative with a 3-day work week, I thought it’d be interesting to revisit a prior article at Acceler8Success Cafe, Is a 4-day work week realistic, practical, feasible across the board?

Let’s start with the article about the 3-day work week…

While many restaurants are having a hard time finding staff these days, Justin Lindsey is weeding through a pile of applications so tall you’d think he was hiring for a Chief Taco Officer or Chief Candy Officer. But he’s not. The operator of Chick-fil-A Kendall in Miami, Florida is looking for fast-food workers. Fortunately for him, they’re applying in droves, as first reported by QSR magazine.

Last month, Lindsey received 429 applications in one week for just one full-time position. Surprisingly, the biggest draw wasn’t the competitive wage — it was the three-day workweek.

Read the complete story, Chick-fil-A operator introduced a three-day workweek, and applications are pouring in HERE!

Now, let’s revisit…

Is a 4-day work week realistic, practical, feasible across the board?

The discussion about a 4-day work week continues to heat up. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see an article debating the pros and cons, as well as the “necessity” of having an additional day off from what has been the typical 5-day work week for years. It’s interesting to read different perspectives on the topic. From business owners to executives to salaried staff to hourly employees, all seem to be making strong points whether for or against the movement.

I first became aware of a 4-day work week back in 1978 when I moved to a small town just outside San Antonio. USAA, one of the world’s largest employers in San Antonio at the time and still today, was on a 4-day work week. I thought, what a great idea. Of course, at the time I was only thinking about it from the perspective of an hourly employee.

Oh my God, 3-day weekends, every weekend!

As someone who has mostly worked in a home office for the past twenty-plus years, I really don’t have a set work schedule. Actually, I do but what I don’t have is a set schedule to end my workday, or for that matter, even to start the workday. Sure, we could debate the premise of entrepreneurs working 16-hour days, 6-7 days a week as being ridiculous and unnecessary, and essentially being nothing more than a foolish badge of achievement but let’s keep that for another day. I promise we will address it here very soon.

Today, let’s look at the 4-day work week from the small business owner’s perspective. Is it feasible to operate the typical small business only 4 days? For the most part, the answer is no. After all, the business will need to be open 6, if not 7 days a week. It’s certainly a different situation than that of an office setting for a major corporation that could essentially close an extra day like a weekend day. Or schedule overlapping shifts and remain open 5 days a week.

Yes, there are options and probably some very creative options to make it work. Or are we really talking about moving to a 4-day work week but keeping daily schedules at 8 hours, at the same wage as for a 40-hour work week? With already slim margins at the typical small business, that seems impossible to even consider. For restaurants, I don’t see any way it would be possible.

That all said, I am an advocate for a 4-day work week at 8 hours per day. In certain work environments, I can see how it could actually increase productivity as some of the case studies have proven. A 4-day work week could go a long way to improving employee wellbeing and mental health. Yes, I could see the benefits, but I can also see the pitfalls.

Personally, I envision the 4-day work week as an option. For some companies it could work. I just don’t believe it can be something that would work effectively across all industry segments and especially, in a society that is driven by instant gratification and convenience. Therein is the key.

I believe the 4-day work week would have had more of a chance of being successful across the board back in the day, when weekends were days of leisure, family and worship.

Many businesses were closed on Sundays and workers had the day off. Saturdays were for errands and chores and dealing with things that weren’t done during the week. People stayed close to home washing their cars, mowing their yards and grabbing a few things at the local grocery store.

Customer-facing businesses were open, typically until 5-6 PM but banks, offices, etc. were closed on Saturday. So, it was mostly small businesses that were open. For businesses that were open on Sunday such as bakeries and restaurants, they closed early on Sunday and all-day Monday, as well.

Of course, that is not the case today as we are accustomed to being able to do what we want to do and at any time during the day. We’ve even grown accustomed to stores being open on major holidays, late hours and 7 days a week. Do we really need to shop at 6AM the day after Thanksgiving or shop for furniture at 10PM or for anything on Sunday? Certainly not, but it is what we want. It’s what we command.

If off from work an extra day per week, what would we do that day? Would that extra day be like the typical weekend is today with us running from store to store, almost at a frantic pace? If work schedules revert to a 4-day work week, will extra workers be necessary to man the stores and restaurants? Will some people look to take on an extra job with an extra day off, thus killing the notion of the extra day being necessary for one’s wellbeing and mental health?

I really don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution. Yes, the 40-hour week should be an option, but it cannot be the rule of thumb across the board. That is, unless our mindset as a society reverts to the way it was back in the 1950’s. I just don’t see that we can revert back to living an Ozzie & Harriett life again. I, for one will not be wearing a tie for dinner while sitting at my dining table? I look forward to your thoughts, so please don’t be shy!

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela

According to Merriam-Webster, hate is defined as intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury; a systematic and especially politically exploited expression of hatred.

Without going down the politics rabbit hole, I’ve been mesmerized by the hate being exhibited in every corner of our nation. I’ve refrained from using the word great to describe our country, as the last time I did I was lambasted with comments about defining our country as such.

For the record, and quite frankly, I do believe the United States is a great country. If anyone doesn’t believe it to be so, well, I respect their opinion. However, all I would ask is that they look at other countries throughout the world and just make some simple comparisons before turning their opinion to judgment of others’ opinion.

In any event, this morning I find myself reflecting upon Nelson Mandela’s quote and the word, hate. I really do hate that word. I truly hate that it’s in my vocabulary. Hate in that sense is not the hate I’m referring to or what Nelson Mandela was referencing.

Maybe my mind is wandering a bit this morning because growing up Catholic I recognize that today is All Saints Day. Again, not trying to go down any rabbit holes, including the religion rabbit hole, but my mind wandered off to when I was 6 years old and attending St. Mary Mother of Jesus School in Brooklyn, NY.

Instead of celebrating Halloween we celebrated All Saints Day. We dressed up as the saints we may have been named after or as a saint we had learned about in class. It was a simpler time and hate certainly wasn’t in our vocabulary. At least hate as we know it today.

I remember attending camp in Coney Island and recall befriending kids from different backgrounds. Although, it’s only now looking back that I thought about the differences. Back then, we were all just kids with no prejudices whatsoever. We all got along very well and couldn’t wait to see each other the next day.

A few years later as my Mom remarried, we moved from our Italian neighborhood to one that was predominantly Jewish, and alongside low-income housing. As one might imagine, there was definitely some diversity in our school but overwhelmingly, my class was almost all Jewish.

In fact, I recall being one of only three kids in class during the Jewish holidays – it was me, Mary Ann Yip and Ruby Hope. Mary Ann was Chinese-American and Ruby was African-American. We, along with our Jewish friends, all got along. I don’t recall hate being in the equation despite us living in the mid to late-sixties amidst racial unrest televised seemingly non-stop.

Two years later we moved to Staten Island and to a neighborhood that wasn’t as diverse as the neighborhood we had left, but the schools had varying levels of diversity. I played basketball against junior high schools that were mostly black. Parish church teams, as well. Sure it was competitive but we all got along.

In eighth grade I was fortunate to play on the Junior High School All-Star team. The team was to play the Staten Island Junior High School champion. Well, the champion team had red uniforms, as did my school. So, when I was put in the game, I had to wear a different jersey, one that was not red.

Ken Washington, a player from another school offered me his jersey. It was light blue. I entered the game and scored a quick basket. A few minutes later during a timeout, I came to the bench and Ken, whom I had not known before except for playing against him, put his arm around me and jokingly said, my basket was the result of the luck of his jersey. We laughed. Ken was black, and back then, I didn’t give it a thought. We all got along.

Fond memories, for sure. All of them. And I’m glad I remember each one to this day!

However, thinking back and reflecting upon the Nelson Mandela quote above, I’ve realized that although the quote is true, it’s very eye-opening. Sadly, I can certainly say I wasn’t always innocent. I’m not sure when I had changed, or why.

Embarrassingly, there have been times when I’ve laughed with the crowd at the expense of others and made decisions that I now know were based in part upon what were clearly prejudices. Yet, I’m confident I can say I’ve never hated because of skin color, gender, age, background or religion.

I guess I always felt if I didn’t hate, I wasn’t prejudice or exhibiting discrimination. I was also going to mention not ‘disrespecting’ but I as I’ve gotten older I realize that disrespect is exhibited in a number of ways. So, yes, I have disrespected, as well. No excuses.

All that said, I’ve learned that being a good person is not about being politically correct. It’s not about any reason or justification whatsoever beyond just being a good person, and just one person in a world of equals.

My regret is only realizing all of this in recent years. My goal is to be a better person, not by trying to be better, but by being better intuitively because we should not have to try to be a good person.

A thought comes to mind – we know the opposite of hate is love, but maybe the opposite of hate should also be respect? After all, one of the definitions of respect is, due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!