by Kirby Hasseman
“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain. And most fools do.” Dale Carnegie
There is a disease that is rampant in our culture right now. It decreases our happiness and our productivity and it affects nearly all of the population (at times). We don’t know how or when it started, but we think it started with a decrease in gratitude. You can see the symptoms everywhere you look. It’s rampant.
It’s the disease of complaining.
Complaining is a destroyer of productivity…and a thief of joy. And here’s the thing, even the most joyful person struggles with this sometimes. We might even think it can be helpful! I hear all of the time, “I just need to vent!” The idea, of course being, if I just get this off my chest I will feel better.
But here’s a secret. It doesn’t help. Let’s dig into the reasons you should (try to) cut complaining out of your life immediately.
Complaining begets Complaining
I think one of the challenges with complaining is we think that it’s harmless. We think that we just get something off our chest and move on. But we don’t actually just move on. You see, complaining is just like anything else we do over and over in our brain. It creates a neural pathway. The more we do it, the more that pathway becomes stronger. So the more we complain, the more it becomes easier for our brain to create that as a habit. And just like any other habit, once we create that behavior, it is really hard to stop! So when you are think you are harmlessly venting, you are actually creating habit to make you a lifelong complainer.
It Actually Does NOT Help
So often, we complain or vent because we feel like if we “get it off our chests” we will feel better and help us move on. Studies are actually starting to show that is not the case. It seems that those that were allowed to complain or scream or punch a punching bag (all things designed to release frustration) actually made study participants MORE aggressive later. So the very thing you think is making you feel better, is likely making you more angry.
You Are Part of the 90%
Studies tell us that approximately 89% of the world around us is negative. We are surrounded by it. It’s the reason we have to be so intentional about being positive. So when you complain you just contribute to the muck.
It Doesn’t Fix the Problem
The problem I have with most complaining is that it is completely devoid of solution. Most people want to bitch and moan about the problems that they see in their company, family or community. But they really don’t want to do anything to make them better. They have no (real) suggestions, and if they do, they don’t want to actually work on them. That, my friends, is the definition of a waste of time.
Takes Us Away From the Present
In the book “Solve For Happy” Mo Gawdat talks about the importance of being in the present moment if you want to experience more joy. Gawdat points out that nearly all negative emotions in our lives are rooted in either the past or the future. We are angry about something that happened yesterday or worried about something that could happen tomorrow (go ahead, think about it). What this does is take us away from our present moment. The most positive and productive people do one thing really well. They live in the “now.”
Look, in the interest of transparency, this is really hard for me too. In many ways, complaining comes very natural to us all. You should not beat yourself up if you catch yourself doing this from time to time. But the important thing here is the phrase “from time to time.” It is really easy to take it from occasionally to always.
We all know that person that is mad if they cannot find something to be pissed off about!
It’s time to shine a light on complaining. It steals your happiness. If you want a simple trick to break the cycle, consider taking a gratitude challenge. When you find yourself “needing to vent,” take a breath and consider something that makes your grateful. It can replace that negative emotion with one that can give you joy.
Regardless of how you do it, it’s time to take action.
Stop. Complaining.
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by Kirby Hasseman
Every year for over 10 years, Hasseman Marketing has created an “End User” trade show and have invited our customers. It’s evolved and grown over the years and we are quite proud of it. This year’s event will be Thursday October 10th from Noon to 5pm at Coshocton County’s Lake Park!
It started as a “Customer Appreciation Show” and it still has those elements. But we have expanded it and now call it our annual Trade Show (you can register here). This year the theme is “Christmas in October! Why? Because it’s a Trade Show build for our customers and prospects.
But why should you come? We want this event to be fun AND add a ton of value. Here are a few reasons why we think you should attend.
Incredible Product Access: We invite some of our top (and favorite) supplier reps to showcase their lines at the show. I like to say “There is no way I could fit all of this in my trunk.” You get to see and touch and feel the product and see what it’s really like. We all know that many products look the same online or in a catalog. But when you get them up close you can really see a difference. This is the perfect place to make sure your brand materials are on point.
Idea Generation: As you walk around and see the latest and greatest in Promo, you will come up with some great ideas for upcoming projects. The reality is, the show is at a great time of year for year end gifts for your team or customers. But some of our best customers come every year and start to plan their marketing for the next year and beyond.
Great SWAG: Nobody leaves empty handed! We put on a fun event where (with the help of our suppliers) we invest in putting some really cool SWAG in your hands. In addition, we build the event around a theme so you can see how we use a bunch of different items around a theme!
Additional Services: You may think you know all that we do at Hasseman Marketing, but we find that most people discover some new ways to promote their organization! By having all of the ideas in one place, it can be very illuminating!
Tasty Food: You have to eat right? We have food and drinks as well. Each year we get compliments about the tasty treats and we know this year will be no different. The event this year is on Thursday October 10 from Noon to 5pm at the Lake Park Pavilion (in Coshocton). Our goal is to create an event that provides value and fun…and you never want to miss.
So if you want to join us (and you do), please feel free to to RSVP here. We are actually going to build in some extra value for those that RSVP!
Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP newsletter here. Oh…and as always, we have all of our content here on our blog page…check it out!
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for the 18th episode of the He Said/She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about talk about the idea of discussing politics at work. Is that a taboo topic or a great place to learn from co-workers? They might not agree on this one. Listen in.
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind Amy chats about the deconstruction (which is big progress) at the building project. You can see the latest video about that here. Kirby talks about a new book he is working on…and the July hum-drums. Is it because clients are out of the office, or is he just lazy? 🙂
Lesson In Life
This week Kirby and Amy talk about the crippling power of comparing yourself to others. They discuss the prevalence of this in social media…but that it’s not a new phenomenon. How can you overcome it? How can you use comparison to help you? Listen in!
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week Amy gives a shout out to the volunteers that work so hard from the Coshocton in Bloom organization. Local people work very hard to help to beautify the area and the judges were in town this week. This is a part of the America in Bloom organization. For more information about that…check out their website here. Kirby mentioned the volunteers in West Lafayette that put on the West Lafayette Homecoming. This is a great local festival…so go check it out!
So that’s a wrap! We will be back…and we will continue to improve. Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for the 16th episode of the He Said/She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about the idea that Sunday evenings are becoming the new Monday mornings. Is our work life overlapping too much into our personal time? Is that overlap creating undue stress on your life? They tackle this topic here.
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind Amy talks about getting ready to the construction to begin and what she is doing to get ready. Kirby talks about a program where he is speaking called PromoMBA. If you are in the Promotional Product industry and need more information head here.
Lesson In Life
This week Kirby and Amy talk about why taking action is so powerful. Way too many people are being held hostage by perfection. By simply taking action and moving forward, you put yourself further ahead of the game. Listen into more on the podcast.
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week Kirby talks about the young phenom at Wimbledon Coco Gauff. She took the All England club by storm and made the tournament fun to watch this year. Amy’s shout out this week was the United States World Cup team! What a big victory! Oh…and here is the Nike ad that was discussed. Enjoy.
So that’s a wrap! We will be back…and we will continue to improve. Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
by Kirby Hasseman
So far this spring and summer, Coshocton County has been completely overwhelmed by rain. What seemed like a wet spring, led to a night where the local town of West Lafayette reportedly got nearly 7 inches of rain in a few short hours. The already wet ground gave the water no place to go and the devastation was difficult to see. Areas that had never seen standing water in generations, were flooded. Basements were full of water and foundation walls collapsed.
In addition to the devastation in homes around the area, acres of farmland spent time underwater as well. As a matter of fact, some weeks later, some areas are still seeing the affects of this rain. It leaves many people in our area talking about the long term effects of the season to farmers. Many have not had the chance to plant their seeds.
There will be nothing to harvest this year.
I am reminded of this as I look at our summer sales season. For many organizations, July is a tough month for sales. The sales team will talk about the fact that July is the month of vacations. They will say that “no one wants to talk about xyz in July!” And let’s face it, often the sales team wants to take time off then as well! This combination of reasons leads to a continually disappointing summer selling season.
And though those factors certainly play a role, I don’t think they are the real reason that sales lag in the summer. It all comes back to a lack of seeds to harvest. My hypothesis is, for the last few months (for lots of reasons) fewer and fewer seeds were planted. It was probably a little at a time. There was not a giant flood in the sales team. That’s why it was hard to notice. But little by little, fewer calls here made.
That is why there is less to harvest today.
As much as we would love to imagine it, business rarely just falls from the sky. These opportunities are harvested after months and months of work. They come from the seeds that were planted.
The bad news is, you can’t just go in and harvest today if you have not planted the seeds. The good news is, you can get out in the fields and start planting.
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