When "Busy" Is A Good Thing

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hasseman marketing busy If you have been around me, listened to podcasts like this one, or read this blog, you might know that I think “busy” is the most over-used word in the English language today. I believe that because the word “busy” has become one of two things.   1.  First it has become an excuse of why we can’t do things we really want to or need to?  How could we possibly have time to work toward our dreams?  We are too busy. 2.  Second, it has become lazy speak.  It’s just the answer you give…whether you mean it or not. So, as I said, I am not a fan of the word “busy.” But then I woke up this morning and thought about my schedule.  I just got back from a two day road trip.  I have another out of the office day on Friday.  Today, in my schedule, I have 1 day to jam in 3 days of activity.  My schedule was decidedly busy…and I was excited about it. That’s when I had a simple realization. You know you are doing the right thing, when you are busy and you are happy about it.  If your schedule is full for the day and you are fired up to attack the day, it shows your passion.  If you get to the end of the day wondering “where did that day go?” and you feel satisfied, you are probably working on the right projects. This is when you the word “busy” stops being an excuse.  It starts to become an excited descriptor.  When I started my business I used to say “When I’m bored, I’m poor.”  It spoke to the idea that I was excited to be busy.  It was important to my success. So start looking for those things that you are excited to tackle.  These are the things that will keep you busy…but in a good way. Make sure you never miss an update.  I know you are busy!  But once a week, we send out our VIP newsletter with all of the content for the week in one place.  You can get signed up for that here.

1 Thing Holding You Back From Your Goals

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Tis the season!  What season?  The holidays?  Well, sure.  But this time of year is Goal-setting season!

It’s that time of year that many people sit down and take a hopeful look to the New Year.  I am a big believer in goal setting, so I encourage that.  As a matter of fact, I ask that all of my team do the same.   But there is one common mistake I see people making that (I think) is holding them back.

They don’t write them down.

Many people will tell you they have goals.  Studies will tell you that writing them down has impressive results.  But again and again, I run into people that do no write them down.   Why not? I could rack it up to laziness.  They just don’t want to take the time.  Maybe. I could say it is a lack of belief.  They just don’t believe the studies that tell you it works.

That could be it…but I don’t think so.

I think the reason people don’t write their goals and dreams down is one simple reason.   They are afraid to fail.   Once you write your goal down, then it’s out there.  Once you get specific, there is a chance it might not work.  Once you share it with someone, you might embarrass yourself.  I think it’s that simple fact that is holding people back from writing down (and sharing) their goals.   And when you don’t write down your goals, it holds you back from accomplishing them.

So let’s address that quickly.

First things first, big goals are not Pass/Fail.  I talk about that here.    You can set a goal that stretches you.  You have to give yourself permission to dream a bit.   In addition, when you write down your goal (and you get specific), you can start to think about “how.”  How will you get there?  What steps do you need to take?  What are you going to DO to get there?  These little steps are what will take you to your dream. So let’s start today and write down your goals.

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Why To Assume the Best

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“How could they say that?” We have all been there.  We are in a conversation (or a situation) with someone we like, and then something unexpected happens.  They do something, or say something, outside of what we think they should.  It catches us off guard, of course.

Then what do WE do? We assume the worst.

We start with a litany of thoughts that take us down a rabbit hole.  Thoughts start racing through your mind like…

She is just rude!

He has never really liked me!

This is why I don’t have friends! They never do what they say they are going to do.

You get the idea.  Our brain takes off with the worst case scenario and creates an untenable situation for us and our offenders.  But is any of it really true?  Did they really mean to offend you?  Were they really trying to snub you?  They might have been.

On the other hand, it might have been a situation that was created only in your mind.

What if we do the opposite?  What if we work to train ourselves to be intentional when our brain gets hijacked with this train of negativity? What if we assume the best? Many of your relationships are in your life for a reason.  They are people who care about you…and you them.  Most of them likely want the best for you, right?  Why don’t we assume THAT?

Instead of letting your thoughts get away from you, stop.

Take a breath and replace those thoughts with something like…

I always know where I stand with her!

She always tells me what I need to hear.

I love that he looks out for me.

They are doing the best they can.

You get the idea.   Don’t beat yourself up.  The brain has a natural tendency to skew toward negativity.  That ability has helped to keep us alive for thousands of years.  But in today’s world, it does not often serve our happiness.   So today, let’s break the negative thought train.  Today, when something goes differently than you expect, do yourself a favor.

Assume the best.

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Affecting the Energy In The Room

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hasseman marketing positive energy One thing I know for sure…the energy in the room matters. You know it when you are in a room of excited, passionate, energetic people.  The energy in the room is palpable.  There is an intensity and purpose.  There is often laughter. On the flip side, you know it when the energy is down.  There is an unspoken hostility.  You can feel the frustration and anger bubbling just below the surface.  For me, it’s often almost hard to breathe, because the oxygen almost feels like it’s been decreased. You can feel it when you walk into the room.  We all can. I would also submit to you that just one person can affect that energy.  In a larger organization, that effect might be muted a bit.  But it will still be there.  In their corner of the company, one negative person can suck the energy out.  It will affect the rest of their team.   But in a small company, that one person can be a disaster.  A person with a “bad apple” attitude can seep that attitude into every corner of the place.  It will start by infecting the employees, and then it will make it’s way to the people you want to serve.   Most of us have seen it happen.  You have seen it in school, or in companies, or even in communities.   So if we agree that: 1.  The energy of an organization is palpable…and…2.  That energy can affect the power of the organization…and…3.  One person can change that energy for the good or for the bad… Then there is just one important question to ask yourself today. What kind of person will you be in your organization? We all have the ability to impact our organization.  We just have to choose how we want to do it.   Choose wisely. Make sure you never miss an update.  Sign up here to become a part of our VIP list.  

15 Things on my “Grateful List”

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When I am not sure what to write about, and more importantly, what to think about, I think about what makes me grateful.

As I have said before, you cannot be negative or angry when you are grateful.  So when I am stressed, or anxious or frustrated, I take a deep breath and go through this exercise.  It usually only takes me a few minutes to get my mental state back on track.

Here are a few things that go through my mind when I do this.

1.  My wife:  I am incredibly lucky to have Amy in my life.  She truly does make me want to be better.  As I think about blessings in my life, she is at the top of the list.

2.  My girls, Skylar and Jade:  These two make me super proud.  I love the young ladies they are growing into.  Their journey has just begun.

3.  My family:  All of my family have been super supportive of me throughout my life.  I am forever grateful for that.

4.  The Hasseman Marketing team (yes that includes Robbie too):  I can’t believe the great group we have put together here.  Last night we had our holiday party…what a fun group.  I am excited about what we are creating together.

5.  My Coshocton County friends:  What a great group of people!  These are the folks that would help me out (in an instant) if needed.

6.  My Promo industry friends:  These folks inspire me to be better in my profession.

7.  My heroes that inspire me:  Though I don’t “know” these people, I watch them from afar and they get me fired up to do better in many areas of my life.

8.  My health:  I am so blessed to be healthy.

9.  My home:  Speaking of blessed, I love the place I have to rest and relax.

10.  The giving spirit of Coshocton County:  It’s so cool to see this small community rally together whenever there is a need.

11.  Newpointe Community Church:  I feel like this church has come to Coshocton just when it was needed.  It’s been great for me for sure.

12.  Local Leaders:  I totally love the level of collaboration that is going on in Coshocton County right now.  It’s at a level I have never seen.  As a side note, our own Port Authority Director, Tiffany Swigert was in Washington D.C. this week.  Here is a clip of her talking with Leaders there.  You can hear her at about 1:06 in.

13.  Industry leaders:  The marketing conversation has been elevated (or at least it is being elevated) because the leaders in the industry are helping to make it happen.  Let’s keep that going.

14.  My puppies:  When they are not pooping and peeing…they are fun.

15.  The Drone:  I am happy we tracked the drone down after a recent adventure.  You can see that adventure here.  As you can see, this is a woefully incomplete list.  But it’s a start.  It’s a place I can go to get my head back on straight.  What does your list look like? Make sure you never miss an update!  It’s time to become a VIP!  I would be grateful for that.  Sign up here.