STRATEGIZE TO SUCCEED
PC1 – The Season of “Re”
Welcome to our first episode of Strategize To Succeed™. I am your guide and your support – I am Your Mentor™.
For the past year, it was reported that 2020 represented “uncertain times,” “difficult times,” “challenging times,” “unprecedented times.” And all that we needed in order to claim our hopes and dreams was a “re-start,” and then our “new” normal would magically appear.
Well, I don’t know about you but, fundamentally, you will find me to be a relatively optimistic person. However, I do think that you and I should face two facts.
One, the normal with which we each lived prior to 2020 might have been okay, but normal is not the same as good, terrific, or perfect – or even acceptable. Normal just signifies reliability: we can count on it, figure on it, expect it and plan around it. However, in general, I think that we can stand some improvement over our previous normal, at least in certain areas.
The second fact is that however we individually want to design our “new” normal, it’s going to require a mind that is open to accepting new priorities and standards, and is responsive to new societal behaviors. Of course, the basics of caring for one’s family, and earning a living are still necessary keystones. What is somewhat different though is how we get there. What changes do we need to embrace in our mindset and our philosophy, as the way in which we approach each day, so that we can maximize our potential and enhance our successes? In each person’s journey through life, these barometers change and their importance ebbs and flows.
Right now, you and I are on equal footing: 2021 has come to each of us at the same time, and we can’t escape it. So, while we are more than ready emotionally to receive its arrival, frankly, this is a year which requires much more than a well-intentioned new year’s resolution, which in all honesty, has probably already been abandoned. It requires that an effort be made to formulate and strategize, including accounting for contingencies. Perhaps most importantly though, it’s time to regain purposeful control over your life, especially if you feel that you have been living in the midst of chaos.
However, there is good news. You have the ability to control your mindset, your attitude, your approach . . . and your decisions. And, according to multiple reputable sources, each person makes approximately 35,000 decisions daily. So, there’s a lot of room for both good and bad – and to improve.
As long as the time has come for you to re-assess your normal, why not craft a “better” normal for your business and your family. Sharpening your existing skills, and developing some new strengths, is the subject of Strategize To Succeed™.
The paramount intent of this podcast is to guide you in your evolution from encountering and responding to conditions, to creating and recognizing opportunities; and then, from transforming those opportunities into your successes. I will present you with approaches and perspectives, and offer tips to help enable you to achieve more benefits from your efforts, as well as raise questions which can bolster your decision-making process, as you move ahead. And, let’s face it, we all have to move ahead.
One way or another, each of us has been impacted by the litany of anomalous events which occurred over the past year. And, although many of its effects are still with us, it is time for us to create a new chapter in our individual and collective history.
Now, if you want your life, and your livelihood, to be better than before, that is a significant task, one which requires thought and intention. And to have the greatest chance of success, that challenge needs to be met in small, but consistent, steps. So, Strategize To Succeed™, with me as Your Mentor™, is here to help.
First, before I share a bit about my story, let’s discuss you. Certainly, regardless of your objectives, you are welcomed to listen and participate (yes, I said participate – but, we’ll discuss that in a moment). However, the focus of my comments will often have a business slant, because of my background. And, even within business, there is sometimes a need to highlight the unique circumstances found within family businesses of all sizes, which do happen to comprise the majority of businesses in the United States.
Being realistic though, I would point out that most business problems are created by people, a fact which is surprisingly often overlooked. As the common denominator, you will undoubtedly recognize that many business issues and solutions are really transferable to understanding human interactions, and ways to navigate through daily challenges.
I anticipate that each weekly episode of Strategize To Succeed™ will run less than half an hour. Although that may seem brief, keep in mind that these presentations are neither freewheeling roundtable discussions, nor academic seminars. Instead, my intent is to create the mood in which you are having a phone conversation with your own mentor. Usually there will be one or two subjects presented per episode. And, hopefully, there will be practical ideas, or at least thought-provoking considerations, for you to contemplate after each episode. In general, while theoretical discussions may be fascinating, our focus will be on perspectives which may be applicable and helpful to your professional or personal development.
A moment ago, I referenced the concept of participation. Optimally, by joining the journey of this podcast, you will benefit, whether personally, or for your business. To accomplish that objective, there are a few ways in which we will try to enhance your opportunities for growth.
Perhaps the simplest, of course, is email. Our email address is: strategize.thoughts@gmail.com. You may freely communicate with me with questions about areas covered on the podcast, topics which you would like to propose for future discussion, or general subject-related thoughts which you would like to share. Understand that any communications which you have, either with me or the show, becomes the property of the podcast and the content may be used in part or in its entirety, with or without attribution.
Also, we have established a Twitter account for this podcast in which I will offer thoughts, raise questions, or submit quotations. Our Twitter handle is: @StrategizeToday. This is another vehicle for you to express yourself or raise issues for discussion. Certainly, I recognize the existence of differing viewpoints, but I do request that members of our community participate respectfully and with civility. Also, I firmly believe that by asking questions, one travels on an important road to growth. So, I will make every effort to respond to your questions appropriately.
Now, I am going to give you a preview of two special benefits which we will be initiating in the near future, and which will be available to you, free of charge.
The first participation benefit is our Strategic Twitter Exposure Service™. One day per week, we intend to feature on our Twitter account a listener’s company profile, highlighting a unique feature and contact information, or a job seeker with their skill strengths and contact information. The objective is to expand your exposure and help you to access additional opportunities. You will find further information on our website: www.strategizetosucceed.com, and updated details will be provided on Twitter.
I would strongly encourage you to participate in our Strategic Twitter Exposure Service™. Over the past year, regardless of business type or size, there has been a decided shift to greater isolation of personnel, and frequently an evaporation of a seemingly established client base. There has also been an explosion of creativity and innovation which has emerged in an effort to respond to all of the instability in both business and society. Now is the time for the business community to reach out and help each other. I know that it may sound like a cliché, but I do believe that when we help others, we ultimately help ourselves.
The Strategic Twitter Exposure Service™ which we are creating is one more way in which businesses can reach out and communicate with other businesses to buy, sell, share information, develop strategies – all on the path to thriving.
Neither Strategize To Succeed™, nor I, receive any revenue as a result of your participation in the Strategic Twitter Exposure Service™, and any responses are intended to go to you directly. We are structuring this resource simply as the facilitator. Your information is submitted to us and we will then upload it appropriately. It is up to you to utilize this no-cost opportunity.
The second benefit which is being offered by Strategize To Succeed™, I personally find quite exciting. I am inviting you, and all of the listeners of our podcast to have a 15-minute, clarify your path, one-on-one, personal and private telephone consultation with me, at no charge. Once again, you will find an outline of the details on our website: www.strategizetosucceed.com, and updates will be noted on Twitter @StrategizeToday.
Finally, before we conclude this first episode, please permit me to introduce myself in somewhat greater detail.
As Your Mentor™, you should know that I am a fourth generation entrepreneur and a second generation family business owner. Our family business had been a management and marketing consulting firm with clients throughout the United States and Canada. The firm was started by my parents in the 1950’s, and, no, I was not around at the time. As an incidental point of interest though, the firm had always been operated as a home-based business, even before computers were invented. Personally, I am a licensed attorney with an MBA degree, as well as a published academic author. Throughout my professional career, I have had more than 20-years’ experience as a consultant, coach, advisor, and mentor, always working in service to companies and businesses, and particularly those which have been family-owned or operated, where I have a specialty in navigating and improving the operational dynamics uniquely found in family businesses.
That is the bare-bones summary of my profile but, as the podcasts proceed, I will be sharing with you some of my experiences to illustrate take-away points.
For now though, as we thankfully move through 2021, I would like to share a quotation with you which has been attributed to Viktor Frankl. The quotation says, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” Regardless of our viewpoints, perhaps we can agree that 2020 and early 2021 have brought massive amounts of both pain and suffering in many areas of life. We know that pain will always occur, but in 2021 and beyond, let’s begin to turn our suffering into productive and positive responses, and see to it that suffering no longer becomes our endgame.
Thank you for sharing your time today. Remember, the application of strategic decision-making can result in more beneficial outcomes both professionally and personally. Why not turn that process into your opportunity?
Copyright 2021 by The Bermaelyn Group, LLC
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