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Deals Are Usually Not Deals

May 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

The bottom line of any budget is that you simply cannot stay above water if you spend more than you make.

The best deal is $0

A product is only a good deal if you need it (not want), plan for it and save for it prior to purchase.  A couple of days ago I was on the way to dinner with my team from work (paid for by the company, don’t worry).  As we walked across the parking lot I saw a couple of clothing stores and in the moment thought to myself, I could use some new clothes.  As I got closer to the window I saw a sign, t-shirts for $5.  Cheap right?  I agree, almost thrift shop prices yet this was a decent clothing retailer.  Who could pass it up.  Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t read Tere Stouffer’s book, The Only Budgeting Book You’ll Ever Need.  It helped me realize three things:

  1. I didn’t need new clothes.
  2. I didn’t plan for new clothes.
  3. I didn’t save for new clothes.

What did I do… walked right by.  I successfully stuck to my budget and got the best deal.  This seems simple as you read it but I’m sure many can attest that it is not.  Remember that Items within the context of your financial goals are OK.  The rest of the deals are not deals.

The Art Of Adaptation:  Deals are usually not deals.

If you know someone who sucks at saving share this with them.  If you liked this post click here for another.

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The Zombie Apocalypse Has Already Begun

November 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

I recently had an interesting interview that was side tracked when the manager and I made a connection and started to talk about life philosophies (I know, probably not the best way to demonstrate my suitability… but that’s just me.  I can’t help but entertain when these topics come up.)  He told me that life is divided into thirds.  It’s important to balance these thirds. One third doesn’t matter.  You are unconscious.  You are sleeping.  The other two thirds are work and recreation time.  If you don’t have fun or have enough of one, it affects the other two.  The main focus in his life was enjoying the third he spends working.  He believes that’s one of the biggest struggles we face today.  How do we find what we love to do?  How do we do what we love to do?  He’s found that and has worked for 16 years with the same company.  Not a day goes by where he doesn’t have fun in the third of his life dedicated to work.

The idea of a zombie apocalypse is trending now in books, movies, comics and more.  Much like most trends in the entertainment industry the idea is rarely original.  It often has a seed, stem or bud growing or emerging in life.  These zombies are lifeless drones which never stop to do anything by find living flesh to feed off.  They exist to find one thing and one thing only, until there is none left or their bodies are so worn out they can no longer search.

Coming home from my interview, I was on the bus.  I looked around at the people on public transit and this idea of zombies hit me (maybe I’ve been watching to much of The Walking Dead).  We are all zombies now.  The zombie apocalypse happened years ago when we became unconscious slaves to money, advancement and the 9-5.  We are in such a hurry most of the time we never get much of a chance to talk.  The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.

So when two “conscious” people find each other in a sea of zombies.  It doesn’t matter if it’s an interview, a bus ride or any other event… we need to stop and talk, acknowledge each other and the fact that zombies aren’t the end and we don’t need to fear them if we stick together if we choose to do what we love and keep a focus on balance and the middle way.

The Art Of Adaptation:  There is safety in numbers.  Wake up.

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Troubles In Term-ing

September 30, 2012 — Leave a comment

One of my greatest struggles in the past year has been trying to find what many describe as work-life balance.  Matthew Kelly would argue the reason for this is because the term “work-life balance” is fundamentally flawed.

The term suggests that work is stressful and has to be balanced by life outside of it for us to be happy.  In reality the two are woven together and cannot be separated.  If you are unhappy at work it is almost impossible to leave it there and not be mentally and physically affected.  The same goes if you are unhappy with life outside of work,  it is hard to focus on work when your mind isn’t there.

After unsuccessfully achieving a work-life balance in this past year I came to the same conclusion that Mr. Kelly realized.  People don’t want a work-life balance, we want satisfaction.

Satisfaction means different things to different people.  Regardless of whatever ratio of work-life you desire people want to be happy.  This means you could be a doctor who works 80 hours a week and have hardly any social life and be just as happy as the part-time call center employee who gets to spend her days with her new baby and family.

I would agree with Matthew Kelly on another point, that it is hard to nail down exactly what the details of “satisfaction” actually are.  He suggests that what will guarantee satisfaction and success in life is if we try to be the best possible version of us that we can be.  If we are continually striving for self-improvement each day it will add up in the long run.

I would suggest forgetting the details!  Have a plan for your life but don’t stress over it.  I try to ask myself at every decision, “Will this make me a better version of myself?”  If you are answer yes more than no, you’re well on your way.

The Art Of Adaptation:  A jug fills up drop by drop… but it empties in the same way.

 

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Lessons On Cover Letters

September 16, 2012 — Leave a comment

 

Cover letters are an annoying but essential tool in securing a job in today’s job market.

 
I’ve worked hard to perfect mine.  Can’t say they look much like the one here…  I hate writing them but truth be told for every job out there, there are people who have resumes that look very similar or even better than yours.  If the layout isn’t better the content and experience could be.

The cover letter may be your only chance to be an individual.  To show who you really are.  To outline what it is that makes you different and more suitable than the other 500 zillion other grads and experienced professionals.

Here is an outline of a cover letter that should only serve as a skeleton, much effort is needed to make this a unique piece:

Date

September 15, 2012
Employer Contact Information
Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State/Province, Zip/Postal Code

Salutation

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

First Paragraph:
The first paragraph of your cover letter should include information on the position you are applying for, including the job title.  If it is an online competition you may want to include the competition number in brackets after the position.

Middle Paragraph(s):
The next section of your cover letter should describe what you have to offer the employer.  Mention why you are qualified for the job and how your skills and experience are a match for the position for which you are applying.

Final Paragraph:
Conclude your cover letter by thanking the employer for considering you for the position. Include information on how you will follow-up.

Closing:

Sincerely yours,

Signature:

Typed Signature

-End-

*Note:  There is no standard for what a cover letter must be.  You may choose to scrap this all together and just do you.  If you have no creativity by all means copy and paste, it would be better than nothing.  In all honesty the only “Correct” cover letter is one that gets you a job!

How do you set yourself apart from other people?  What do you focus on when writing cover letters that you believe helps?

The Art Of Adaptation:  Little details go a long way.

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Make Sales By Looking At A Mailbox

September 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

Many sales people would argue that you can tell a lot about people from very subtle and odd cues. Such as how they groom themselves, their posture, the value of their material possessions. This may not be always true but these things are often used as indicators and profiling tools for sales people.

Today as I helped a friend hand out flyers for a business event he is hosting. I was getting a little bored with the door-to-door repetition after my iPod containing my Foo Fighters collection died! My brain, not being distracted, began to analyze things around all the homes, especially the mailbox. I thought about the following: Is the mail box wood, metal, large, small, squeaky, lubed up, new, old, filled with mail, clean as a whistle? Are there any signs saying no soliciting or any box at all?

I concluded that in most cases the size of the mail box and what it was made of is relative to family or personal income. I found that the lower-income housing would have smaller, sometimes plastic, mailboxes where as the more extravagant homes would have large, metal mailboxes.

The lower-income housing areas would have mail boxes that were often old and squeaky. They were not well taken care of. The more extravagant homes had mail boxes that were quieter than church mice and the lids were very heavy.

Areas with smaller mail boxes also had a higher percentage of them that were stuffed with flyers and filled with old newspapers regardless of the many, “no solicitation” signs clearly noticeable… and ignored. The larger the box the less mail. No really. It wasn’t a matter of more available volume but a mystery about why the boxes with no signs also had no junk mail. Could it be that pizza companies, McDonalds, Tim Horton and other companies catering to low-income families target these households more aggressively?

After noticing all of this I thought to my self, “Does any of this matter or am I wasting my time?”

Of course it matters! You can tell a lot from the things people own. For a sales person this is one more tactic to add to your profiling repertoire. Door-to-door flyers are a fairly ineffective way of getting a message out there. At least for today. As sales people we need every tactic available if we are going to increase our chances of a sale.

From a sales perspective what are the most effective ways to analyze and profile a prospect? Leave your answers in the comments section.

The Art Of Adaptation: Attention to detail is key.

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