Learning to Make Your Own Cookies

Not long ago there was a reprinted Peanuts cartoon in the newspaper. One of the kids asks "What do you do when you feel that life is treating you unfairly?" Snoopy responds "Learn to bake your own cookies."

There's a lot of truth in that.

Baking cookies can be categorized as part engaging activity, part comfort food, and part distraction from the troubles of life. We all need engaging and distracting activities to keep our lives balanced. If we get food out of the deal, that's just a bonus.

When we take the time to stop and consider it, life is a continuing series of actions and reactions, constantly intertwining and affecting each other. When we don't stop to think about it--when we let the events of life begin to overwhelm us--we begin to view things as "me against the world."

When we start down that path, we begin to see life as a series of events that happen to us rather than a set of things we can influence and control.

When the world comes crushing down (when life treats you unfairly), the solution is a little perspective. Taking time to bake cookies might be just what you need. Or gardening, or reading, or any other "puttering" activity.

When you pick an activity, remember that it must be engaging and distracting. It should be something that keeps you from focusing on the problems and worries of life. Doing one kind of work to keep yourself from focusing on another kind of work is not the answer. You need to do non-work in order to keep yourself from focusing on any work.

It's fine if your work is also your hobby. You're lucky if that's the case. But you still need something else to do to when the worries of work start to grow too large.

Exercise is a great distraction. Running, bicycling, lifting weights, aerobics, swimming, or whatever you enjoy. In addition to helping you get some perspective on life, it will help you live longer! Even non-aerobic exercise is proving to be extremely beneficial for your health. You don't have to be a world-class athlete to get benefits from exercise. You just have to do something.

Comfort Food. And let's not forget the final element of baking cookies (or whatever distraction you choose): comforting yourself. If you hang around new parents you may hear them discussing whether a child has discovered a way to "comfort himself." Very often this means thumb-sucking or some other very simple activity.

When a baby learns to comfort himself, then he can calm himself and go back to sleep after being startled or waking up and realizing that he's alone. This is a wonderful skill.
Unfortunately, many of us seem to have lost the skill of comforting ourselves as we get older. Sometimes we just never try. We ignore or avoid uncomfortable situations.

At other times we simply react to the situation at hand without thinking about it. We're frustrated, so we respond with frustration. We think the service is bad and we respond with anger. Traffic is tied up and we respond with rage.

The traits of self control and "think before you speak" seem to have been lost by modern society. We're always going and never stopping. We need to give ourselves that minute to think.

We need to feel comfortable slowing down and taking in life.

"Unfortunately,
many of us seem to have lost the skill of comforting ourselves . . ."

We need to slow down just enough to process things and decide how to react. That way we participate in life rather than merely react to it. Slowing down and processing events are habits that need to be cultivated.

Start today. Take a few minutes to spend quiet time thinking about how you react to the world--especially when you feel a great deal of pressure. Do you react the way you'd like to? If not, why not?

Work slowly. Don't worry. You don't need to be perfect (soon or ever). But the process of working on yourself automatically makes you happier and more in control. It's like making your own cookies.

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For more essays along these lines, visit www.relaxfocussucceed.com.

SMB Consulting Best Practices

Recently I wandered off to Europe and had a good time.

While I was traveling, I finally finished Beatrice Mulzer's latest book -- Making It Big in Small Business.

If you want some great "best practices" for running an SMB consulting business, and growing it, then you should read this book. I couldn't put it down! See my vacation photos.

I was most impressed with the lists of what the most successful consultants read and do. There are some real consistencies. Who are their mentors? Who are their heroes? What do they do about marketing and partnering? How did they form their businesses? How did they grow their businesses?

You can buy Beatrice's book at http://www.smbnation.com/Default.aspx?TabId=24.

Of course I marked up my copy all over the place, so now I gotta go back and figure out what to do with all those notes.

Great job, Bea.

Amy Luby's great workshop coming to SMB Nation East

There's no link on the Mobilize SMB web site (http://www.mobilizesmb.com), but I begged Amy and she sent me the link so you can register for FREE to see her workshop on May 4th in New York (just before SMB Nation East).

Go to http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=108668 to register. In the comments section mention fishing lures.

Should be a great turnout!

See you there.

Discount for SMB Nation New York

Just in case you don't subscribe to Happy Fun Boy's blog: Shame on you!

See http://happyfunboy.blogspot.com/2006/04/this-just-in.html where you'll find out about a $50 dicount for SMB Nation New York!

It appears all you have to do is to enter the promo code community when you register.

Pass it on and we'll see you in New York.


/ Karl W. Palachuk, M.A., MCSE KPEnterprises Business Consulting, Inc. A Microsoft Certified Partner
and Small Business Specialist mailto:karlp@kpenterprises.com Phone 916-928-0888 www.kpenterprises.com\==> Think Storage Area Networks aren't right the SMB market?
==> Ask me about the SAN Primer for SMB!
==> Or visit www.greatlittlebook.com

Don't forget the donuts!

Customer service comes in many guises.

In one of his best books Harry Brelsford recommends throwing a party for the client after their SBS install. We don't do that, but . . .

When we have a major project such as an SBS cut-over to a new server, our service manager always shows up with a box of donuts. It's amazing how much impact this can have. It gives people a sense that "something's going on." Diet or no diet, everyone sneeks in and has a donut.

And here's the proof that this is important. Last week I asked a client (18 desktops, four remote) how their move to a new SBS server went. She said, "It was very smooth. Customer service was excellent. They brought in donuts and . . .."

Weird, isn't it? You take a potentially stressful situation, add some carbohydrates, and everyone's attitude changes. Of course you still have to provide excellent service and follow-through.

But a dozen donuts can go a long way!