It is always considered the worst part of sales, for all but the definitive pro, who understands the enormous power of such a strategy.

It is the lifeblood of any non-branded, under advertised product or service business. Without a brand or an ad program to drive business to you, there is no magnet, no incoming pursuit, thus, no marketing and no growth; just a few, new sales.

The only remaining program that works then is the ‘go out and get them’ program. It’s pro-active. Go out and get them, bring them back alive.

What’s the problem with this? Why is it disliked and done as a last resort? There are lots of rejection and little acceptance. But realize that every new customer gained is new life blood and a customer you may have never gotten without such an effort. As well, if done effectively, the cost of acquisition is quite reasonable.

So clearly, business that comes to you via word of mouth is very valuable, but seldom enough. Business that comes from referrals is also very valuable but also seldom enough. Repeat business, a terrific source of revenue and a true indication of success is good but never enough. New business is the key to growth and development and direct cold calling is where the rubber meets the road. Old school, yes, but it works in the hands of the right salesperson.

First, it requires training. The 30-second lead in, the elevator speech, is critical for success as you have about that long to attract attention and get into the sales pitch. It must be developed and be delivered naturally and effectively. Create one; train your men to use it.

It is hard work, thus, there needs to be preparation, daily, before anyone launches into a cold call implementation:

1. It is best if there can be some profiling, information about the target that either arms you to know more about them and, thus, create a conversation that makes sense to the recipient or perhaps even qualifies them slightly so the hit rate increases.

However, a blind call works fine.

2. There is always something to be gained from every call. Even if the gate keeper prevents access to the bona fide decision maker, you may get the email address and, thus, be able to follow up; you may gain critical information to determine whether or not this may become a bona fide lead. Do not waste the time and effort, get what you can out of each call, store the information. It is true that it may require many passes before a potential client becomes a purchasing client, do not waste the effort, you are now one call closer to success. Gain as much information as you can even if not speaking with the decision maker. Use a sales data base program like Act.

3. Have a mailer, e-mailer, and faxed item ready and use them once you have made contact. Have a ‘thank you for your time” note for the person you spoke with as you may speak with him/her again. Make a positive impression, your next call will not be so cold.

4. Do not make stuff up, and tell the gatekeeper he was expecting the call, or wants this information. Be truthful always.

5. Call and call again. It’s a matter of numbers, make enough calls and you will get results, make too few calls and you will not get fewer results you may get no results at all.

6. Every person willing to continue the discussion is a sale waiting to happen; it is a gold nugget, waiting to be farmed. Your job is to cultivate and pick. Be patient, it takes many calls.

7. If you reach a decision maker set up specific actions, such as call backs, mailing of information, whatever is appropriate; do it precisely as committed. This creates credibility and reliability and, thus, improves your chance to close. Building trust is a pre-requisite to creating sales.

8. Every week’s schedule should include some meaningful cold calling. It creates new business, the lifeblood of growth, development and success.

9. There must be overview, and record keeping. Because of the challenge, a direct call program must be managed and watched over and information as to how many calls made and how many decision makers reached and how many responses, etc., and eventually how many sales or appointments. This information is critical for two reasons, it creates manageable benchmarks, key indicators to determine ongoing success, and it helps the men achieve personal success in a tough program, by helping them hold their edge.

Cold calls are the king of getting new business if done effectively and managed properly. The best part of it is that it does not require a superstar; an average sales person can achieve success in such a program.

Make cold calling a part of your marketing plan. In this down economy, it is a critical component.

Not everyone can do it, but then not everyone can be a salesman. It does not take skill; it only takes perseverance and follow through. It can be done successfully with guidance, direction, commitment and tenacity.

Sometimes you have to go through numerous experiences to get the desired result. We are very happy with the current placement of our youngest daughter. It happens to be the same place where we adopted our oldest daughter. Therefore, they understand what it takes to deal with reactive attachment disorder, as well as offering the best services they can to families.

We had a fine meeting with our clinician and our daughter. She asked pertinent questions regarding her past, how things are within the household, the medications she currently takes, what her typical behaviors consist of when she’s out of control, and what we would like to see happen when she returns home. They handed up paperwork for the services they want set up before she returns home- including possible respite care for us as parents.

Our youngest daughter experienced other children and their temper tantrums at this placement so far. They make her feel scared and uncomfortable. For the first time I believe she really understands the impact her tantrums make on all three of us. She wants to come home right now- which tends to be typical of all of her treatment stays. We want her to think though about what solutions she’s willing to stick with if she does act of control in our home again.

We are aware that there is some of this that relates to personality and other components that relate purely to power, control and choice. I’m all for her having a successful, happy and healthy life. We do enjoy her being around when she’s in a relaxing state of mind- not so skittish or hyper sensitive to her surroundings. I think for the first time in a long time we had a productive conversation without her retreating to the corner and acting as if there are no issues to tackle within her life.

The bottom line when it comes to mental health issues? Never give up. If you aren’t happy with the way things are going, seek out the best help and the right help. We know that involving certain parties would not be beneficial to our daughters and may send out a wrong message to them. If something doesn’t work the first time or the tenth time, don’t be afraid to go at it from a different angle. Many people do not understand the community services at their disposal depending on their insurance capabilities.

The longer ride to have her get the best care in our opinion is well worth it. We are willing to go miles out of our way if in the long run we are able to have happier, healthier and stronger children. We’ve been learning when we are overwhelmed and need to have outside help step in. We also know when to take a break for ourselves and pursue our own interests that will then refuel our passion and desire to live and breathe.

You can repair relationships- you just need to know at what pace you can go with the relationship. The bottom line- never give up. There’s always a way above, around, under or in between. Humans are resilient, we have a bounce back factor (thank to John Calipari for this insight out of his new book of the same name, Bounce Back) and our recovery capacity can be quite quick and give us an even stronger life as a result. Share with others your experiences, ask them for their thoughts and see what directional changes you can make for a stronger life and a stronger family.

Being able to handle defensive pressure is key to the success of any team.  I firmly believe that in order to handle this pressure, you must be comfortable with the basketball.  Being comfortable with the ball while dribbling and in the triple threat will allow you to see the floor rather than worry about what you are doing with the basketball.  Improving you handle will go a long way in how you deal with any type of defensive pressure.

Along with developing your handle, the ability to use a bounce back is crucial for creating space.  To execute a bounce back, get sideways and “bounce back” away from the defense.  Keep your chin on your front shoulder so you can see the entire floor, push off your front foot and reach with your back foot.  It is important that you stay low and use long low strides.  Standing upright and “hopping” back is too slow.  Lastly, dribble the ball behind your back foot, therefore making sure the ball is protected from the defender.

There are four situations where you to use your bounce back:

1.  Full Court 1 on 1 – The defender is running along side you or cuts you off while you are advancing the ball up the floor, bounce back to create space.  When the defense tries to recover attack their high foot and blow by them.

2.  Full Court Trap – Two defenders have attempted to put a trap on you while you are advancing the ball.  Rather than dribbling into the trap and/or picking up your dribble, bounce back and create space so you can see the floor.  Remember, if two players are guarding you it means one of you teammates is not being guarded.

3.  Ball Reversal of Penetration – In a half court setting you try to penetrate to the hoop, but get cut off by the defense.  Again, rather than picking up your dribble and eliminating your passing options use your bounce back to get to the perimeter where you can initiate a ball reversal.

4.  Stalling at the end of a quarter or half – While stalling for one shot or trying to kill some clock with a lead get you defender moving and then bounce back to create space and initiate a new 5 second count.

Research has shown that resilience is the most important quality you can instill in your children to help them cope with bullying. If you were asked what you wanted in life for your kids, you might say happiness, success in school, close friendship, a loving family, and eventually a gratifying career. Although you can’t give your kids all these things, you can help them develop the trait that is the key to attaining them: Resilience!

Countless studies have shown that resilience – having the inner strength to cope with any challenge – is crucial for children who face severe adversity. But in our fast-paced, stressful world, all kids need the capacity to overcome obstacles and deal with disappointments – whether in school, on the soccer field, or at the playground.

Assertiveness, Confidence and Resilience are three characteristics that are different, however they do overlap.  Being assertive is about saying what you think, feel and want in a confident way.  It means expressing what you want without shouting, being angry or putting others down.  It is about respecting the rights of others while standing up for your own.  The easiest way to describe Resilience is ‘bounce-back-ability’ – the capacity to come back from adversity and use it to your advantage.

Create for yourself a magical and special day.

Cheers

Debbie, Kathy and the Team at

Life Skills Programs

http://www.lifeskillsprograms.com.au

Photo

quyenlan:
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=446

Forgive me for I have sinned….its been 2 weeks since my last blog entry and whilst I am aware that you are not all out there hanging on my every word (far from it – I’m hoping you all have more important things to do) I am also aware that this means that I have been hibernating a little again and thats not good for me!

What has happened since we last spoke…well to be totally honest, darkness descended a little on my bouncy bubbly world. I tell you this because it might be a common misconception that coaches and trainers in resilience and emotional intelligence do not get dark days.  They are so good at coaching themselves and setting a great example to the rest of humanity that they are always glowing bubbles of sunshine for others to emulate and when darkness descends they bounce back immediately! In fact, I meet many many coaches who struggle to apply their wonderful warmth, supportiveness and respect to themselves in the way they do to their clients – and this doesn’t make them bad coaches!  I believe that much of the wisdom of coaching comes from not from being strong and perfect and wise – but from failing and recovering and living and noticing what happens as you cross this journey. The skill is in understanding and accepting your own journey and using this insight along with the ramshackle set of diagnostic and theoretical tools you carry with you, to help others to understand their own journeys and accept their progress within these.

My journey this week has helped me to remember some things I had got to close to forgetting – forgive my slip into my usual world of peculiar metaphors as I share them :

• If you constantly stare at the top of the mountain you will trip over every little thing on your path towards it and you will not notice your own progress to the top.  The people standing at the top did not fly there…they walked the same distance as you and probably still remember what it was like!!
• People do not only want to talk to the people standing at the top….in fact those people are sometimes a little too scary to talk to! You are inspiring because you are walking your journey…and anyone who wishes to find their own journey will find that more inspiring than you can possibly know.  Remember when you weren’t walking the right way for your journey and someone two steps ahead of you pointed it out – you remember that person every day and quote them often.
• You will not reach the top of the mountain this evening before supper! Even if you walk all night you will simply suffer more blisters and twigs poked in the eye!! If you want to call that failure then feel free – it is your choice! Maybe you will consider the idea that getting through the woods and out the other side before supper is good progress and enables you to see the top more clearly…and you might even have the energy to enjoy the view en route!
• Its much much more fun walking with someone else to talk to than it is walking on your own.  Thankyou to the people I have walked with this week.  You have helped me remember that I do know which way I’m going…and I am getting there

Next time you are assessing your progress against people four years ahead of you STOP…its a big mountain – enjoy the climb and let the view take care of itself!!

You are a tennis ball

Where do you think your main source of strength is my beloved? Is it in the education you have had all these years? Or is it in the people you know? Or is it in the way you speak or act or treat others?

Though it is true that we all draw our strengths from the things mentioned above, there is still one more major virtue which when kindled would be a shield to you in trying times and adversity. All the successful men and women, since the inception of this world, have invariably possessed this virtue  and invariably succeeded!

It is the virtue of “Bouncing back” and giving a come back every time you get knocked down. It is that virtue which recognizes the tough times, but simultaneously makes you equally tough for the tough times itself. When others say that you are down permanently, have fallen like a hippopotamus, you get up instantly like a horse with this virtue.

You are not a snowball to get smashed on the walls of testing times, but a tennis ball that quickly and with much velocity comes back on to the right track.

Getting to your success, in one way, is like climbing a pole which has many markings on it which indicates different levels of your success. You may be in the mid way toward the next success level or almost there. But these tying times or hard times are like oil poured on to the pole. They will make your grip to slip. Many go along with the slippery nature of the now oily pole, but don’t you give a dime to these unfavorable situations.

Just keep on pushing yourself to the next level… and the next one and still one more… till you think that you have reached a level that’s enough for you, for success can be a continuous journey comprising many stations, or you could choose to stop at a certain level or station, and maintain there if you don’t want to go any higher or any farther!

Difficult times are not some thing alien to success but a long-time companion to success along with good times and accomplishments. When you have come through all that this life put on your way to test and see how you fare, you’ll soon notice everywhere the signs of success that echoes your name!

Your alliance with resilience will give you the brilliance to defeat anything that could rise against you in this short-lived life.

Keep on bouncing back for your name will be announced from the short list of successful men and women.

—–

(“And that ain’t you!, you are better than that!!”)

Wish you all the riches to come with God’s blessings

Peter Anand

It sucks that we lost our homecoming game, but the best we can do is look at the positive and smile and look at the negatives as opportunities to be better.
Congratulations to Crystal for winning  Homecoming Queen, she truly did deserve it. Great job to all the football players, who tried their hardest to win this game and did not give up until the last second. Great job to the people, who never played on the field but without them the game would not be the same. I want to thank my family for coming to the game and supporting my brother.
I hope that as a team we are able to get back up from this lost, and just bounce back with 10x more power than what we had today and come back to do our best in the next game.

Kentuckysports.com reports that Calipari will be in New York for a book-signing of his latest book, Bounce Back, on Thursday and plans to visit the World Trade Center site afterward.  Proceeds from the book will go to the September 11 Memorial and Museum.

“Knowing that I will be signing books in a store adjacent to the World Trade Center site on the eve of 9/11 moved my wife, Ellen, and I to make this donation in hopes of honoring those who lost their lives on that solemn day eight years ago,” said Calipari.

For many companies, experiencing the recession involves hanging on in survival mode — dumping costs, squeezing bucks out of working capital, and praying for an economic turnaround to rescue them in 2010. But since business is all about maximizing opportunities, even companies that continue to thrive are pushing hard to make sure they’ll take full advantage of a bounce-back.

In many cases the effort consists of forging ahead with new products, services, and pricing in a time when controls on corporate costs will continue to be tight, regardless of improving fiscal health. Recent interviews with senior finance executives at three companies — Hughes Communications, McAfee Inc., and Sabrix Inc. — revealed a strong bent toward adapting their offerings to customers’ shifting buying preferences.

Link to article:

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14065855

According to the Bank of Montreal, BC is likely to have an easy bounce back after a hard 2009:

British Columbia Hard-Hit by Recession, but Above-Average Recovery on tap for 2010

British Columbia has been among the hardest-hit provinces during this recession, as what started out as forestry-specific downturn eventually spread to the construction, energy and consumer sectors, according to the Provincial Outlook report from BMO Capital Markets Economics.

“Real GDP will likely contract 2.5 per cent this year, with the prospects for recovery pointing to a slightly above-average 2.0 per cent advance in 2010,” said Robert Kavcic, Economist, BMO Capital Markets.

While housing markets in Canada and the U.S. are showing signs of stabilizing, a significant rebound in construction activity is not expected in the coming year, largely because of overbuilding during the last cycle. “Housing starts in the province have plunged to levels last seen at the depths of the downturns in the early 1980s and late 1990s, and while sales have rebounded smartly thanks to improved affordability, further cooling by the autumn is expected,” noted Kavcic.

Compounded by a weak U.S. housing market, the forestry sector will remain under intense pressure. Meantime, low natural gas prices threaten to weigh on activity in the energy sector despite an improved relative cost versus Alberta. Indeed, the Province increased the amount of royalty credits given out to natural gas producers (to build roads and infrastructure) by 20 per cent to $120 million in 2009.

The impact of the broad-based recession has also been felt in B.C.’s labour market, where employment was down 2.5 per cent year-over-year through May – among the worst declines in Canada. While construction employment has seen the sharpest declines, down about 17 per cent from its peak, service sector employment has stalled. “The 2010 Olympics should provide a boost to the labour market and retail sales activity, but the strength will likely prove short-lived,” according to Kavcic. “Indeed, most of the Olympics-related construction activity is already at or near completion.”

The British Columbia government is forecasting a $495 million deficit for fiscal 2009/10 – its first foray into the red in six years after it amended its balanced budget law. The Province will provide economic support through infrastructure spending in a three-year, $20 billion investment plan targeting transit, roads, schools and hospitals. A revised post-election budget is expected on September 1, and a significant upward revision to the deficit forecast is possible.

Comment about this post

Residents in Hedon have been encouraged to support their local shops and services for some time now through a local poster campaign. However, the campaign to support local traders has received a boost through the Hull Mail’s Bounce Back initiative.

The campaign launched recently by the Mail urges residents to spend their cash in the areas that they live and work:

Buying fruit, vegetables, meat and other food produced in East Yorkshire boosts the local economy by keeping money in the area. It also benefits local food producers so they can then spend the extra income they earn on other goods and services from across the region.

The closure of local shops would force many residents to have to travel further afield for household supplies; it would limit the choice for local shoppers. The reduced local competition may encourage remaining suppliers to inflate their prices.

However can you afford to shop locally? There is a very real problem for some people  in shopping locally and more ethically – the money available in the average pocket has been reduced during the recession and most people are looking for cheaper shopping. The internet in particular has allowed people to shop more cheaply from major out-of-town supermarkets.

Significantly, those on benefits have very little real choice about how and where they shop. In this regard it is heartening to see that the Bounce Back campaign is pledging to ensure people in Hull and the East Riding gain more information and advice about the benefits they are entitled to during the recession and how to claim them. By claiming the benefits that they are entitled too people can boost their personal incomes which in turn could boost local spending power. In the meanwhile, perhaps local traders might want to consider initiatives which would encourage more local shoppers such as residents’ discount schemes?

Buying locally may not be the answer to the recession but perhaps can help alleviate some of its local effects. It may also help to build a local solidarity spirit with people pulling together to help themselves and each other.

What do readers think?

Okay Katie here you go.

The other day I was at a local park setting up for a senior adult picnic.  I was with Fred, our church’s “do it all” guy.  At one point Fred and I were setting up a table when my attention was drawn to a rustling in the top of a nearby tree.

I looked up just in time to see this squirrel slipping.  The tree was incredibly tall.  I hesitate to guess how high, but my neck hurt when I looked up to see where the squirrel slipped.  But slip he did, and hung there by his little claws for just a second before he dropped.

Whether he gave up hope and embraced his doom, or resisted the fall until his grasp gave way I do not know.  But he fell.  I do not know if he faced up, and watched the cursed branch grow smaller and smaller or turned in air to see the wide expanse of green rush toward him.  He fell for what to me seemed like an eternity. 

I held my breath.  There was a slight breeze, but he fell straight down, and no cry of fear escaped his little grey mouth.  I watched him drop, and the scene slowed as I mourned his demise.  As with all surreal experiences, reality returned with little to no warning.  With a rush of wind and sound he made sudden impact.  The “whack” was surprisingly loud for such a small beast.

And then I learned something I never knew.  No science or biology class in high school or college prepared me for this truth. 

Squirrels bounce.

He must have bounced 8 inches. When he returned to the ground once more, rather than lie there as I expected, he surprised me once more.  That squirrel scampered to the base of the nearest tree and disappeared around the back.  I was astonished.  I can only imagine the shock his fall must have caused him.  But now he and I knew one truth without doubt.  He could take a  horrific fall and bounce back in impressive form.

What about you?  Have you ever sustained a shocking fall?  Maybe you sabatoged yourself for whatever reason, and let your life crumble around you.  You drank too much.  You stopped studying.  You stopped taking your medication, or ate your way into poor health.  Maybe you ended a relationship you should have protected, or pursued one you should have avoided.  Was it because of fear?  Was it that you were selfish or lazy?  Did the depression you war with overtake you when you just thought you were seeing daylight?

Perhaps your fall was not self inflicted.  Maybe you lost your job because of the struggling economy.  Maybe you found out you had a serious health problem, or someone you loved suddenly grew ill.  Did someone you trusted betray you?  Was a lie told that harmed your reputation? 

In either case there comes a moment when we must make a choice.  In most cases that moment comes at impact.  This is that time when reality “hits you”, and you clearly see your situation for what it is.  Do you give in to the shock and let the severity of the situation suffocate any hope of fighting back?  Or, do you bounce back?  Do you make that determined decision to not be done in by the fall. 

The truth of God’s Word in all cases is our key to victory.  Nothing can seperate us from the love of God.  No failure can damage us beyond His ability to restore.  No outside force can take away His promise of hope and security.  Don’t give up on yourself, God hasn’t.  

Isaiah 40:30-31 (New International Version)

30 “Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.”

They will bounce like squirrels who could not fly.  May you bounce and scamper every time you fall.

Hello, good afternoon!

Some of you may, or may not know that each month we send out a mailer to all our lovely clients to tell them about our Artist of the Month.  Making the mailout and hearing the lovely responses is by far the best part… unfortunately, like any mailout, we have to (well, actually our admin monkey Michaela has to do it!) trawl through all the bounce backs, out of offices and unsubscribes.  BORING!! – or is it?

Lately, we’ve been seeing some really hilarious automatic responses which we’d like to share with you – because if they made us laugh out loud, we’re certain they’ll make you too!!

I will be out of the office starting 03/03/2009 and will not return until 30/03/2009.

Sorry, but I am away from the office. If you have a special deal on Viagra could you please send an email to the Florida retirement home: http://www.floridaondisplay.com/ If you are sending me a virus under the title “yourbankdetails.doc” I appreciate the offer and its really clever but maybe you should spend less time in an internet café on the Tijuna boarder. If you are a “barrister” who has come across some funds in Africa and need my credit details then I will provide them to you if you can tell me a word that rhymes with Orange and send me a 19 page document as to how you chose the burgundy wood to frame your ‘degree’ in gullibility and what material your ‘real’ Gucci suit is made of. For all other details please contact the front desk using the code word “Hello” on 0207 4949120 or email Wing Wing (her AC/DC track is mind blowing) who was recommended to me by the great Shui Kay Kan: http://www.wingmusic.co.nz

And most recently:

I will be out of the office starting 10/04/2009 and will not return until 23/04/2009.

I’m on holiday in Dubai. Please don’t burgle my house when I’m away. I’ve just had new windows fitted, which has left me quite out of pocket & I’m quite attached to the meagre possessions I own. If you really feel the urge to do some pillaging in the NW10 area, next-door-but-one own a bigger flat screen telly and judging by the size of their 5 Series BMW, they can afford to replace it. Come to think of it, their cat makes a terrible mess of my garden, so you’d be doing me a big favour if you stole it while you’re there. I believe it answers to the name “Satan”.

Now that my neighbour’s greater suitability for a profitable spot of pilfering has been established, if your enquiry is related to something other than larceny, please contact _ until I return. Thank you.

The above were provided by our friends Matthew Keon at Fallon and Richard McGrann at BBH.  So, thank you both very much!!!

We’d love to read more, so if anyone has some more examples – post them on the blog!!!

According to an article in today’s USA Today, one out of four unemployed Americans are considering starting their own business (source careerbuilder.com poll).   In March there were 663,000 new unemployment claims according to the bureau of labor statistics, which leads us to the obvious assumption that around 16,000 of those people are hanging out their own shingle or looking to partner up with others who are without an employer.  This figure cuts straight to a picture of who we are as Americans, what makes us bounce back, what keeps the wheels turning and makes our economy rise from the ashes each and every time we get hit hard.

In the wake of the crash of 1929, companies were started that are today undeniable household names. Brands like:

• Warner Bros. and 20^th Century Fox
• Westin, Ritz-Carlton and Star-wood hotels.
• Texas Instruments and Hewlett-Packard
• Shell Oil and Bridgestone
• Tyson Foods and Fritos
• Zippo Lighters
• Fischer-price and Legos
• Marvel and DC Comics

These depression era “start-ups” exist today, because smart and creative people saw a need for entertainment, a market for innovation, and had the courage to follow their instincts and take advantage of opportunity. 

In the 1970’s OPEC control lead to high oil, then food prices.  Anyone remember Mary Richards looking at the price of beef before throwing it in her cart during the opening credits of the Mary Tyler Moore Show?   Efforts to keep salaries up with prices created inflation then a recession that barely recovered before a second dip in the early 80’s.  Editorial pages had horror stories of senior citizens eating cat food and complete collapse of American manufacturing.  Yet once again, in the face of these dark days and predictions of never ending doom, we witnessed entrepreneurs usher in the birth of the personal computer, fiber optics, home video and the entire information economy of the 1990’s.   

There is no question that times are tough, economists do not seem to have any clear agreement on how deep or long the current downturn will be, or even if previous recessions are any indicator of how the current economy will behave.  The USA today poll gives us a clear indicator of the cycle beginning again.  Creative people will create.  Enterprising people will work. If no one is there to employ them, they will employ themselves and eventually others.  These are the people who will rise from the current drought, breaking the cracks in the hard soil with new ideas, innovative companies and tomorrow’s industries.  Are you one of them?

Upon first losing your job, you can expect to experience an onslaught of emotions similar to the stages of grief. According to AARP, in fact, many people will feel (not necessarily in this order):

• Shock
• Denial
• Anger

Fear and depression are also common, but ultimately you’ll move toward the feeling of acceptance, which is the mindset you need to be able to move onward and upward.

“The classic advice after a layoff is to avoid rushing into a new job and to take time evaluating your options,” Emily Hause, an assistant psychology professor of industrial psychology at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., tells AARP. “But, given the economic climate and the magnitude of layoffs, you’ll want to get to Stage 5 [acceptance] as soon as you can.”

So how can you get to this point?

Eight Tips to Bounce Back

1. Manage your fears. One of the biggest hindrances to job seekers is fear, fear of your financial situation, fear of failing, and so on. Falling into this mindset can do major damage to your self-esteem — the last thing you need when you’re looking for work. To help manage your fears, let go of your negative thoughts and instead focus on all you have to offer.

1. Take time to regroup. Immediately after a layoff, take a day or two to let it sink in before you develop your plan of action. Your body and mind need time to absorb the shock and begin the transition.

1. Don’t take it personally. According to University of Washington psychologist Jonathon Brown, if you lack self-esteem you may over-generalize your failures and conclude that you are less competent than others. However, the best way to build your self-esteem is to pick yourself up after you have fallen down. So if you’ve been laid off, embrace it. Turn your job loss into a positive by figuring out where you went wrong, then applying what you learned to your next endeavor.

1. Resist the urge to sleep in. Lingering in bed to watch daytime talk shows will not do wonders for your morale. Instead, get up in the morning as you normally would, take a brisk walk or do some stretching (if you’ve got 15 minutes, you can do Jacques Gauthier’s highly recommended Stretching Toward a Healthier Life DVD), then get ready to make the most of your day.

1. Update your resume and possibly your skills. If it’s been awhile since you’ve been in the market for a job, make sure your resume is up to date. You may also need to enroll in some continuing education courses or seminars to give yourself an edge over the competition.

1. Become a standout in your industry. “To establish this kind of credibility and enhance your network of contacts, consider joining a professional organization, publishing a blog relevant to your career goals, or offering your expertise to the media. In turn, you’ll enhance your brand, which will have a long-lasting impact on your future career success,” Selena Dehne, a career writer for JIST Publishing, suggests on CareerBuilder.com.

1. Stay active. This refers to both on a career front, such as attending career fairs and networking events, and also on a personal level. Regular exercise and activities such as volunteering will help keep your mental energy at its peak.

1. Consider starting your own business. For many becoming an entrepreneur turns out to be more steady, more secure and wildly more rewarding than working for someone else.

First leak(s) off Grandmaster Flash’s upcoming album, The Bridge. His first album in 20 years! I was waiting for a track to check out from this. I’m digging the Busta cut. The bonus however… I am not. And it’s not even a bad song. The vibe is straight, but it just feels like a desperate attempt to grab the younger audience. Something a legend in the game shouldn’t have to do.

DOWNLOAD: Grandmaster Flash – Bounce Back f. Busta Rhymes | Mediafire
BONUS: Grandmaster Flash – Swagger f. Red Cafe, Snoop Dogg & Lynn Carter | Mediafire

In Kevin Sheedy’s book Stand Your Ground his old coach, Tom Hafey wrote the Forward. He explained that Kevin realised that sport could offer him so many opportunities but they would only be realised if he worked not just as hard as anyone else but harder. This need to work harder was because Kevin did not have the same natural skills as most of his team mates and opponents. Thanks to my parents’ hard work me and many like me in Australia and other wealthy countries have been given a opportunity to live a wonderful, happy comfortable life. The downside of this great gift is not experiencing the hard work that went into creating it and therefore potentially not valuing it as much as it should be valued.

In earlier articles I discussed surveys that found we are not happier today than in previous times despite having increased wealth and material goods. Perhaps one of the reasons is that many of us have not experienced the happiness that hard work can bring. This does seem weird but when I look back on the moments that have given me most satisfaction, they are the moments that were the results of hard work. They are events like getting through university, sealing work deals, running good times and winning races.

There is evidence that hard work can lead to a happier life. The next question is how to get motivated to do hard work. The following is a six step guide to get motivated to start the hard work and to keep it going during the tough times.

1. Set a Goal: This stems from the Stephen Covey principle of starting with the end in mind. To test the benefit of this principle start with something simple. When you are having breakfast tomorrow morning think of one goal that you want to achieve during the day. As with all goals make this one a SMERT goal. Be Specific about what you want to achieve. Make sure that the goal can be Measured. Check that the goal excites your Emotions (when you think about does it raise the hairs on your neck). Ensure that the goal is Reachable and Realistic but challenging. Finally put a Time limit on the goal. In this case it will be tomorrow.

2. Plan: The benefit of a plan is that it will increase the chances of the hard work resulting in achieving the goal. It can be very easy to be caught in the trap of working hard (I have a real problem of focusing on emails at the expense of other work) on stuff that will not help you achieve your goals. Planning and monitoring the plan will help you invest your time in activities that will help achieve goals. Remember to allow for bush fires in your plan. Bush fires are events that cannot be planned for. The best way to deal with “bush fires” in a plan is to allow more time than expected to achieve the goal. The art is to allow enough but not too much extra time. The plan should also highlight the resources required to get the job done. This could be money and equipment but also remember to plan your support team. This team is people that will give you physical and emotional support.

3. Get the Balance Right: Life is not one dimensional and a life plan with a sole focus on one specific goal is missing out on all life has to offer. It also increases the likelihood of burn out as, in general, humans need some variety in their life to maintain their well being. For example if your goal is a career or study goal make sure that you allow some room in your life for the other things that are important for you. These may be your

o health and fitness,

o key relationships,

o community work,

o hobbies,

o entertainment

4. Develop Self Awareness: This is the ability to know yourself and to respond when things are not going well. For example over the last week my training times have blown out by over a minute per kilometre. It has taken me 31 years but I now recognise that this is my body telling me that it needs to take a break to recharge the batteries. So instead of running I am doing more yoga and core strength exercises this week as well as a bit of cross training such as pool jogging. My hard work has been interrupted but I will be back on the roads again next week with the goal still firmly in mind and the body recharged and ready to face the challenges. Recognise your own signs that suggest that you need to rest and recharge. These signs may include fatigue, a reduction in productivity (not getting as much done in a day that you normally do), lack of sleep or minor illnesses.

5. Keep on Track: Most of us fall off the rails at some stage on the path to achieving something special. The challenge is to recognise that it is OK to fall off and then to get back on the rails the next day and continue with the hard work to achieve the goal. This is where the support team identified in point 2 above comes into play. These people can encourage you to keep focussed on your goal. One thing that some clients have found is that falling off the rails reinforces old self beliefs that they are not good or strong enough to achieve important goals. Dealing with this requires self awareness as outlined above. It is important to recognise the self belief as just that, a belief. It is not true unless you let it be true.

6. Celebrate: We all need bit of celebrations in our life. This time of year is full of them. During the year it can really help to keep these celebrations going. I recommend celebrating the achievement of a goal in an audacious way. Also, it is important to celebrate the achievements along the way to realising the goal. Hard work can become a grind and to keep going week in, week out, it can help to celebrate what has been achieved that day, that week or that month.

Hard work is given a bad rap. It is looked at as a thing to be avoided. However the benefits are perhaps what life is about. Dean Karnazes summaries it well when he says.

“I suppose the enjoyment of hard work is more of an acquired taste than the taste for pleasure and fun, but once you’ve acquired it, you’re blessed with more ways to feel good, and life is better. Harder and better.”