Response-Able Consulting Inc. | NEWS-you-can-use-LETTER Late Summer 2008 | What’s News…
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Welcome to our Special Late Summer 2008 NEWS-you-can-use-LETTER. Today is the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. Usually, 9/11 is associated with great loss, as we remember all those who lost their lives and the loved ones who remain. In addition to remembering and honoring those who died seven years ago, I also remember the light that peeked through the darkness; the spirit of our country being called upon to rise up after getting spiritually, emotionally and literally knocked down. On the 11th of every month, I hold my own personal morning ceremony to remind myself that life can be short and to strive to live each day to its fullest. It is in this hopeful spirit that this special issue is dedicated to continuing our focus on helping you move toward the results you want in your life. Peace. |
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Stop Using Your Head – Part 2
 This is the second in a series of three articles that present six recent discoveries about the brain that help explain our success-and failure-as it relates to living our lives and working towards our personal and professional goals (this information is based on the coaching model I use and the intellectual property of Results Coaching Systems.
In the last article, I suggested you stop using your head and start using your brain. I also mentioned the first two recent findings about the brain: 1) The Brain Is a Connection Machine and 2) No Two Brains Are Even Remotely Alike.
This article, the focus is on Finding #3: The Brain Works to Hardwire Everything Useful and Finding #4: Perception Is Driven by Our Hardwiring. I’ll present each finding and then how you can apply it in work, business, and/or life.
Finding #3: The Brain Works to Hardwire Everything Useful
In simple terms, there are two memory or processing areas of the brain: Short-Term (Working) Memory and Long-Term (Hardwired) Memory. The brain expends lots of energy and burns lots of glucose when using Working Memory. Working Memory also has limited capacity. We can hold about 7 pieces of information "on stage" in Working Memory at any given moment. Because the brain doesn’t want to work very hard, it begins to hardwire anything it experiences on a routine basis. This is usually very helpful – can you imagine having to relearn how to speak every single day – but it can also be quite limiting – the brain can’t tell the difference between whether what is being hardwired is truly useful or not. Old hardwiring may have served a purpose once but may no longer be useful.
You should also be aware of the capacity of both areas. Think of working memory as being similar to the size of a dollar bill and long-term memory as being more like the size of the Milky Way. That’s a considerable difference, don’t you think?!
Why is this important to you?
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Surviving the Fog of Divorce
 Divorce is a sad fact of our modern world. But for the half-million American men experiencing it every year, that doesn’t mean they have to suffer through it alone, despite the lack of resources available and the inclination to "be a man and tough it out."
After all, loss is loss and pain is pain-whether you’re a man or a woman and whether you initiated the divorce or were caught off-guard by it. According to an AARP article, it turns out more and more men are surprised when their spouse initiates a divorce.
So what can you do if this is happening to you?
Seek support.
"I can handle it," you say.
If that’s true, great, congratulations! May I ask you a question? How’s that really working for you?
Are you happy? Are you clear about your future? Is your stress level manageable? Are you getting good sleep? Are you eating well? Do you easily deal with feelings of anger?
If not, maybe you’re not handling things as well as you can. And that’s to be expected. This kind of loss creates a tremendous strain on the mind and on the body. Even the strongest man needs something more to get through the fog of divorce. You need inner strength.
You see, I believe it takes greater strength to admit one’s weakness or need and do something about a situation than to pretend to be strong and struggle or get stuck in a real-life charade. I know. I’ve been there.
While I’ll never be mistaken for a world-class weight lifter or a pro football player, I believe I have a greater inner strength that has allowed me to persevere through some of life’s toughest losses.
How do you reconnect with and/or increase your inner strength? Purpose, focus, intention, action, discipline, and persistence.
If you are a man (or know a man) currently moving into, going through, or experiencing challenges in the aftermath of a divorce who is looking for support, community, coaching, etc., please request more information and join my LinkedIn or Facebook group.
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| AMK Associates
 Every issue we feature a different professional from our impressive network. This issue, we’re spotlighting Arleen Kahn from AMK Associates.
In 1981, after a misguided expansion into the restaurant business dragged her successful T-shirt company under, Arleen Kahn went looking for a job. She went to work for Edward Fields, a custom carpet maker. Edward Fields had 35 salespeople traveling to clients throughout its 11 showrooms across the U.S. What it didn’t have was anyone making sure it was getting the best prices for office supplies, rental cars, equipment leases and much more. Reviewing the expense reports, Arleen noted that "Everyone was using a different car rental service. We had no corporate accounts."
The research and negotiating skills Arleen honed to get these money-saving corporate discounts became the foundation of her cost consulting service, AMK Associates.
"Arleen is a digger," says Nancy Ploeger former VP of operations and human resources at NY Sports Clubs. "What Arleen doesn’t know – she finds out." Arleen helped the fitness company save $50,000.
After examining nine to twelve months of a potential client’s invoices, Arleen prepares a report of the overall anticipated savings. Once hired, Arleen negotiates vendor contracts. Rather than dumping a company’s existing vendor, she first tries to get better prices from them. Tom Winmill of Winmill & Co. said, "Arleen trimmed our overnight carrier service by 60%." Arleen stresses that while she works with vendors, she has no financial ties to any of them.
A sole proprietor, Arleen bills clients according to their projected savings or on a consulting arrangement. Her fees range from $12,750 to $95,000.00 depending on the savings she generates.
To find out how much AMK Associates can save you, contact Arleen Kahn at 888.345.8008 or amk@amkassociates.com.
If you want to know whether you can reduce your operating expenses, contact Arleen Kahn at 888-345- 8008 or amk@amkassociates.com. |
On Habits…
"When one begins to live by habit and by quotation, one has begun to stop living." ~James Baldwin "Cultivate only the habits that you are willing should master you." ~Elbert Hubbard "Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time." ~Mark Twain "Good habits, which bring our lower passions and appetites under automatic control, leave our natures free to explore the larger experiences of life." ~Ralph W. Sockman On Perceptions… "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie– deliberate, contrived and dishonest–but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." ~John F. Kennedy "How we see and hold the full range of our experiences in our minds and in our hearts makes an enormous difference in the quality of this journey we are on, and what it means to us. It can influence where we go, what happens, what we learn, and how we feel along the way." ~Jon Kabat-Zinn "We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are." ~Talmuidic saying |
| Response-Able Consulting helps successful businesspeople pursue lives of intention and fulfillment. We are also proud to offer a one-of-a-kind Divorce Coaching Program for Men.
Our clients identify, work toward, and achieve meaningful work and life goals faster as a result of our brain-based coaching model.
We typically distribute our NEWS-you-can-use-LETTER once each quarter. If there are issues keeping you awake at night, please share them with us and we’ll address them in future newsletters. I hope you found our Bonus Late Summer 2008 issue useful.
Ciao for now,
Paul McGinniss, ACC RCC SBL MSHR Response-Able Consulting Inc. phone: 516.216.4233 |
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