ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - October 31, 2003

Should your 60th birthday be any more significant than your 59th? Somehow it seems to be. Should the 300th issue of a newsletter carry any more weight than any of those that preceded it? Probably not. There is really no special significance in things just because they carry a nice round number ... but they do seem to make it easier for us to mark the passages in our lives.

So here I am on the eve of my (insignificant?) 59th birthday, writing the (significant?) 300th issue of the Electronic House Call. This is quite a weekend for milestones.

Milestones
I suppose that issue #300 of the Electronic House Call has some degree of significance. I started EHC on July 31, 1997 as a way to share information and ideas with subscribers to my Home Remedies newsletter who had e-mail addresses. I think there were less than 100 back then and it didn't make sense to take up space in my regular Home Remedies newsletter with online-type information when there were so few to whom it might apply.

Now EHC goes to nearly 2000 people all over the world every week -- by far my largest channel of communication -- and it is the Home Remedies newsletter that has taken a different direction as part of my Coaching Program. EHC is still is a labor of love and a reflection on where my thinking happens to be on any given Thursday evening (or Friday morning.) In case you have trouble sleeping some night, the current year's issues are archived on the website.

I am thinking about sifting through the early issues and creating an anthology of sorts. There have been some clunkers ... but I there also are some real gems lurking in there. Since my travel schedule is lighter than usual this fall, perhaps that will be a project for a rainy day.

In any event, the moving finger writes ... or taps away on the keyboard. As long as there is a receptive audience -- and as long as I can come up with something worth passing along -- I will keep EHC coming to an e-mail box near you every week. Thanks to those who have sent in questions and comments for that is what really keeps the creative flow going. I look forward to another 300 issues!

Click here for the EHC Archives.

Year of the Guest Workshops
I am pleased to report that the Raleigh seminar on Monday was sold out and proved to be one of the best programs that Joel Cohen and I have ever done! The final sales-building workshop for the fall will be in the Seattle area on Monday, November 10th. As of this morning there are still 15 seats left ... and discount airfares are still to be had.

You don't have to be bad to get better. Before you get buried in the holidays, why not pack up a few of your key staff and join us for a mind-expanding day of proven marketing ideas? We guarantee you will come away richer for the experience or there is no charge!

Click here to get the story on the Year of the Guest Workshop.

Enough, Already
Perhaps it is the dawning realization that I am not 26 years old anymore, but I find that taking time for myself is taking a higher priority. It is frightening how easy it is to develop a habit of working all the time. There are always projects that need attention ... but we will all die with items on our "To Do" list. What good is working for yourself if you can't take an afternoon off on a whim or allow yourself the luxury of actually having a life?

Most of you have other people in the organization who can take up any slack that may be created by your absence. In fact, they crave the opportunity to do that. As much of a blow as it might be to your ego, very often the place does run better when you are gone. If so, why not be gone a little more? If not, what does that say about your training and the trust level you have with your crew?

As Mac McLennan, an old mentor of mine, once said, "This is a crazy business. You can work 18 hours a day, 8 days a week and there is a lot of that going on out there. But just remember that you are working for a living. Make sure you leave yourself some time to live."

The sun is shining, the air is crisp and Mt. Rainier is shining in the distance. The fall rains will return all too soon, so I am going to cut this short and go walking in the woods! Happy Halloween!

The Perpetual Question
What did you learn from your staff today?

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