Extreme Efficiency

I just returned to Portland last night from a quick trip to Los Angeles. While in LA, I received a call from my brother asking me to send him some business and tax software; nothing pirated, it was his software that I had been checking out. We played some voicemail tag and I had asked him to please remind me as I was out of town and had other things on my mind. My brother often gets busy with his own work and family and he did not get around to reminding me. No big deal...even without prompting, I still remembered and upon returning home last night, I put together the package he needed (and even burned him a couple of CDs that I thought he would enjoy). This afternoon, I even had the chance to get it to the Post Office.

I called him after leaving the post office to let him know that I had gotten it out and he was quite appreciative. He even asked if I could come to Minnesota and help him and his wife get out their wedding gift thank you notes with, as he put it, my "go-get-it-ness." (My brother got married last October, but has a two and a half year old who he happily allows to occupy his "free" time.)

I have blogged about this before...I work quite efficiently and can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. This is just how my mind works. I do not fault others for not being as speedy as me, but it does allow me to complete many projects throughout a day.

The awareness for today is to recognize that we do not all function at the same speed, but we can create schedules and tasks to compensate for our natural work habits.
~Paul

Lost Luggage? No Worries.

I just returned late last night from my brother's wedding in Wisconsin...my luggage returned this morning. I read once that there are two types of luggage: carry-on and lost.


We were going to carry everything on, but one of our bags busted and we decided we did not want to have to deal with it, so we tied up the bag and checked it in at Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. We then went to check in at North West Airlines and confirmed that our bags would go all the way through to Portland (we did not book the flights at the same time, so we had a flight to Los Angeles and then from Los Angeles to Portland.


Our flight from Los Angeles to Portland was booked online through American Airlines. I tried checking in online and found that there was some error and I could not do it. While in Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport, we went to the American Airlines ticketing counter and could not check in there either; we were told that it was an affiliate flight for Alaska Airlines and we would have to wait and check in once we were at Los Angeles International Airport.

To begin with, we only had an hour between flights and knew that we did not want to have to leave the secure area or we would most likely be late catching our flight to Portland. The airplane departed an hour late, but made up some of that time. When we landed in LA, we had about forty-five minutes to check in and come back through security and we actually made it in minutes. The North West Airlines crew made an announcement asking passengers to let us off first so we could make our flight and most people were quite courteous.

Well, we made our flight, but our luggage didn't. Alaska Airlines delivered our luggage this morning and it really was not that big of a deal; a little frustrating, but no skin off my back.

The awareness for today is that worrying does not help in the least. There was nothing that we could do last night to remedy the situation, so we let it be and went with the flow. Everything worked out fine.
~Paul

Getting Out the Door

There is always one last thing to do. I am trying to get out of town (I have a plane that I need to catch) and one thing after another keeps coming up. As much as possible, I do not want to have a pile to deal with upon my return. I also need to set a cut off time so that I do not miss my flight. I have never missed a flight and I am always quick to return calls and e-mails.

If I can help my deals move forward by getting agreements in place or providing introductions before I leave, then I will. However, I cannot and will not let it hold me up when I have other deadlines.

The awareness for today is to be, well, aware. By that I mean aware of our time constraints, our commitments, our goals and our needs. We can only do as much as we can do, but that is where we can put our focus. As I have written before, we each need to set our own boundaries.

I am traveling for a bit. I will write more when I can.
~Paul

Excitement of a New City

I have been in Portland, Oregon for almost three weeks now. I have been networking to get to know businesses and business people in the area. I have to admit that it is very exciting and fun to get to know the city. Portland is a great city and the people here have been incredibly welcoming. Everyone that I have spoken with has given me more names to speak with, so my circle of contacts is growing quite rapidly.

I had a meeting on Thursday evening where the people I met with were quite impressed with the number of contacts that I had already made and who those contacts were. It always feels good to be validated by others, but we should not expect it.

The awareness for today is that while our cocoon can be very comfortable, sometimes shaking things up a bit can add new energy into our lives.
~Paul

Networking in Foreign Locations

While I am in Portland, Oregon (or if I were in any other foreign location to me, domestic or abroad) I am quite aware of the fact that I do not know the area. When it comes time to set up networking meetings, I am more than open to letting the other party set the location and then finding my way there (with my GPS of course, as I mentioned here).

I do not have my favorite spots to meet, nor can I generally even choose the location because of my lack of knowledge of the area. Luckily, I have always been fortunate to meet people who are willing to be the "hosts" of their city.

The awareness for today is to simply appreciate our familiarity with our own surroundings and be grateful for those who help us when we are out of our normal regions.
~Paul

Benefits of Technology

I am currently in Portland, Oregon checking out new potential home base locations. While I am here, I am going to networking meetings and new business meetings. I would not be able to get around Portland without my GPS (Global Positioning System). My GPS (with an English woman's voice directions) tells me when to turn and even how long until my arrival at my destination.

I think the biggest help is when I try to not use the GPS and get lost. The GPS will tell me how to get back on track (even if I make a wrong turn, it will reprogram the trip from my new location). It really has been a lifesaver.

The awareness for today is that, while technology may complicate life at times, there are numerous times where the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
~Paul

Business Phone Line to Go

I have been doing some phone switching and I moved my business line to Vonage a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) service. It is not active yet (ten days to move my phone line), but I cannot believe how helpful they were in setting everything up; excellent customer service!

The major benefit is that I can travel and connect my router to any broadband connection and receive calls from my business line in a hotel or anywhere else as long as I can connect to a broadband Internet connection. The customer service guy helping me get set up told me that he knows of people who buy a local number here in the States and then send the router over to relatives in the Middle East and it is still a local phone call when calling them.

Technology is truly amazing. When I am in Los Angeles, I visit a woman that I know who is 108 years old (yes, she was born in 1898!). She saw the invention of radio and television and cannot even grasp the Internet. She once told me that her great granddaughter had met her husband through cable TV and it took me a minute to realize that she meant the Internet, but had no idea what the Internet was.

The awareness for today is to appreciate the technology that we have even if it does complicate our lives at times.
~Paul

Traveling for Business

I just returned from a short business trip to LA. What I have learned is that I really enjoy traveling for business, but it takes a lot out of me. There is always the "catch up" upon my return (even though I use my laptop to keep up with e-mails!). I just need a bit more practice at it.

The plan is to be completely virtual and able to do my work from anywhere. That is a bit different though as the trips can be planned for fun and I can work while on them rather than a business trip where my time is eaten up pretty quickly.

I am going to do my best to enjoy the weekend and relax a bit. The awareness for today is to take stock of your week, reflect back on it and enjoy your weekend.
~Paul

I Love Long Weekends!

I am heading up to Winter Park, Colorado for the weekend with some friends of mine who own a house out there. It should be a lot of fun. I love long weekends! It is great to have a Monday off.

With that all being said, my friend mentioned that they have wireless access. I immediately responded that would be great since I cannot live without my laptop. It is true, I can't. As many of you know, when you own your own business, it is hard to completely step away from it. I know that I need to check my e-mail at least once a day and if something comes through that is time sensitive, I will have to deal with it. I am okay with this and will gladly accept it since working for myself also allows me to get out of town early on a Friday.

The awareness for today is to simply enjoy your time this Memorial Day weekend. If you have to work a bit, then work a bit, but when you can, take time for yourself; this can include time for your family, friends, etc., but focus on yourself.

I also have to send a very happy birthday wish to my father, Big Pete, who's birthday is on Sunday. Happy Birthday Dad!
~Paul

Middle of Nowhere Kansas

I am currently traveling (a bit for business, a bit for pleasure) and we are doing it as a road trip. Last night, shortly after eleven, we decided it was time to stop for the evening. We stopped in a small town in Kansas, looked at our choices of two hotels and went to the name we recognized. The lady working the front desk immediately shared that she was new there and didn't even live in the town we were in. She then recommended that we drive another thirty miles to a bigger town that has better hotels and better prices. We thanked her profusely and quickly left her hotel.

Perhaps she didn't want to deal with checking us in, but the her warmth definitely made me feel as though she was simply helping us to be nice. I found that incredibly refreshing!

We drove another thirty miles and in no time we were at a much nicer hotel for a better price. It is such a nice feeling when you meet someone who genuinely wants to help you.

Think about it and when you can, help family, friends and even strangers.

People in Airports

I am currently in Los Angeles; I flew in yesterday for some business and pleasure. I love to travel. There is something exciting about being in different cities or countries. I find it very interesting to observe others in this process as well; parents travelling with small children, elders, college age kids, business people and more.

It is funny to see how unconscious many people are. Directly after getting off of my plane, a family stopped, blocking the entire walkway simply to tie their shoes. They didn't care that the rest of the plane was getting off behind them. They could have moved to the side or waited another ten feet for the pathway to open up, but in their world, that was the right spot to stop.

Think about the last time you were on a flight. How did people act waiting to check in, through security, waiting to board, boarding, putting on carry-on luggage, getting in their seats, sharing armrests, reclining seats, etc.? How did you act?

I find that I often stand my ground on the armrest situation. I know it is silly, but I need the space. I will, however, happily share the armrest and compromise with one elbow in front or behind the other person's elbow.

Not very business related today, but hey, that is what was on my mind. Back to my day. Have a great weekend!