There was a time when stores would boast: "If we don't have it, you don't need it." In today's world, if a shopper can't find what he wants at the mall (Black Friday, anyone?), he can make an online purchase on his phone in the mall parking lot within minutes of leaving the store (or maybe save it for Cyber Monday!). However, the long lines and large crowds at the stores during the holidays attest to the fact that not everyone shops online. So why do people face those maddening swarms in the department stores and malls, when they could so easily sit at home in their pajamas and browse the internet?

Want instant gratification?

Going into an actual store and making a purchase means you don't have to wait and see if what you're buying is what you really want. It's so much easier to see that you're choosing the right color or size when you're physically in front of the item. Shopping online, unless it's an item you're already familiar with, can be akin to spinning a roulette wheel.

Since the beginning of its history, the United States has relied on its veterans, men and women willing to put their lives on the line to defend the freedom of others. Our national holiday Veterans’Day is set aside to honor and commemorate these courageous individuals, and is a wonderful opportunity to be able to thank a veteran for his or her service.

In an increasingly busy and chaotic world, stability has become a precious commodity. How do you find stability in a market that can change in the blink of an eye where the skills you learn are obsolete as soon as you’ve mastered them?

Pam Slim, award-winning author, business coach and creator of the blog Escape from Cubicle Nation believes she has some of the answers.  

Your body of work extends far beyond your resume, she says. You are everything you do in life. For an individual, your body of work is everything you create, contribute, affect or impact. It is the story of your life and everyone you’ve interacted with along the way. For a company, it is everything they have contributed during their history, whether it is their products, services, idea or values.

Time.

Why do we hate it so much? We spend it  indiscriminately. We waste it. Sometimes, we even try to kill it. Then when we run out of it, we complain there’s not enough of it to go around. It’s the most precious resource we have. With time, new relationships can be forged from the ashes of old ones. Entire fortunes can be made, lost and made again. 

Time. We don’t get it back. Ever.

So what are some ways to manage this most valuable of resources? 

Be proactive. You’re rarely confronted with a full-blown crisis that erupts out of nowhere. Almost every problem starts small. By anticipating them, you can deal with them with a much smaller amount of effort. Examine your processes and look for problem spots, even if they seem inconsequential. What may take you only a few minutes to solve now, can frequently take hours or days to solve later. It may seem like a hassle to replace a leaky water cooler sitting near the electrical cabinet, but that’s nothing compared to the nightmare of your company server taking one last water-logged breath and then dying. 

All of us at Zacaw Enterprises wish you and yours a happy, thoughtful Thanskgiving. This is something we came across about Thanskgiving and want to share with you:

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre

It’s said our purpose here on earth is to create, and I see achievement as simply stepping into our best creations. Whether it be making a million dollars, or making our most delicious batch of cupcakes ever, achievement inspires. It encourages us to keep bettering our best and also excites others to reach for the stars as well.

When you have conquered a goal or challenge that once seemed impossible, you feel on top of the world, and with that comes an enormous sense of pride and satisfaction. But that’s not all. Success is energizing and a huge self-confidence booster, as you realize what you are really capable of! So achievement breeds more achievement. For each goal you achieve, view it as the first step into a much bigger venture—it’s the end of one journey and the beginning of many more. And one great way to stay connected with your success is to RECORD it.

Cooler temperatures and falling leaves mark the start of fall for many parts of the country. They also mark the start of a busy holiday season. From Halloween through New Year’s the holidays jump off the calendar in rapid succession.

It’s important to keep focused during these months and not lose your direction. With all the holiday fuss it’s easy to see the carefully orchestrated life-work balance you’ve maintained throughout the year get thrown out of kilter. Visiting with family and friends, spending time with your kids and finding time to enjoy a little bit of the holiday festivities can stress out even the most the best entrepreneurs.

October.

As summer becomes a memory, the leaves are already turning in many places around the world. The canopy of green will give way to a stunning panorama of color, marking the start of fall better than any calendar. Many people are already picking out their pumpkins and deciding what costume they’re going to wear come October 31st. 

While Halloween may get the lion’s share of attention during the month, and deservedly so considering the amount of money spent on it, it’s not the only holiday that calls October home.

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. So goes the old rhyme that many of us learned in school. On October 12th of that year, Columbus’ ship first set down on what soon came to be called the New World.

You’ve tossed and turned all night. You’ve counted so many sheep you’re pondering whether to start up a farm. Just when you’ve finally drifted off, you hear the sound of the alarm clock going off. As you pull back the covers and put your feet on the floor you feel like an extra in an episode of ‘The Walking Dead.’

There's an important meeting today with some potential new clients. You need to be at your charismatic and problem-solving best. As you’re about to find out, lack of sleep can make a challenging but achievable task seem almost overwhelming.

You’re not alone.

Nearly one-third of adults report getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night, according to a National Health Interview Survey. And the habit seems to start young; a similar survey sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found only 31 percent of high school students report getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

Facing the end of a year and the beginning of a new one always makes me reflective. Ever since Dom & I saw the movie (ok, several years ago), "Bucket List," with outstanding actors Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, I ponder my own bucket list every December.

If you're not familiar with the term, it's a list of things you absolutely want to do before you die. For many people, writing a book is on that list; for others, it might be as grand as a trip around the world or as altruistic as being a Big Brother/Big Sister.

Our incomparable peak performance coach, Lee Milteer, often talks about the importance of taking care to keep balance in your life. As part of that concept, she challenged us to write our Bucket List and accomplish one thing from that list as soon as possible.

Today I sat with a friend who is so strong and committed, and working hard every day to stay positive, in the face of unimaginably daunting personal and familial crises. She is courage under fire.

About a decade ago, our son dealt with severe injuries from an accident, lengthy rehabilitation, and relentless daily efforts to find ways to cope with what would turn out to be chronic challenges. He is courage under fire.

Every day we see business owners face unexpected ‘fire’ aimed at their businesses from changing laws, unpredictable economic climate, fickle or disgruntled customers, intense competition. To deliver value and quality to their customers and continue to grow their business, they never give up, they just evolve. They are courage under fire.

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