Problems and Solutions
April 29, 2010
Whether it is in business or life in general we all have problems. Once we solve problems, life brings us more or different problems. They are part of life.
This almost sounds a little discouraging. But it really isn’t. It is a matter of perspective. Our problems also bring us opportunities to solve them. Whether it is a relief or an accomplishment, solving problems is a nice feeling.
Without problems, there would be many less opportunities. Recently I replaced a cracked windshield on my car. My problem – the cracked windshield – created an opportunity for the people that installed the new one. Additionally, it created opportunities for the people that manufactured the windshield and the people that delivered it to the installer.
The air conditioning unit, the refrigerator, and the dishwasher that I also recently replaced created opportunities for the people that make and deliver and install these products.
In order to solve problems we need solutions. From a business standpoint, can you provide solutions to help others solve their problems? Do you have any problems right now that would provide opportunities for you if you just recognized them?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
That’s Life
April 26, 2010
I’ve heard it said many times that as we get older our options get more and more limited. We have to leave some things behind us.
In general, most of us see our physical and athletic abilities decline as we get older. There may be some exceptions such as where someone wasn’t in the best shape and then they decided to get in better shape later in life. But we generally see physical abilities decline. Take pro sports as an example. Pro baseball, basketball, and football player generally start to slow down as they get older. Then they are replaced by younger players.
In the business world, some that are fortunate get their best opportunities later in life. But in today’s world, many people see the range of opportunities that they have diminish. This is a difficult thing. Many people end up not having the skills for one thing while they are overqualified for another.
Options can become more limited. So what do we do about it? We can do our best to keep our business skills current. We can do our best to stay in good physical health. We can do our best to keep an optimistic outlook and to persist when life brings its challenges.
If we are alive, we can’t change the fact that we are getting older. And if our options seem to be getting more limited, then we need to figure out how to best take care of ourselves.
My thought is to work hard and do the right things. And I also believe that it is important to keep dreaming as we deal with the realities of life.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Irritations and Opportunities
April 22, 2010
For me it’s safe to say that life has plenty of irritations. How I choose to deal with them is up to me.
Recently I started looking for opportunities in these irritations. And I found some that paid off. A simple shift in my attitude made a big difference.
Rather than being irritated, I stepped back and looked at the situation. I found that in the irritations there were some key learning opportunities.
For example, I dealt with someone recently that had some areas that they wanted to improve in their life. My initial dealing with them was somewhat irritating. However, I soon realized that this person wasn’t taking personal responsibility for their own issues. Once I realized it, I was better able to recognize this in others. Soon afterward I had several opportunities to help others recognize where they were making the same mistake.
For these other people it resulted in them being able to pursue positive changes in their lives. For me, it resulted in some additional business. It also made me take a closer look at my own life to find areas where I was making these same mistakes.
When you run into irritations, are you just irritated or do you turn them into opportunities?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Evaluating Marketing Costs
April 19, 2010
Consumer confidence is down because of the current economic situation. It is understandable. Many companies are struggling to meet their numbers and to be profitable. Many individuals and families are struggling to meet their basic needs and to pay their bills.
Many businesses look to cut costs in difficult times. This is natural and makes a lot of sense when done correctly.
Often the first thing that companies do is cut back on marketing. Each company has to assess its own unique situation. This is a good area to evaluate thoroughly and cautiously. Evaluating and cutting out things that don’t work makes a lot of sense. Cutting back on good marketing that is bringing in business during tough economic times may hurt even more.
Do you know how effective each of your marketing strategies is? Do you “test and measure?” Do you have any areas that you need to evaluate now?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Smile
April 15, 2010
There are lots of days that smiling doesn’t come naturally to me. There never seems to be any shortage of irritations and hassles. This is just from daily living.
Any day that I check the news it usually makes it harder to find something to smile about. On top of that, a lot of the people that I run into on a daily basis seem stressed and irritated because of their daily struggles.
Too often, as we move through life we let our frustrations show. Also, it seems to me that there is never a shortage of frustrations.
If frustrations are a part of life and we have to deal with them every day anyway, why not smile. When I smile it usually makes me feel better. When I smile others seem to be friendlier toward me. When I smile, it seems to help brighten other people’s days also.
It’s amazing how much difference a smile can make.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Decide
April 12, 2010
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – President Theodore Roosevelt
What a great quote above from former President Teddy Roosevelt. Life does not always present us with easy cut and dry situations. We don’t always know the right answer. Over the last few years I’ve encountered a lot of issues that didn’t really have absolute right or wrong answers. They only had the results of the decisions that I made and the actions that I took.
At least I had choice. I made decisions and took action. When life gives us choices that are in the gray area, our values and ethics really matter.
When we are faced with these situations, we need to be decisive and trust our instincts. We may not always make perfect choices, but we need to make our choices and decide. And we need to be 100 percent accountable for our choices. Being decisive and following our values gives us our best opportunity for success.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Twenty Years
April 8, 2010
I like the song “Twenty Years Ago” by Kenny Rogers. It transforms me back in time to a lot of good memories. But it also makes me look to the future.
Time moves forward in a hurry without playing any favorites. The last twenty years were great years. But they went by fast and they are gone.
What about the next twenty years? How will things change? What will I accomplish? How will I make sure that they are great years?
What about you. Are you taking control of your life and doing things now to make the next twenty years turn out the way you want them to?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Safety
April 5, 2010
In the book, Purple Cow, by Seth Godin, the author makes the following point.
“…DON’T BE BORING……SAFE IS RISKY…..”
He also talks about standing out and being “REMARKABLE”. In our rapidly changing world, it is easy to to start playing it safe – or what we think is safe. Sometimes we stay in a job that we don’t like because we think that it is safe. Maybe we think that even if we don’t like something, the world that we know and are used to is better than the unknown.
We can apply this to all areas of life. Trying to play it too safe can backfire. This doesn’t mean that we need to act foolishly. But we need to avoid being too careful and getting left behind. Life involves risks. Whether we go out and take the risks that we choose or whether we try to play it safe, we still encounter risk.
Do you need to make any changes in life? Do you need to find a way to take the right risks so that you can be “REMARKABLE”?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Criticism Or Constructive Feedback
April 1, 2010
Throughout our lives, if we put forth any effort to accomplish anything at all, most are of us are going to get criticism and constructive feedback. It is part of life.
Criticism is rampant in our society. With the Internet and the ease of communication we have easy outlets for people to cut loose and complain about whatever bothers them. And there are a lot of people in the world that seem to find their own self worth in criticizing something or someone else. Part of life involves dealing with some criticism. Sometimes we can even take the criticism and turn it into something positive.
Constructive feedback is different from criticism. I generally think of constructive feedback as something that is very valuable. When I know that someone is trying to help me or improve something with constructive feedback, I generally listen and evaluate it. I may or may not actually act on this feedback. Sometimes I will act on all or maybe just some part of it that I decide is appropriate. But I am grateful to receive it.
I know that I benefit from genuine constructive feedback from others. Sometimes I have to stop and ask myself, “am I giving constructive feedback to others?” How about you? Are you giving constructive feedback to others?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC