Inside Your Wealth - January 2021

A Note from Marilyn and Ora

Powering Forward in 2021

Best wishes to you as we step forward into 2021! While much of what we witnessed in 2020 was very challenging – and still is – we believe there are positive takeaways for you, your business, and your families.

The big question we need to ask ourselves is “How do we transform 2020’s events to make our 2021 better, brighter, and bringing the outcomes we desire?”

One answer is to manage our mindset using a fresh outlook. While we cannot control much of what has occurred and is happening in the world today, we can control how we think about it. That is the SECRET!

In our business, and in collaborating with our clients and colleagues, we are looking back to identify our positive experiences and actions that worked well for us. We are asking, “What made those experiences work so well?” Then we seek to incorporate those actions into the coming year. We also note the activities and things that were not helpful and put them aside.

Try setting aside a quiet break for your review. Then, take the best results in 2020, and see how you can make them a basis for 2021. Your year will start with greater confidence as you take action to reach your goals. Every small success or failure teaches us lessons that support our futures when we take action.

We wish you the very best in 2021!

Marilyn and Ora

Pandemic Burnout Plan

Define Burnout: Burnout occurs with prolonged and repeated stress and shows up through mental, emotional and physical exhaustion. The traditional burnout is associated with work, but it can also be related to other areas of life.

Signs of Burnout

What signs are you experiencing?
On a level 1-10 where are you on the burnout scale?
What signs are you seeing in those around you?

Take Action

What might help you cope with burnout:
How kind are you being to yourself?
Who around you may need support?
What are simple changes you can make, or things you enjoy?
What can you plan to look forward to?

As a Leader (or even Friend, Co-worker, Parent, Spouse), how can you support others?

What shifts might you need to make in your energy?
How accepting are you of burnout?
Have you discussed burnout with the team?

Coping Tips

What is one thing you can do this week to move that rating?
How and when will you address burnout with your stakeholders?

What is one thing you can do this week to be a better leader?

1Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout

Creative Ways to Motivate Your Employees

The common thread that runs through all small businesses, from professional services to manufacturing, is that a motivated workforce is central to the business’s success.

Here are some quick, inexpensive, and potentially effective ways to motivate your employees and improve your employee retention.

Weekly “Good News” Emails
Too often the business day can be about addressing problems or issues, large and small. We forget to recognize the “wins” and other positive accomplishments. Yet, it is the successes we achieve that inspire us to reach new heights.

Encourage Mental Breaks
Whether it is making sure employees go out for lunch, take a mid-day walk, or even take a short “power nap,” these breaks away from the grind can re-energize, refresh, and even lead to new ideas.

Be Visible
As a leader, your troops appreciate your visibility and a human connection to you. Walk around the floor. Write handwritten notes of appreciation. Roll up your sleeves to help meet a deadline.

Break the Routine
Think about bringing in a community speaker for a “lunch and learn” session. Perhaps even sponsor a “bring your pet to work day!” Changing up the routine inspires, invigorates, and makes it more fun to be at work.

Invite Staff to Client Visits
Not only will an employee appreciate the opportunity to visit with a client (virtually or in person) and the vote of confidence it implies, but he or she will gain a valuable perspective on what a client needs and the integral role he or she has in delivering your service or product.

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Recipe of the Month

Sour Power | Lemon Pineapple Spritzers

Ready, set, grab your juicers! Lemons offer a bevy of potential health benefits. They can stimulate natural enzymes that help rid the liver of toxins; provide citric acid which may help fight pancreatic and kidney stones, as well as eliminate calcium deposits in arteries; and encourage clear skin and fewer wrinkles by providing antioxidant vitamin C. (Just make sure you brush your teeth afterward because citric acid is not good for tooth enamel.)

Lemon Pineapple Spritzers
3 cups pineapple juice
4 large lemons (3 juiced; 1 sliced for garnish)
1½ cups white sugar
2-liter bottle of carbonated water

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Allow syrup to cool. Fill six glasses with ice. Place a slice of lemon in each glass. Pour about two ounces of syrup in each glass. Add carbonated water and stir well.
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Work Tip | “ Everyday Work”

Like the endorphins you feel after a great workout, the feeling of accomplishment when you have worked diligently to reach a goal, passing an exam with an “A”, finishing a fantastic presentation, completion of an engineering design project, closing a critical sale, working with happy customers and clients…it’s an incredible feeling!

It’s a feeling you want to repeat time and time again. Working hard to reach a goal, whether academic, work or personal, is Work worth doing. Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.

Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. —Confucius
Nothing will work unless you do. —Maya Angelou

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Blog Insight—

Visions of New Beginnings

The start of a new year brings us visions of new beginnings, a fresh start and an outlook of hope and optimism. We would all say that 2021 is certainly looking like all of that and more!
This past year has certainly brought its challenges to every one of us in all phases of our lives: family, work, and overall lifestyle. Who would have thought we would spend the majority of the year, homebound or very close to home, finding, adapting and pivoting to new ways of work, of managing time, and balancing all of the daily roles that we play?

As some of us may say, never let a good opportunity to grow, change or improve one’s life, even if it is a “once in a lifetime pandemic”! How many of you/us were in such turmoil in March of this year, with the markets tanking again due to the possible meltdown of our US economy and the global economy at large? Let alone the spread of this sinister new virus that had no boundaries and still is ravaging
communities worldwide. For the most part, we were forced into new rhythms at work, at home and in-between as well. We had to change our daily regimes. And for some of us, it may have forced us to look deeper inside and ask ourselves, “what is serving us well and what is not”.

One of the areas that hit me is the fact that while my work is hybrid-half at home and half at an office, I did not need to invest as much in clothing as I did just 6 months earlier. That my “Zoom Room” outfit could be much more comfortable and yet still look sharp! As a financial planner and wealth manager, that was a big AHA! moment for me and I am sure for many of our clients and colleagues. While our “outer look” may be very important, what was critical were the results of our daily work, our collaboration over Zoom/Webex, etc. and not what we were wearing that day.

Additionally, for many of us, we did learn to be very adept in our own kitchens, while working from home and, perhaps, better planners with overall food and household needs. I would bet that our budgets and cash flows are in better shape with this pandemic as it forced us to be more mindful of time, of our health and our daily needs. We may not have had time to do the casual drop in shopping and browsing and oh, let’s stop by and get a Starbucks or similar treat. And for some of us who were furloughed or lost our jobs, this was a stressful time, and yet we all learned how to enjoy more with less.

As we close out 2020, I am reviewing all that we have experienced this year at work and at home. I look to see what new habits have made a difference in my life. Let’s take stock of how we have adapted and pivoted to new ways of living each day. And while we both love and hate technology, I know that it has made a big difference in my overall ability to accomplish the important things in my life.

As I look back on these past eight to nine months and the experience of this once in a lifetime pandemic, I know that I am blessed with my family, my business, my friends, and my community. While I want to return to a lifestyle with some sort of normalcy, I do believe that we will not return to what was. My hope is that we will see a very new beginning, perhaps mid-year, and that we can all see that fresh start that we are accustomed to each and every new year.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Hope-Filled New Year!

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