Tammy's Tips

Tip 47 is on Multiple Streams of Income. Exactly what that means in today's society depends on what is is you are doing.  Many business people in this world are now realizing that how they earned their living in the past may not be able to support them moving forward.  It could be that you are currently getting divorced, your hours were cut back at work, or you were a realtor or mortgage broker and can no longer make the same kind of money you once made. It could even be that you just graduated from college and can't find a job in the field of your choice.  Whatever your reason many of us are now scrambling for multiple streams of income so that we can support ourselves and our families.  This anonymous quote says it all, "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.  It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed... every morning a lion wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.  It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle... when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

The best example is always me - the queen of reinvention.  I've sold mens and boys clothing, beepers, sesame seeds, legal services, title services, speaking services and coaching services. One thing that carries through to every single opportunity is selling. I am always selling myself. The product is irrelevant.  So when the title business crashed in 2007 I closed my company and started a consulting firm to help train young attorneys how to build their book of business. I was so concerned that after 10 years in the title business it would be hard to start marketing myself as a trainer. The transition was easier than I thought. Everyone wanted to learn my secrets to success. From there came my own speaker platform and the beginning of TammySaltzman.com. When I got separated in January I decided to go back to work in a law firm so that I had steady income to help support my son. I was concerned about taking the job after marketing myself for 2 years as a speaker and trainer, but the transition went great and I love what I do.  I created my dream job working 25 hours a week and have a firm that supports me in growing my speaking career too.  Rich Devos once said, "The only thing that stands between a person and what they want from life is often the will to try it and the faith to believe it's possible." 

Many of the realtors I once knew from my title business have found themselves looking for new ways to earn income.  Some of them are now mortgage brokers in addition to realtors, some are working in the mall, some have started multi-level marketing opportunities while others have found full-time employment in completely different fields.  Does this mean they are no longer realtors?  Does this mean they are any less experienced as realtors?  I think not - to both questions.  They are looking for new opportunities and not just sitting around waiting for the market to recover.  I love this quote from Richard Branson, "Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming."  (my grandmother used to say that about men!!) The statement is true - don't just sit around "waiting" for things to improve. Go out there and create new opportunities.

My daughter is another excellent example.  She just graduated from Florida State University with a degree in English and a minor in Education.  She dreams of being a High School English Teacher and eventually a High School Principal.  She graduated in August when most positions for teachers were already filled.  She signed up to be a substitute.  Took a part time job doing phone sales for a friend of mine and also got herself a job as a waitress here in town at a great restaurant that closes early and is always packed.  She just signed up to take her GRE with the goal of entering a local master's program.  She is one busy girl looking for opportunities every where she goes.  Wayne Dyer said, "There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there's only scarcity of resolve to make it happen."  My daughter knows that she is not going to be a waitress for the rest of her life, but for now this is what she needs to do to make a living.  Needless to say, I am very proud of her.

Don't be afraid to broaden your horizons and take on something new.  You never know what the future will bring, who you may meet, or how much fun you can have trying something new.  It may take you a few tries to find a good fit, but if you trust your instincts and stay true to your own desires and passions you are sure to find opportunity where you least expect it. I wish you all good luck.  Remember this quote by Peter Drucker, "The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as opportunity."

Tip 30 is on Balance even though the subject line reads Better Late Than Never.  Sorry for the delay in getting my Tuesday Tip to you, but I was on vacation!!!  My 9 year old son and I flew into NY on Friday to spend 3 wonderful days with my family.  I attended my cousin Ellen's beautiful wedding on Sunday and then Monday we took Amtrak down to Washington DC for 3 exciting nights. We took in all of the sights and had a total blast.

I could have taken my laptop and did my Tip on the scheduled Tuesday, but I didn't.  I wanted to give my son my undivided attention.  It was our first solo vacation and he had just learned about government in the 3rd grade.  There are times that work is not as important as family.  I had recently read an anonymous quote, "In the time of your Life. Live." Does it really matter in the big scheme of things whether or not all my loyal readers got the Tip on Tuesday?  I think not.  I think there are times that we must put away our laptops, cellphones and pagers and spend quality time with the ones that we love.  I know that my son appreciated the time we had together and that was what was important to me while we were away.

Savoring each moment of your day is a gift.  We all are worried about the future and concerned about things in the past.  We sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses, appreciate a beautiful sunset or take joy in the eyes of our children when they light up with excitement at the site of the Capitol.  My dear friend Alys just suffered a heart attack brought on by Broken Heart Syndrome.  No kidding, this is a real affliction.  The sadness and stress she has been experiencing lately sent her healthy heart into spasms.  This was her wake up call.  I hope that we all don't have to experience this type of tragedy to start to appreciate everything that we do have. H. Jackson Brown once said, "Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures."

If you have someone special in your life make it a point to share some quality time with them.  No TVs, no cellphones, no emails, just you and your undivided attention.  Spend time with your kids before the summer is over and they are back at school with homework and extra curricular activities.  Do something different with them that you have never done before.  New experiences create awesome memories.  Something simple like picking up sandwiches and going for a picnic, flying a kite or taking the dog to a dog park.  Anything new seems exciting and will create lifelong memories.  Anything that brings us sheer joy and passion can turn into an annual event or monthly event.  Go for it!!!!  Enjoy.

Tip 20 is on Victims of Procrastination.  What is procrastination and why do we all suffer from it.  Webster's New World College Dictionary defines it as, "belonging to tomorrow, to put off doing something unpleasant or burdensome until a future time, to postpone such actions habitually."  So why do we procrastinate?  

Even the most motivated people in the world procrastinate from time to time.  We all get lazy and put off projects that we need to work on until some later date/  Most of the time it really is something unpleasant or burdensome and sometimes it's just something we would rather nor do or there is something we would rather do more.  I personally find that I set up little things to busy myself with so that I can justify to myself why I am not addressing the real matters at hand.  An example is that I will clear off my desk before I start paying bills or I will return a few emails before I write the difficult letter.

Some of us procrastinate because we are afraid of failure.  If we actually go after our dream what will happen if we can't get there or we are not successful.  Sometimes we actually start a new project only to experience rejection and we quickly become discouraged.  A few negative responses may provoke us to give up too soon.  I can remember when I was in the garment center making cold calls, my boss and mentor, Richie Wood, would always remind me that for every 100 rejections 1 positive reply is good.  So I used to make a game of it and keep a tally.  Every time someone said no I would thank them.  They would often ask why I was thanking them for saying no and I would explain that 1 more no brings me closer to the yes!!

When I was practicing law I had this quote by Abraham Lincoln framed in my office, "The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence.Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."  Keep that in mind when you look at your daily To-Do List.  Don't you just love to check those items off you list.  I know that I do and I sleep better at night when I know that I have accomplished items on my list.  Try breaking up your projects into smaller segments.  If you can accomplish one small part of the project and work on the rest later or the next day you are getting closer to completion.

Tip 14 is on Getting Motivated.  I was going to write about optimism, but I am not feeling very optimistic at the moment.  I am having a hard time getting motivated even to write today's tip.  Even a motivational speaker like myself sometimes has difficulty getting motivated.  So what do we do when we are feeling down or immobilized?  What happens when all the wind comes out of your sails or you discover something that is painful that you hoped you would never have to deal with?  We all have moments like this.  Huge disappointments regarding work, school, spouses and even our children slam us so hard sometimes that we are not able to motivate ourselves to even get out of bed.

So what do we do?  I can only tell you what it is that I do at times like these.  First, I give myself permission to have an off day.  It's okay to have a pity party as long as it does not last indefinitely.  I then reach out to those who love me for support and guidance.  Words of encouragement from those around you who believe in you and can remind you who you really are is always comforting.  Great self-help books and daily mediation books are always on my nightstand and available for inspiration when it is needed most.  My best tool is getting a legal pad and writing a list of all the things that I am grateful for.  Being grateful it a great motivator.  Finally, reaching out to give to others is the best way to fill yourself up and create that warm feeling that washes over us when we give unconditionally to another person in greater need than ourselves.  While we all have problems there is always someone out there that has it harder than us.

Charles Swindoll wrote, "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, that what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company... a church... a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice ever  day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our pasts, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how I react to it.  And so it is with you - we are in charge of our attitude."

“Change your thoughts and change your world.” - Norman Vincent Peale

Tip 10 is on Time Management At Its Best.  There were so many great quotes on time that I have found it very hard to limit this week's Tip to just two.  Let's examine time management from two different perspectives.  (1) How do we manage time to create balance in our life? and (2) How can we manage our time to increase our productivity?

We have spoken about balance before and how important it is to have balance in our lives to increase productivity all around.  Many of us carve out an hour at the gym in the morning or afternoon to promote well being, clear our heads and blow off some steam.  Others carve out one hour a day to do homework with their kids or car pool them to their events. We cannot possible give 99% of all of our energy into work leaving only 1% left for everything else.  Everything else would suffer.  When we do take time off from work to go to the gym or take our significant others out to dinner try to do your best to shut off the rest of the world and give 100% of your attention to what you are doing.  Benjamin Franklin said, "Lost time is never found again."  Just as we carve out time for these things in our personal life we must also apply these to work. 

This same concept applies in our work life too.  Looking at the work day, if we work for 10 hours how can we manage our time so that we are the most productive. Margaret Bonnano said, "Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time."  First I would recommend adding an auto responder to your emails that notifies incoming recipients that you will be checking emails at 9:30am, 2:00pm and 5:00pm.  These are just recommended times, but stick to a schedule that works for you.  Same goes for voice mails and messages.  If you are a morning person I recommend that you use the morning hours for developing, planning and prospecting.  Don't let phones and emails interrupt your flow.  Allocate 2 full hours to concentrate on the projects at hand.  Then in the afternoon do follow-up work, edits and review.  Respond promptly to emails and messages at the designated times of the day that you have selected.  The more you focus and refuse to allow interruptions the more productive you will be. 

“A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life."      - Charles Darwin