(Time to read this Blog is about 2 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   “You can’t build an extraordinary business by hiring ordinary people. When recruiting new Team members, are you looking for talent or bodies?” 
   …Donald Cooper.

2. Are you promoting without training? My friend and very sharp retail consultant, Kevin Graff, tells me that fewer than 10% of Store managers that are promoted to District managers are given any training on how to do their new job.
   Promoting without training is one of the biggest and most common mistakes in business today.  Stop setting people up to fail.

3. Rewriting the Rules to support ‘Remote & Hybrid Work’. According to a recent survey,
   40% to 50% of job-seeking workers are looking for remote or hybrid (partly remote) work …but only 9% of the open positions are characterized that way.
    
   So, employers need to re-engineer positions to accommodate hybrid and remote workers and develop new ways to connect with people who are not coming to central workplaces on a regular basis. They also need to focus on measuring results and outcomes…not ‘attendance’, because attendance can’t be measured remotely.

4.  23 questions to help increase sales this year.  To download my Biz Tool #A-14 that gives you 23 questions that can help you increase sales in 2022, Click here .  All 23 questions may not relate to your specific business, but most of them will.   

Now, to this week’s important topic:

Cooper’s 10 simple tips for having a more extraordinary life!  

For years my most asked-for business session has been, “Accelerate your business…how to sell more, manage smarter, grow your bottom line…and have a life!” 

The ‘have a life’ part is a real challenge for many business owners and managers.  I often ask clients, “Does your business model serve your life model?” and, sadly, the answer is usually an immediate, “No, not by a long shot”.  

So here, below, are my 10 simple tips for having a more extraordinary life.  I created this List for a client whose personal life was disintegrating, along with his business.  We ‘fixed’ his business and the List below rescued his family life. Some of these tips may be helpful to you.

 Cooper’s 10 simple tips for having a more extraordinary life!

1. Book time for yourself and family as you would for any other important customer.  We have customers at home too!
2. Create family traditions…they’re the ‘glue’ that hold families together. Without the ‘glue’ of traditions, families come unstuck.
3. Hug more.  They’re free, low calorie and returnable.
4. Hang out with positive, talented people.  Get rid of the toxic people in your life.  
5. Treat yourself.  Small, affordable treats are ‘celebrations’ that can make a big difference. For example, buy the best bed linens and biggest bath towels you can find…and every night will be like sleeping at the Four Seasons.
6. Live with great design. Great design uplifts and inspires us.  Bad design stresses and depresses us. Great design doesn’t have to be expensive.  By any kitchen gadget by OXO.  Great design for just 12 bucks.  
7. Use the alphabet to trigger new experiences.  Be alive…be adventurous.  Every month set a budget and commit to doing something that you’ve never done before that starts with the next letter of the alphabet.  Start with picking Apples or trying an Australian wine or going to Al’s dinner, or A Next month try Brie Cheese, Burgundy wine, or go to Boston.  You get the idea…start with A, work through the alphabet till you go to the Zoo, or adopt a Zebra …then go back to A again.
8. Give back…volunteer…practice random acts of kindness. When we make even a small difference in the lives of others, we make a big difference in our life too.
9. Travel…explore, expand your mind and enlarge your circle of friends. Get the book “A 1000 Places to See Before You Die.”   Pick a page…and go there.  Then pick another page.
10. All those things you’re saving for special occasions…get them out and use them now!  ‘Life’ is a special occasion!

That’s it for this week…

Stay safe…live brilliantly!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.