When I was on vacation in the mountains is Utah this past summer, I walked a stone labyrinth at the beginning of each day. Carrying only my sunglasses and hotel card in my pocket, I felt light and free. Since the labyrinth is a circular path, there is really no where to go. This actually was freeing. I could walk with intention, but just the same, just walk and not have to accomplish anything specifically except whatever came up for me.

We need to live our business lives more like this. There always isn’t some place to go or something to acheive. Many times, we just need to enjoy and be where we are. We can make alot of progress this way.

I have done some crazy things in my business life and today certainly qualifies in that category. I travel alot. I will do almost a hundred flights this year. One of the benefits of traveling on one airline is to get to their “supreme” frequent traveler status. If you get there, they treat you like “gold” and you always get to sit in first class if the seats are not purchased. This makes a big difference if you are on airplanes every week like I am.

With one month remaining (a two business trips to be taken), I am 3500 miles short of hitting that status….so I am flying to LA for lunch today so I can fly the miles to achieve that milestone. I have work and movies to bring along on the 8 hours of flying I will do today. Snow is expected in Chicago today, so it may be a long, long day…

I will making more blog entries today along the way. Please join the conversation!

There was a time when my youngest son would put a price tag on everything in his room so he could get money to buy the video games he wanted. He would lure dinner guests up to his room and ask them if they wanted to buy anything from his room. Many an “obligated” guest did.

I remember one time he had asked for something at the store that cost $5.  I purchased it for him but as soon as we got home, he put it in his room on display with a price tag of $3. I told him that I just bought that for him for $5…how could he sell it now for $3? (”we would lose money”) He replied, “It wasn’t my $3!”.

In that instant, I knew he understood the meaning of cost of goods sold. In my own businesses, I wish I learned that a bit sooner.

Tiger always says that you need to have a short memory in sports. Forget what just happened. You need to always focus on the next shot.

This is what it is to “Bounce!” in business. Make a short celebration of your victory OR feel sorry for your failure. But then focus your energy on what is coming next. It really does get you ready for your next great success. Focus on this long term cycle. It will give you the true business confidence that ultimately, in the long run, determines who succeeds.

I have always loved “Black Friday” - the day in the United States after Thanksgiving. It is the one day where you can work yourself into a buying frenzy and be considered normal. With the internet taking some of the significance out of the day, retailers are resorting to “doorbusters”- 50 to 75% off an item in their store (limit 5 to 10). As a result, people get on line sometimes the day before the store opens (at 4:00 AM)! Some stores are straightforward about how many of these sale items they have and some, well, the print is pretty small.

While I was not up a 4:00 AM and did not do any real damage. The average person buys $347.44 on this day.  I did buy later that morning (less than $200): A new winter coat for me, an new winter coat for my son, a game for my son (to be given for the holidays).

What was your experience like?