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Hello, Q4! How to Wrap Up the Year on a Strong Note
FROM THE DESK OF Bob Norton
Several years ago, I read a book by Hal Elrod called “The Miracle Morning.” In the book, Hal advocated getting up at 4 a.m., discussed the benefits, and described the system he uses. I wasn’t too keen on getting up at 4 a.m.
Subsequently, I read Jocko Willink’s book, “Discipline Equals Freedom.” This is an awesome book! And, yes, he advocates getting up at 4 a.m. I’m now getting up at 4 a.m. Not because of the books — because of opportunity. As we were approaching the tax extension deadline, I kept waking up early thinking about all the tax returns we still needed to complete. I realized I might as well get up and work on them, since I wasn’t able to sleep anyway. My typical day is filled with meetings, phone calls, and clients contacting me needing advice. This doesn’t leave much time to work on tax returns. I tried blocking time, but something urgent always came up to derail that. After getting up at 4 a.m., I had time to focus and be highly productive for hours before the
Wow, how the year has flown! We are now in the homestretch of 2022, and that means it’s time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s to make sure you close the year out strong for your business. Whether the year was a struggle for you and your company or you had one of your best years yet, it’s important to finish 2022 with a bang to begin the next chapter on the right foot. Here are some steps to guarantee a strong finish! Importance of Assessing To end the year on a positive, high note, it’s important to examine your business — its progress and accomplishments — over the past 12 months. If you set goals for 2022, how many of those are projected to be crushed by the time we close out the year and how many will likely be reinvented for 2023? What changes did your company see this past year? The more mindful we are of transitions and modifications, the easier it will be to spot positive advancements as well as situations that have impacted your revenue and productivity. Examine your data to unlock new opportunities. Examining Losses While it’s not fun or very motivating, taking a look at this past year’s downfalls is a part of the process. Keep in mind that failures are all a part of the journey. Examining what caused them and what could have been done differently helps to identify what should be done in 2023 — and are also great indicators of some new year resolutions.
daily meetings, calls, and emails began. This is time blocking on steroids. This is awesome! I’m even doing this on the weekend! –Bob Norton
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Celebrating Wins On the flip side, to close out the year on a positive note, make a list of all of the accomplishments your business and team achieved since the start of 2022 and find a way to celebrate those achievements! Whether it be a team event at the end of the year, a luncheon, or a dinner party, your staff worked hard all year and a little recognition goes a long way.
up projects, be mindful of where your business is and where you’d like to see it go, and to plan for a fresh and clean slate as the first quarter begins again! By assessing your year, taking your losses into account, celebrating your successes, and looking ahead to 2023, you’re sure to close out the year in a positive way for a strong start in January!
Looking Ahead After you’ve strategized on how to grow from the downfalls, it’s time to leave them in the past and focus your attention completely on where you’d like to go from here to head into 2023 with optimism. Remember that in January, it’s Q1 all over again, and that means it’s time for a fresh start. Which changes would you like to make? Which goals do you have in mind? What needs improvement and what do you just need to continue doing right?
As we enter the fourth and final quarter of the year, it’s time to wrap
We can’t change the past, nor can we predict or guarantee the future. In the end, all we have is the present, yet most of us live our lives ignoring its many possibilities. It’s easy to tune out the life around you, especially if you do many of the same things every day. Taking care of the kids, commuting, working, and running errands can blur together. Just as bad, when life isn’t going the way we want, it’s easy to fantasize about how things “should” be or how they once were. When we live busy or stressful lives, worrying or planning can also make us feel more in control. The problem with these strategies is that they don’t change anything. They help us discount the only thing we can control: what we do now. Life can pass you by that way if you’re not careful. The solution is to exist in the present moment as much as possible and enjoy the good things around us while we have them. Studies show that living this way makes people happier, healthier, and more likely to form strong relationships. But how do you even get started? The process requires a different way of thinking called mindfulness. Mindfulness is about focusing on what is happening in the present moment — not that work deadline, the movie you just watched, what’s for dinner, or the kids’ extracurricular schedule. It takes practice, and many people use meditation or breathing to help. WHY WE SHOULD LIVE FOR TODAY Never a Dull Moment
When mindful, we concentrate on what others say and become more fully present. We also start to notice the small things we usually overlook: the cool breeze on our skin, the sound of the birds, the feel of a sweater, or the sight of our loved ones smiling. Our lives become fuller. And our stress decreases because we’re not clinging to things beyond our command. No one ever stops worrying entirely, and some planning is necessary to live a successful life. But too much can leave us with no energy or time to enjoy it. John Lennon once sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Start living in the present so you don’t blink and miss yours.
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WHY DID OLD MOVIE ACTORS TALK LIKE THAT?
Understanding the Trans-Atlantic Accent
Hollywood loved the accent because it was neutral and would ensure all of the actors in any film would sound similar. You couldn’t tell who was from
If you’ve ever watched an old movie from the ‘30s or ‘40s, you’ve likely noticed that actors like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn speak with an unusual accent. It sounds very deliberate and almost, but not quite, British. You could be forgiven for thinking it’s just how people talked back then. But for the most part, they didn’t, unless they were rich and famous. The alternately described trans-Atlantic or mid-Atlantic accent was mostly a silver screen phenomenon that took off when actors began speaking in movies. Some people think the trans-Atlantic accent originates in early radio. Others argue it became common among upper-class Americans who wanted to sound more refined and differentiate themselves from the common folk. But it did not become a fixture until the first “talkies” hit movie theaters. However, film actors were not used to speaking on camera, and some struggled with it mightily. Realizing they needed help, many turned to elocution lessons to build their confidence and screen presence. Broadway consultant Edith Skinner taught many young actors, and she even published a book titled “Speak with Distinction” that gained currency with movie studios.
Boston or Texas when everyone spoke the same way. Many insiders also believed it was universal and crossed class lines so rich and poor alike could relate better to the characters. The trans-Atlantic accent eventually became a part of film language, but audiences understood it was an act. Few people knew anyone who spoke like the stars. Soon, doors opened for actors who broke the mold, and Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart broke down barriers with their unselfconscious, natural delivery. Many imitators made jokes at their expense, but the impact was lasting. The trans-Atlantic accent is now mostly dead, though you may occasionally hear it when actors want to convey that a character is particularly snobbish. If you want to experience the speaking style in action, your best bet is to turn to the classic movies that made it famous. Try films like “Bringing Up Baby” and “Holiday” to watch two of the accent’s greatest practitioners, Grant and Hepburn, wittily trade barbs. Once you get past the funny accent, you’ll likely notice the humor in the films themselves.
Take a Break!
Vegan Pumpkin Bucatini
Inspired by ThisSavoryVegan.com
Ingredients
• 8 oz frozen spinach, unthawed • 2 cloves garlic, diced • 1 tsp fresh thyme • 3 sage leaves, chopped • 4 oz hummus • 4 oz pumpkin purée • Fresh basil, for topping
• 8 oz bucatini pasta • 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes, packaged in oil • 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved • Salt and pepper • Red pepper flakes, to taste • 1 tsp dried oregano
Directions
1. In a large pot, boil water. Add bucatini pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain when cooked. 2. Heat a pan over medium heat and add sun-dried tomatoes (including 1 tbsp of the oil), cherry tomatoes, a pinch of salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Stir to combine. 3. Cover and cook until tomatoes are soft (about 5 minutes). 4. Add frozen spinach and cover again (2–3 minutes). 5. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, hummus, and pumpkin purée to the pan and stir. 6. Once warm and bubbly, turn off heat and mix in the pasta. 7. Top with basil, serve, and enjoy!
Bats Broomstick Cemetery Creepy
Grave Halloween Harvest Maze
Monster Scarecrow Skeleton Treats
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob Norton PAGE 1 Finishing the Year Strong PAGE 1 Taking Each Moment as It Comes PAGE 2 Why Old Hollywood Actors Talked Funny PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Vegan Pumpkin Bucatini PAGE 3 A Cat Helped Write a Physics Paper? PAGE 4
A Cat Coauthored an Influential Physics Paper The True Story of F.D.C. Willard
initials stand for Felis Domesticus Chester. The last name, Willard, was the name of Chester’s father.
Cats defy the laws of physics all the time, so it’s only fitting a cat would teach us physics more directly — by coauthoring a highly cited, influential physics paper. In 1975, Jack H. Hetherington was a professor of physics at Michigan State University, and he completed a paper on atomic behavior. However, he had a problem: As a sole author, Hetherington had used “we” throughout the paper. A colleague pointed out that publishers reserved that language for papers with multiple authors. With today’s software, this would be a minor inconvenience. But to fix his error in 1975, Hetherington would have to retype the entire paper manually on his typewriter. Time was short, and Hetherington had done all the work himself. According to Hetherington’s 1982 book, “More Random Walks in Science,” he explained, “After an evening’s thought, I simply asked the secretary to change the title page to include the name of the family cat.” And that’s what happened; the professor named his Siamese cat, Chester, as his coauthor.
The professor didn’t feel too guilty for trying to deceive the publisher: “Why would I do such an irreverent thing? … If it eventually proved to be correct, people would remember the paper more if the anomalous authorship were known. In any case, I went ahead and did it and have generally not been sorry.”
The journal loved the paper, but the ruse stayed secret among his close colleagues until a visitor arrived to meet the authors. When Hetherington told them the truth, they laughed, and not long after that, the feline coauthor became quite famous. F.D.C. Willard not only saved Hetherington from rewriting the entire paper, but also continues to inspire cat-related academia antics. On April 1, 2014, the American Physical Society (APS) announced all cat-authored papers would be made freely available. “Not since Schrödinger has there been an opportunity like this for cats in physics,” they wrote. We couldn’t agree more.
Of course, the name Chester wouldn’t look convincing as a scientific paper coauthor. So, he invented “F.D.C. Willard.” The
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