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CHERISHING FAMILY DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Every Moment Is Special
The day after Christmas came, and I knew something was wrong, so I headed to the doctor. Lo and behold, he declared that I had the flu. It didn’t take long for the sickness to spread through the family. Nobody was safe. My dad ended up getting so sick that I had to take him to the hospital for pneumonia. Thankfully, everyone recovered. But I can assure you nobody will ever let me live that one down! That ordeal and last year’s pandemic caused us to hold off on any big holiday celebrations. Enough time has now passed that I think we’re ready to get back together. The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and the Christmas Day dinner just aren’t the same without everyone there. Hopefully this year, everyone can stay healthy. But for us, just celebrating one more holiday with our parents will be enough to make it very special. I hope each and every one of you has a blessed and joy-filled Christmas season.
grandkids, so I’m sure they will walk away from Christmas feeling like they got a lot of stuff. More than anything however, my wife and I will treasure this Christmas for the time we get to spend with our parents. We are grateful that we have both sets of our parents still with us. All four are in their mid-to-upper 80s. Not many people our age have their parents still with them, and the fact that we still have all four is something we are extremely grateful for. You just never know how many holidays you will get with your loved ones, so it’s important to cherish each and every one. It will certainly be a season of gratitude and celebration. The last time we all got together was nothing short of disastrous. Back in 2017, everyone gathered at our house for Christmas. My parents, my wife’s family, and my brother and sister and their families all came to our house to celebrate. The first few days were great, but something changed when I woke up on Christmas Eve. I felt some slight dizziness but didn’t think much of it at the time. I assumed it was allergies or a slight cold so the Christmas festivities continued.
We’re preparing to enter the winter season, and it brings one of the most popular holidays of the year. For me, Christmas has always been a time to reflect on faith and family. My faith is a driving force in my life, and Christmas is an ideal time to reflect on it. But this year is a little different. While our faith will still be at the center of the celebration, this year we will try to take a little more time to focus on and appreciate our very limited time with our extended family. My family is in a bit of a transition stage. All of my children and stepchildren are young adults, and only one has started a family of their own. I would prefer they all visit for the holidays, but that might be asking too much. They’re at a time in their lives when they aren’t tied down and can experience things they may never get to experience again. I can’t blame them for doing things that they find enjoyable but will hold out hope that we get to see them during the holidays. My wife and I have two grandchildren whom we absolutely adore. It’s exciting to experience Christmas with children again, and we will go above and beyond to make the holiday full of joy. My wife really enjoys buying gifts for the
–Brad Johnson President, Risk Services of AR
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Cybersecurity has become a major topic of discussion for both big and small businesses over the last 20 years. According to the 2021 Travelers Risk Index, cyberthreats are the top concern for U.S. business leaders. Some 1,200 business leaders participated in the survey, and 59% stated that they worry some or a great deal about cybersecurity. Business leaders say the biggest cybersecurity threats are security breaches, system glitches, and unauthorized access to bank accounts. Half of those surveyed said data breaches or cyberattacks are inevitable. Though the business leaders were worried about cybersecurity, only 61% felt extremely or very confident in their current cyber practices. Less than half of the respondents have basic preventative measures in place. A quarter of respondents stated that their company has been the victim of a cyberattack, with half stating that they were a victim in the past 12 months. That number is up 150% from six years ago. Not all of the news is scary, though. About 56% of respondents stated that they have purchased a cybersecurity insurance policy, which is a 7% increase from three years ago. Tim Francis, the enterprise cyber lead at Travelers insurance company, stated that most businesses are unprepared to deal with an attack, even though cybersecurity is a top concern for many. Through proper planning and the correct countermeasures, no business owner should have to worry about cyberattacks. Small businesses are often a target for hackers because security is so light. If hackers are met with resistance, they are more likely to find a different target. There is no downside to improving your cybersecurity defenses. By purchasing a foolproof security plan, you can rest easy knowing that your company, its assets, and all of your employees’ personal information are protected. By doing research, you can find the best cybersecurity solution to ensure that your business is protected.
SEE SALES GROW 4 LEAD NURTURE MUST-DO’S IN 2022! People want to do business with people they trust, and you can’t form a strong relationship after just one interaction. It takes time to build a connection with potential and current clients, and the more you put into these relationships, the more you will get out of them. When lead nurture is one of your top sales priorities, you land better sales, generate more customers, and create lasting partnerships that spawn referrals and more money spent.
If you’re ready to get started, don’t forget these four tips.
Automate: There’s no reason lead generation has to require extra work, even if it is a top priority. Set up weekly or monthly email messages, newsletters, postcards, celebration cards, and coupons that directly put your information in your potential consumers’ hands. This constant drip ensures you are always communicating with your leads without much effort. Be Consistent: Far too many businesses give up after three or four lead generation tactics because they “haven’t seen a response.” Nurture takes time! You wouldn’t expect a newborn to walk — why are you expecting your prospects to invest after such a short time? Commit to the long game, and you will gain the right customers who are excited to work with you! Use Multiple Techniques: In today’s digital age, you may believe email is the best way to put your message at the forefront of your prospects’ minds, but that’s the wrong approach. Your prospects get hundreds of emails every day — what’s going to make yours so special? (It probably won’t be.) You also have to target them with direct mail, phone calls, and freebies. Hit them on multiple levels, allowing your business to stand out from the crowd. Track : Once you make a sale, ask the customer what motivated them to buy from you. How did they hear about you? What platforms did they enjoy? This information can help you track what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to invest properly in your lead generation campaign. Furthermore, track open rates, responses, and phone calls after you release a lead nurture message. This data is invaluable.
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Why Do Animals Play?
When reflecting on your childhood, what are some of your favorite memories that come to mind? Most people probably have fond memories of playtime, whether it be playing a sport or just having a playdate with friends. Human children aren’t the only ones to get in on the action, though. If social media has made one thing abundantly clear, it’s that animals are inherently playful. Viral videos of cats, dogs, elephants, and so many other animals playing have been shared by millions of people. While watching these animals play with toys is adorable, playing also serves as a valuable tool for their growth. Many young animals use playtime as an opportunity to practice their hunting and survival skills. While it might seem like your cat is just playing with toy mice, they are actually preparing for a similar encounter
in the future. Many animals learn their hunting behaviors during their playtime. Dolphins, dogs, and even bears will utilize what they learned while playing in real survival scenarios.
Aside from hunting and survival skills, animals also learn many behaviors that improve their socialization. Animals that live in large groups will often discover while playing where they fit in the hierarchy of their group. Lions and wolves are just a few animals whose play fighting will help determine their standing in their group when they’re adults.
On the other hand, chimpanzees do not establish their role in their troop through play. Instead, chimps often practice and learn how to be better parents thanks to their playful activities. Female chimps in captivity are often given baby dolls that they shower with love and attention similar to how their mothers raised them.
Solution on Pg. 4 NOT SO DIFFERENT FROM CHILDREN Have a Laugh!
Playtime is an essential part of human and animal development. For us, it’s an important part of learning communication and societal behaviors. Animals also play for the same reasons, but they get added benefits like hunting and survival skills. More than anything else, animals and humans play because it is fun.
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INSIDE This Issue Cherishing Family During the Holidays page 1 4 Steps to a Better Lead Nurture Campaign It’s Time to Put Cybersecurity Measures in Place page 2
Why Do Animals Play? page 3
Embrace Being Wrong With Adam Grant’s Help page 4
Think Better With Adam Grant’s ‘Think Again’
A Better Mindset for Growth
accessibility to information, we must be willing to do two things: rethink and unlearn.
Think about the sting you feel when you are proven wrong. It hurts, doesn’t it?
Grant challenges readers to stand in the discomfort of being wrong, celebrate that there is something new to learn, and challenge themselves to interact with those who propose a new way of thinking. By doing so, Grant asserts that we can speak and argue with conviction while actually engaging and listening to arguments as if we are wrong. This allows us to learn, engage, and grow.
But what if it didn’t have to? Better yet, what if it shouldn’t?
Regardless of our attempts at humility, humans’ egos have inflated, and we are all conditioned to believe that being wrong somehow equates to being a bad person. However, renowned author and psychologist Adam Grant challenges this notion in his New York Times bestseller, “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.” With today’s divisive climate, Grant argues that we hold our beliefs up like a badge, illuminating them so brightly that we become blind to other truths or realities. Far too often, our mindsets focus on what is black and white, rather than understanding the gray nuances found in between. In “Think Again,” Grant’s third book, he argues that as rapidly as we get information in today’s digital world, we cannot be expected to fully know all of it. Being wrong is part of human nature, but as we gain more
In “Think Again,” Grant asks readers to consider better ways to approach their steadfast beliefs. Readers will find amusement in Grant’s real-world examples of turning skeptics into believers within a variety of topics. And, through these examples, readers will discover new ways to listen so they can gain a greater understanding of the world around them.
You can pick up your copy of “Think Again” and other books by Grant from an independent book retailer or by visiting Amazon.com.
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