Wisdom from Mom for the Aspiring Planner

My mom has been dancing with the angels now for 20 years. She was a smart and savvy business woman who taught me the value of a dollar and hard work. I don't always get it right but when I do, its because her wisdom continues to guide me each and every day.

I found an interesting and delightful article written by Randy Duermyer on About.com today and thought I'd share it with you as we approach another Mother's Day.

Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

10 Tidbits of Mother's Wisdom: A Tribute to Moms Everywhere
By Randy Duermyer

It will soon be the fifth anniversary of my mother's passing. Like all children who are blessed with a mother to guide them through life, many of my mother's sayings still resound. I continue to appreciate many of them to this day. As Mother's Day approaches, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to discuss how some of her famous, never-to-be-forgotten sayings apply to my everyday business life, even now. I think most of you will relate to these timeless pieces of wisdom:

Always wear clean underwear: you never know when you might get in an accident. Dress appropriately for the occasion and be prepared if a prospect or client might want to see you on a moment's notice.

Did you finish your homework? Have you really investigated that business opportunity? Are you really prepared to make your presentation to a client or a prospect? Did you check out your partners before deciding to do business with them?

Look both ways before you cross the street. A lot like Did you finish your homework - don't run your business with your eyes closed. Be alert to potential opportunities and try to think outside of the box from time to time. Investigate a company before you turn over your hard-earned cash for a business opportunity or franchise.

Eat your vegetables or you can't have dessert. We all have things we don't like to do, but they have to get done anyway, at some point so don't put them off. You never know, later on you just might like vegetables!

People in the world will starve if you don't finish your plate. Don't waste valuable resources. Recycle, re-use, re-purpose.

Clean up your room. Organize your office or workspace. Get your filing into the drawer. Create a pleasant and clean working environment for yourself.

Go ask your father. Sometimes it pays to get a second opinion when you're stuck on making a decision. It never hurts to ask for advice.

Do you think money grows on trees? Solid money management is important to keeping your financial head above water. If you need to make a purchase, shop around. Take advantage of all of your available tax deductions. Keep track or your return on investment.

Don't you think it's past your bedtime? No matter how excited you are about what you are doing, you need your rest in order to be effective. Don't work into all hours of the night as it will negatively impact your health.

Are you planning to sleep all day? Get up! With all of the freedom that having a home business or working from home provides, you need to be disciplined enough to create an effective schedule for your work activities and stick to it.

Next week we will continue our series on marketing with a post or two about networking one on one and in groups, and what some of the advantages and dis-advantages are.

Until then...

Aspire to Plan!