Business And The Day of Love Much Money Will Be Spent Today

  

I was asked: Why was it that I never used big words in my writing? The answer was because I want people to know that I am real and to also be able to understand that I live in the real world. The question was great but the answer was better !!! 

Good morning or afternoon depending on where you may be when you read my blog. I believe you can be anywhere at anytime and take the time to sit down enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a good read.

by Daniel Wesley

 

Tis year, Americans will spend an estimated $17.6 billion on Valentine’s Day—that is the second highest grossing holiday, coming second only to Christmas, and ahead of Mother’s Day, Halloween, and Easter. So just whose wallet is at the mercy of Cupid’s arrow, and what are they buying? Read on to find out.

You might be surprised to discover that while overall consumer spending is down, Valentine’s Day-related spending is on the rise. For example, in 2001, the average American spent $82.60 on the lover’s holiday. In 2008, at the start of the economic decline, the average spending was $122.98. This year, those celebrating will spend a whopping $126.03.

Today is  what everyone calls the day of love, but where did that come from. Today it should come from the heart. I was thinking about this late last night and well I began to think about my kids and I know it is about the significant other and well it should be but what about those that love you no matter what.

I believe that kids need to know just how much they are truly loved. I know we tell them every day but today they should also know how special they are.

Do not get me wrong I will tell my beautiful wife just how much she is loved because if I do not well I might end up on the couch tonight hahahahahahahahahah!!!

So where did this come from this Valentines day celebration?

Valentine’s Day: A Day of Romance 

By History.com

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

Typical Valentine’s Day Greetings

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Now that we have that out of the way let continue to business and the psychology of leadership in today's world. I find that when I go into any organization large or small I have the same questions asked or I should say most of the time the same questions come up but one in particular.

HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO DO WHAT YOU NEED THEM TO DO?

I have to tell you that my answer is always the same. "Treat people like adults and not children"  The other thing is that most companies treat people like if they were in the turn of the century and well that has hanged and one must not manage people anymore but manage their personalities and psyches. 

How many of you remember the old commercials that stated that the mind was a terrible thing to loose and then showed the egg on the frying pan and granted it was regarding drugs but in the real world in business how many time do we hire competent individuals who would be great leaders if we the owners or managers allow them to grow and become leaders.

We must allow staff to make suggestions and we must be open minded to the changes that come along with managing people.

You will encounter many different types of people during your management career.  If you are managing a group of around 20 or less, you really should be able to get a feel for each individual’s personality.  Even if you manage a group of 100, you should still be able to know the key players personalities.  It helps when you know what makes each one of them tick, especially when communicating one-on-one.  When dealing with different personalities, be tolerant of styles different from your own.  Always try to adapt to their personality to get your point across, or to get more out of them. 

You can’t use a cookie cutter approach with every employee.  In most cases, you will need to change your communication approach with each individual.  For example, you will not get your point across if you're too direct and data oriented with a touchy-feely kind of person.  In the same token, you would not want to be too touchy-feely with a no-nonsense type of person.  This is also important when delegating any projects to individuals or as small teams.  If a person or team is too analytical, there will be little creativity.  If a person or team is too sensitive, fewer decisions will be confidently made. 

Friendly cooperation will get you far more than unfriendly agitation in any market.
When you treat your competitors with the courtesy and respect you would like, most will respond in kind, and the result is a stable, productive, profitable industry. On the other hand, an industry or market that is composed of vicious, unethical competitors will soon destroy itself. When you are asked how your products and services compare with those of your competitors, speak respectfully and politely about your rivals, but use the question to shift the discussion to your company and your products. Acknowledge others’ good points, and then move on. If you complain too much about the competition, prospective customers may wonder what they are missing and refuse to buy until they have compared your products and services with those of others. 

If you wish “acquaintanceship,” be rich. If you wish friends, be a friend.

There is nothing like money to make you attractive and appealing to others. But, of course, the kind of people who are attracted to you only because of what you can do for them may be acquaintances, not friends. You may have many acquaintances if you become wealthy, but whatever your station in life may be, you will never have true friends unless you are a friend to others. Be very selective in your choice of friends. Choose to associate with positive people who like you for the person you are, who encourage you to be yourself and to be the best you can be. 

I always find Napoleon Hill to be one of my most inspirational mentors. He says what needs to be said in a brash kind of way but also in a way to understand the reality of life and not just in theory.