10 Recommendations to Change Your Life in 2020 from the DeSocial Connector

We are now in a new decade after one that was definitely defining in the world of information technology, marketing, health/wellness and entrepreneurship. 

In the world of IT, it is cloud, Internet-of-Things and cybersecurity. 
In marketing, it is social analytics and the death of traditional marketing.
In health/wellness, it is all about what we put in our bodies and how much we move.
In the world of entrepreneurs, it is all about the side hustle and why you need it today to survive financially.

The world is different and it you are not willing to adjust to the rapid change, you will be left in the dust!    With the experience I built over the past decade in IT, Marketing, Health/Wellness and Entrepreneurship, I like to provide 10 recommendations for you to get off to an amazing start this decade.

(1)  Focus on being proactive when it comes to great health.
I wanted to start with this one since, without great health, you will not be here reading this blog.   We are in a society of a quick fix, you know take a pill, or drink a shake or fake exercising.   You need to focus on your lifestyle and implement a fitness, supplementation, diet and mindset program now to get yourself off to a great start!

(2)  Get out there and network professionally.
You are never going to get ahead in the professional world, unless you connect with other professionals face-to-face and build lasting relationships.   If you are looking for a job, this is the only way to go.  Sitting behind a computer gets you nowhere.

(3)  Take social media seriously.
I heard it a lot out there, you know I don't do Facebook, Tik Tok or Instagram.   Social Media is the second coming of the First Amendment and it is out of control, but it is the best way to learn, connect and influence others.  There is a place and platform for everyone, just spend your time wisely on it.

(4)  This is not your parent's IT running our companies today.
Information Technology is no longer about building systems and on-call support.  Today's IT is about adaptability, the endless cloud and security.   It is also about getting out of your shell, or away from coding behind a couple of monitors, and partnering with your business to be a service provider.

(5) There is no more Corporate America.
Back in the day, the typical professional stayed at their company for 5, 10 even 20 years, and did the same job, while building a 401k and hoping for 65 to come soon.  This is not the case today.   Now we are in the world of constantly selling ourselves, building our personal brand and hoping we can stay consistently working.  We need to always be on edge that we may not have a job tomorrow.

(6) Side-hustles are cool.
I am in Information Technology, but love Marketing and Health/Wellness.  I build my side-hustle around my passion for Social Media and being healthy.    The great thing about side hustles are that it gives you hope for the future and you will notice that you are more positive about life.

(7)  Diets are not the answer.
The classic New Year's resolution is going on a diet especially after indulging over the holidays.   Generally diets don't work.  You cannot expect to drink a shake and/or skip meals and expect to be healthy.    Eat the right foods often, drink water and exercise, and you will see results.

(8) If you have a small biz, take digital marketing seriously.
Marketing is the #1 way for your future customers to know about your company.  So many times, business owners delay and don't focus on their website and that is ok.   I recommend getting a company to do it for you and build a great marketing campaign to show your customers how serious you are about your business.

(9)   Constantly education yourself.
I am going to be honest, watching American Idol does nothing for you.   Instead of sitting in front of a TV drinking coke, get out there in the evening and go to a meetup or a presentation on something that you are passionate about.   You will be networking, learning and may find something that you can focus on!

(10)  Get a mentor.
If you want to get healthy, find a healthy person to mentor you.
If you want to start a business, find a successful business owner to mentor you.
If  you want to switch careers, find someone that switched their career.
The first place to start is to find an influencer to get you started.!

I hope my recommendations can help you.  It is all about taking advantage of the life we have and to help others, so let's rock it in 2020 and be successful together!

AIMC Entrepreneur Tip - Business Ownership, Sales

So You are Afraid of Sales and Want Nothing To Do With It? You are Selling All The Time!

The word "Sales" is a terrifying word for most professionals.   The thought that they have to peddle some product or service to some stranger is one of the most terrifying ordeals of anyone's life.   Even worse is if you are forced into old school sales practice such as cold calling or door-to-door sales.  Yikes!  I think I am going to crawl under the nearest boulder and not come out!

Being a sales professional can be one of the most lucrative opportunities you can do.   Some sales professionals, depending on their product or service, can make more money than a doctor, lawyer or even a successful TV personality.   It is one of the hardest professions, but can be one of the most rewarding, especially if you were an introvert and you were "forced" to get out of your shell to make a living.

Sales comes in different formats.

There is direct sales, such as network marketing.     Network marketing is promoting a product or service using your network of contacts.  The marketing process is key since it makes the sales process easier.

There is also inside sales, where you are in the relationship building business and outside sales where you are the hunt for prospects.  There are also account managers, sales support where you are working to keep your current customers happy.

Are you overwhelmed yet?  This is probably why a lot of people avoid getting into sales.  One of the biggest objections I get when recruiting business partners in my business is because the person is terrified of sales!

The reality is that we are all in sales all the time!

Think back when you were a kid and saw this cool toy or candy in the store and wanted it bad.  You proceeded to scream your eyes out at your parents until they budged and ended up buying your favorite toy or candy bar.   You won your first sales challenge!

Also, you were out and about and saw the person of your dreams.   You built up the coverage to talk to them and they next thing you know, you are dating them and then comes marriage and then the family!    If a lot of people were afraid of sales, there would be a lot of single lonely people out there!

Another example, is when you got that big job interview after graduating from a prestigious university and you need to convince your future hiring manager that you are the best professional for the opportunity.  You are in constant selling mode until the big decision is made.

If you think about the three examples I provided from convincing your parents to buy you something, to dating then getting that dream job, the reality is that 95% of us have all had to sell/convince others to get what we want.   We are always convincing someone to give us what we want.   So why does only 5% of us love sales?  I mean really love sales?   Sounds backward to me.   It could be fear or rejection, or we are simply shy.  But even the shyest people get married or interview for a job, so why don't they like to sell?

I will leave my question open-ended since there are a lot of reasons people are afraid of sales.   But the next time you are approached by a sales professional, listen to them since they took the next step to conquer their fears and they probably realized that they have been selling all of their life anyway.

The one tip I will leave to the sales professional, the most important organ is your ear, listen to others and that sales thing will become fun and lucrative!

Adapt or Die - Why Change is Great for Your Career, Business and Life

You heard it all before, that old saying "This is how it has always been done, it works, why change?".  As an IT professional, it drives me crazy to hear that, since IT is supposed to be all about innovation and adapting to changing technologies and processes.

I would like to provide some examples, how entrenched we are with not changing our habits, our career and generally, the way we do things.   Then, I like to offer a suggestion how to change.

Have you ever noticed that when people go to vote, they select the same candidate over and over again, despite complaining about the state of affairs and how bad the candidate is.  Think Rhode Island politics.   Next time, perhaps research the other candidates and make an educated risk to select someone new.   It may bring the change that is needed in your area.

When people talked about shopping online, Amazon comes to mind first.  Believe or not, there are way better online shopping sites out there, and they don't ding you for that great deal of $99 a year for "free shipping".

Here is a case of a relationship going through the motions.  When a couple is thinking of going out to dinner on a Saturday night and they end up going to the "usual" place where every wait person knows their name.  Eventually, the ravioli may get a little boring.   Check out some websites that can provide some ideas of new new restaurants and/or entertainment venues to mix it up a little and put a spark in that old relationship.

How about a classic, the corporate employee that will not go away.  You have been working at the same job for eight, ten maybe fifteen years, and someone suggests that you attend a networking event or to look at a business idea that might make you more money.  Your first reaction, is that networking events and side businesses are a scam.   Working 9 to 5 is the way to go, why change?  Until that ol' layoff happens.    Change your perspective and listen to ideas and build your network, even if you have been at Fidelity for 50 years in some comfy job with 1% annual raises.

Face it, the world is changing fast.   Real fast.
Technology is eliminating jobs.   Jobs are no longer safe.  Technology professionals have to constantly stay ahead of the curve.  After all, how many C++ programmers are there now that are still working steadily.    Adapt to new technologies or die.

The whole idea of change is to introduce opportunity and a new perspective that can bring great results.    The ones that can adapt to change without thinking it is bad, live on.  The ones that thinks change is bad, die.

So take a different route to work next time, try a new restaurant, shake up that exercise routine and most all adapt to life, since life is changing fast for all of us, and for the better.

When It Comes to Your Health - It Is All About Love, Nutrition and Exercise - An Inspiration from Max

Recently, we lost our beloved miniature pinscher, Max, after enjoying 15 and half years of his 18 years of life.   Max was our son, our laughter and our guard dog.   After a long day, it was always heartwarming to see his little tail wagging in happiness to see you and then he proceeded to beg for a treat.    Max has provided more memories that will forever be on our minds.

It has been a tough few weeks.    As we broke the news of Max's passing to friends, family and colleagues, the outpouring of sympathy warmed our hearts.   When we mentioned Max's age, that he passed at 18 years old, a sense of amazement and eyes popping our of their heads was a common reaction.    Wow, Max lived 18 years?   The life expectancy of miniature pinschers was around 14 years.   We were always asked, what was our secret to Max's long life?

It was easy.
Love, Nutrition and Exercise.

Love - We were always there for Max and telling him that we loved him and made sure he had all the comforts of home.   We treated Max like gold since he was gold to us.

Nutrition - We rarely gave Max human food.  After all, he is a canine.   We made sure he had his vitamins and ate the best food.   He would have a treat here and there, but we made sure the treats had the nutrition Max needed for a long life

Exercise - Max didn't just sit around.   Until his last week, we took him out for walks every day, sometimes 3 or 4 times a day.  Max has hiked a few short mountains and walked some of our great beaches.   Back in the early days, he would sprint after the squirrels and rabbits in our back yard.

What we learned from caring from Max is how important, love, nutrition and exercise is to personal health.   I know I am stating the obvious, but for some people that are not in the best of health, perhaps something is missing that will help them reach their health and wellness goals.

Here are some ideas to help you focus on the three important aspects of great health.

Love - At AIMC Health Solutions we always stress that positive mindset and determination is the most important part of a health/wellness plan.   First, get rid of any negative influence in your life and focus your energy on the positive influences in your life.   Even if you are totally out of shape and are going to the gym for the first time, congrats to you and hang with people that cheer for you, not hurt you.   You will notice your energy level go up the more you are around positive influences.

Nutrition - It really is all about what you put into your bodies.    You heard that sugar strips your body of nutrients and even causes disease if taken in high doses.   Dairy, alcohol and soft drinks do nothing to help your health.   Yes, milk has calcium, but it is pasteurized calcium, not the real thing.  Focus on food that is naturally produced like fruits and vegetables, and take a vitamin supplement to help closed the gap on your body's daily nutritional needs.    Once you start eliminating sugar and artificial foods out of your diet, you will notice your appearance and general feeling about life to be a lot better.

Exercise - Another important aspect of what AIMC Health Solutions preaches to their clients is fitness and exercise.   You can eat the best foods, take the best vitamins, but if you don't move, you may still have health issues.   A recent study mentioned, that people that sit at a desk all day at their job is worst than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.    Put together an exercise program with a mix of cardiovascular work, free weights and even yoga and follow it at least three or four days a week.   A little tip is to go for walk after each meal so your body processes your food faster.   The more you exercise, the better you will feel about yourself and reach your health and wellness goals.

Finally, when it is all said and done, focusing on love, nutrition and exercise is what it is all about, so lose the negative nellies, eat small nutritional meals, and get the gym and you will experience some amazing results!

How to Set Yourself Apart in the Social Media World - 5 Quick Tips

In the digital world we are in, the daily drill is always the same.

You head into the homestretch of your long day, and you have some time, so you pull out your smartphone to check your Facebook News Feed, Messenger, Twitter and Instagram.

As you scroll through your newsfeeds and messages, you notice a lot of boring monotonous posts about the same damn thing.

Political Post
Political Post
Post About How Great Life Is
Post About How Miserable Life Is
Political Post
Post About Great Ground Floor Opportunity That Will Make You Rich
Political Post

Makes you want to flush your smartphone down the toilet.

Bu then, you get all anxious that you might be missing the meaningless text or Facebook Post.  Maybe, just maybe, someone would post something that set themselves apart from all the rest.

So How Do You Set Yourself Apart in the Social Media World and not cause a spike of smartphones in our sewer system?   Here are 5 Quick Tips.

1) Identify and Post About Your Passion -  Everyone has a passion whether it is the weather, music, sports, helping others or simply a great hobby.   Post articles about your passion or a challenge you are having learning a new song on your guitar.  Chances are you will get some engagement and people wanting to know more about your passion and why it interests you.

2) Friends First, Business Second - A lot of people use their Social Media Feed to promote their business not thinking there is a human side of social media.    Join my team, buy my product or service, quit your job.  You heard them all.   Use Social Media to make friends and build rapport.  Talk about hobbies (See #1) and then if your friend identifies a need, talk to them about it.

3) Be Yourself - Your Best Self on Social Media -  Keep it positive on social media and don't gloat how great you are.  If you are having a bad day, stay off your newsfeed.   People can care less if your hair looks bad.   People care even more less about the fifteenth selfie of yourself you posted today.   Communicate with your connections and ask questions about their thoughts on a topic you were researching.   It will bring you down to earth and you will be your best self.

4) Manage Your Time on Social Media - Social Media is meant to be social, not spend countless hours looking at posts about politics or some other controversial topic.  Think about leveraging your time on the social platforms that will help you, not waste you.  Subscribe to learning groups and nurture your brain versus stressing it out.  

5) Don't Spam! But Do Create Curiosity -  Network Marketers are notorious for this.   They post about how they are this amazing entrepreneur and if you don't join their cult, I mean team, you are a corporate job loser.   And they continue to post about their opportunity and/or product daily.  This my friends is spam.  The better way is to post something that build curiosity so they your connections ask for more.   An example, is to post a picture of a clean car, or a vacation spot or of yourself with new makeup.   Leave the post open ended, so it leads to engagement.