Bob Norton Consulting - January 2022

Bob Norton Consulting - January 2022

NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 [email protected] JANUARY 2022 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™

I want to congratulate everyone that achieved their goals this past year! My bet is that these achievers wrote down their goals and developed a plan to get there. I encourage you to write down your goals for this year and a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal); that’s a goal so huge that even if you don’t achieve it, you will still achieve far more than most people. In addition, if you regularly measure your progress toward your goals, you will also achieve them faster. And, by regularly, I mean at least weekly. For some short-term goals, you may need to measure your progress daily. This applies to all types of goals. My friend, Kevin Harris, uses the acronym HERO to categorize goals. HERO stands for Health, Energy, Relationships, and Occupation. The problem with most entrepreneurs is that we focus on Occupation (our business) over all the rest. Kevin says that we cannot fully achieve our Occupation goals, if we don’t set and achieve goals in the other three categories. He points out that if you don’t take care of your health, then you will not be able to take care of the rest. FROM THE DESK OF Bob Norton

THE 3 BEST BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEWYEAR

And How to Achieve Them

As we enter 2022, many business owners are setting goals or resolutions for the new year. If you want to take your business to the next level, make sure you are committed to your goals so they don’t just become wishes. That’s the biggest problem with personal and professional New Year’s resolutions: You have to be proactive and stay committed to your ideals if you want to achieve them. Simply saying what you want to happen is not enough. You also need to be deliberate with your goal setting. Nothing is going to change if your goal is simply to grow the company or increase profits. These are vague and unobtainable without a plan. Your goals and resolutions should instead include smaller goals along the way, leading to the end result. If you work the plan, then your business should see growth and success.

Here are our three best resolutions if you want your business to grow and succeed in the upcoming year.

Hire and train the right people for your company culture. One of the best things you can do to increase business success is hire employees who buy into the company culture. Sometimes the best candidates on paper are not the best fit for your business. When you’re interviewing potential employees, tailor your questions around your company culture and what you want from this position in the future. Pay attention to their answers and make sure they align with your beliefs and what you are working toward. Hiring people who believe in the company will enhance employee morale and customer satisfaction.

For this new year, make sure you set a BHAG to become a HERO in all areas of your life!

Your company culture should also be incorporated into training to ensure everyone is unified. If your training ties into the culture, then new employees will be more aware of

–Bob Norton

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... continued from Cover what to expect when they officially start. You should also make an effort to run your current employees through training at least once a year. Everyone is more likely to stay committed to the culture you put in place. Delegate responsibilities. As a business owner, especially a small-business owner, keeping things running smoothly is vital. But it can be difficult to delegate some of your tasks and responsibilities to others. You may think they can’t meet your expectations or you may have just gotten used to doing all the tasks yourself. But this could also be preventing your business from growing. You need to trust your team and give them the opportunity to do some of the work. You can still oversee their tasks, but you do not need to do everything

— this is the quickest path to burnout. Hiring the right people can make delegation a lot easier.

Market your business on social media. Successful companies get the word out! And social media has made marketing more accessible to just about everyone. Companies that were unable to afford marketing campaigns or television/ radio spots can now turn to social media to market their brand and products. But the most important thing is to target your prospective clientele. You will not attract everyone with your marketing campaign, so figure out who your customers are and target them. If you’re new to the world of social media marketing, many valuable tools can help you on your way. Planning programs like Buffer allow you to draft and schedule posts in advance. Beginner graphic design apps can help if you are concerned about how your content is presented. Do your research and find the best tools for your business so it serves your larger goal to grow and increase profits. When it comes to setting up your business for success, many smaller goals can help pave the way. Whether it’s hiring, training, marketing, or something else entirely, you can do plenty of things to take your business to the next stage. As long as you’re deliberate and committed to your goals, anything is possible.

6 SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN WAYS TO BOOST YOUR BRAIN POWER Is Neuroplasticity the Secret to Success?

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt throughout your life, forming new connections that can have a direct impact on your energy, productivity, focus, creativity, motivation, and much more. Your brain can expand and grow even after an injury. That’s why many entrepreneurs are saying the same thing: One of the smartest ways to invest in your business is to devote resources to your most important asset — your brain. But how do you keep your brain active, healthy, and functioning at a high level? Param Dedhia, MD, says six key areas are involved: sleep, exercise, joy, nutrition, internal medicine, and inflammation. All of these factors work independently, but together, they can promote neuroplasticity, which is why they all require equal attention. Everyone wants to stay engaged with the world around them, but you can’t do that without sleep. In fact, research published by the journal PLOS One discovered that getting six or fewer hours of sleep was associated with memory and executive function problems, i.e. problem-solving, planning, and execution. So, make sure you get enough sleep before tackling your day.

and function in various brain regions,” promoting brain growth and even delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Promoting growth can also be as

simple (or as difficult) as focusing our attention on thoughts that bring us joy. Gratitude promotes very different brain activity than negativity, anger, or bitterness, and studies on gratitude show that the positive effects can be lifelong.

Nutrition can’t be understated either, since it can assist your body in maintaining health and fighting inflammation. The brain uses about 20% of the body’s calories, and eating plenty of omega-3 fatty acids can strengthen brain cells, while antioxidants reduce cellular stress and inflammation, which are linked to brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. With the right habits, you can keep your brain healthy for many decades to come. You might even grow in entirely new and unexpected ways.

Exercise is crucial because, according to brain plasticity researchers at IOS Press, exercise “alters the synaptic structure

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The Importance of Having a Hobby SKILLS THAT ENRICH US Hobbies also provide eustress . Believe it or not, one type of stress is deemed beneficial: eustress. If you aren’t overly stressed and are feeling a little under-stimulated, a hobby can provide activity for both your mind and body to keep you feeling excited about life and ready to take on new challenges and adventures. Hobbies offer a social outlet. Some hobbies involve group activities, such as bowling, sports teams, book clubs, and even wine tasting. Connecting with others offers the social support humans depend on to lead a healthy and fruitful life. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find some great friends who share the same passions as you! Hobbies develop patience. When you take on a new hobby, you are tasked with learning something new. Whether you’re practicing a new instrument, learning a different language, or figuring out how to make jewelry, a learning curve is involved. Building new skills takes patience, a very important attribute for success. Finding a hobby that suits you may take some exploration and trial and error, but it is all in good fun! Make it your goal to try something new or learn a new skill each month until you find something that sticks. Once you do, you’re sure to find that hobbies are both enjoyable and enriching!

January is National Hobby Month, and since it falls at the beginning of the year, it’s the perfect time to try something new! Hobbies add variety to your life and ensure you aren’t just living to work, so to speak. The best way to find a hobby you enjoy is to be open to new things. Whether it’s gardening, reading, drawing, running, fishing, crafting, or even beekeeping, finding an activity you enjoy is important. Here’s why! Hobbies are stress relievers. Hobbies offer a healthy escape from your busy lifestyle by keeping you engaged in something you find pleasure in. Instead of just relaxing on the couch and turning off your mind for a bit (which is totally acceptable sometimes), hobbies allow you to remain mentally productive while winding down at the same time.

Take a Break!

Black Bean, Mango, and Avocado Salad Inspired by BBCGoodFood.com

Liven up your healthy eating this year with this Latin-inspired, flavor-packed recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 small mango, skinned and chopped

• 1 medium red onion, chopped

• 1 avocado, chopped

• 2 cans black beans, drained

• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved • 1 red chile, seeded and chopped

• Cilantro, chopped and to taste

• 1 lime, for zest and juicing

BLANKET CARNATION COLD EMMYS

FOOTBALL GARNET JANUS MITTENS

PARADE RESOLUTION SNOW WORKOUT

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the ingredients together. Serve and enjoy!

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THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™

Norton Accounting Services, LLC

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NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 [email protected]

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 Making the 3 Best Business Resolutions Achievable PAGE 1 Make Neuroplasticity Your Secret to Success PAGE 2 Why Hobbies Are Important PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Black Bean, Mango, and Avocado Salad PAGE 3 The Original ‘Celebrity’ Athletes PAGE 4

GLADIATORS: THE ORIGINAL CELEBRITY ATHLETES?

January is a big month for sports. The College Football Playoff takes place, the NFL playoffs begin, and the NBA and NHL seasons are fully underway. Stars from each of these leagues have cultivated a global fan base and become celebrities. While this might seem like something that could only happen in the present day thanks to international media and the internet, historically, many gladiators reached untold levels of fame thousands of years ago. For the most part, gladiators were not born into wealth and never saw much money during their careers. In most cases, they were originally slaves who became so indebted that they

Promotions for gladiator fights were very similar to what you see when traveling to a professional sports stadium today. Instead of paper posters to promote athletes or upcoming games, the ancient Romans painted their posters directly on walls. These painted posters often gave dates and times for upcoming matches and included gladiators’ names and sometimes even their records. For a better understanding of gladiators and the popularity of their matches, take a look at the Colosseum in Rome. This massive amphitheater was built almost 2,000 years ago and could seat up to 75,000 people. For comparison, the biggest stadiums in America hold a little over 100,000 people. Back then, there

had nothing left to sell but their bodies. For a variety of reasons, slaves were chosen and sent to gladiatorial schools, where they trained to become the best at their craft. When we think of gladiators, we often picture giant arenas and lots of death, but that was rarely the case. It’s estimated that anywhere from 1 in 5 to 1 in 8 matches ended with a combatant’s death. While the gladiators themselves did not have much money, they were very expensive to train and not easily replaced.

were no Jumbotrons or screens to see from far away. Tens of thousands of people would go to watch gladiator fights with nothing but their own two eyes. While they might not have had the luxuries or money our current athletes have, gladiators still had quite a bit of fame. If anything, gladiators

prove that athletes are and always have been incredibly influential in society.

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