BALANCING ACT: BLENDING LIFE, WORK, AND RELATIONSHIPS® A free monthly newsletter about balancing life, work, and relationships based on the books and popular workshops conducted by Alan Weiss, Ph.D.

Email not displaying correctly?
View in Browser

Essays

Musings

Developmental Stuff

ORTIYKMWOYBNTO

Balancing Act^®: The Newsletter

(No. 309, April 2025)

BALANCING ACT: BLENDING LIFE, WORK, AND RELATIONSHIPS®

A free monthly newsletter about balancing life, work, and relationships based on the books and popular workshops conducted by Alan Weiss, Ph.D. Past copies are archived on our web site: http://www.summitconsulting.com

ISSN 1934-3116

Balancing Act^® is our registered trademark. You are encouraged to share the contents with others with appropriate attribution. Please use the ^® whenever the phrase “Balancing Act” is used in connection with this newsletter or our workshops.

NOTE: To change addresses, or to unsubscribe, use THIS LINK

Balancing Act^® is in four sections:

Essays
Musings
Developmental Stuff
ORTIYKMWOYBNT-O Department

Follow me on X. Every day I provide 3-5 brief, pithy pieces of advice for growth.

Join the thousands who read these “quick hits” every morning. Over 9,500 followers! Why aren’t you among them? AND FIND ME ON Facebook.

Listen to my free Podcast Series on Apple Podcasts or on ContrarianConsulting.com: Alan Weiss’s The Uncomfortable Truth^®. And watch A Minute with Alan^® daily on all social media and my blog.

Misplaced Opposition

This is a country of free speech, stopping short, the courts agree, at shouting “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater. We’ve tolerated neo-Nazis parading through cities. However, violence isn’t free speech. It’s only a matter of time before someone attempting to damage a Tesla, or shoot at one passing by, or firebomb a dealership, will wound or even kill someone, probably a bystander. And someone’s spouse, or child, or parents will be devastated, and someone else’s family will see a loved one sent to prison for 30 years.

The Right Stuff

The astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned after being marooned on the International Space Station for nine months when their visit was intended for less than one. They seem to have never lost their energy or sense of humor, joined in the with crew conducting experiments and walking in space. Ms. Williams even changed her hair color. That’s indeed The Right Stuff. Think about it the next time you want to scream because you’re in a traffic jam.

The Galapagos

We’ve returned from a visit to the Galapagos, which is entirely volcanic, and where every animal and plant is non-native. Iguanas floated in on vegetation uprooted by storms; birds were caught in huge winds; insects and plant seeds hitchhiked on—or in—the birds. Nature has a way of perpetuating itself without our intervention if we just stay out of the way.

Recency bias is the overemphasis on recent experiences. For example, I never really noticed pickup trucks. I saw them, but couldn't tell one brand from another, figured they were used by contractors. But my wife suggested that we buy a pickup truck to haul the dogs around to the vet, grooming, and local trips they enjoyed, and also to use for her garden needs and holiday decorations, and so forth. Suddenly, I saw pickup trucks everywhere and started to understand the differences! I was astounded at how many there were and the varieties and options. (The best-selling vehicles in the US are the Ford F-series pickups.)

When someone coughs during an otherwise quiet symphony or theatrical performance, others start coughing, as if reminded that they need to do so, even though they hadn't been coughing before. (One famous conductor in New York—where else?—stopped a performance and told everyone who had to cough to do so now, because if it happened again he would leave. In a Broadway preview I watched an actor, Patti LuPone, admonish the audience: "Okay, that's enough of that!")

We sometimes meet with a prospect or go out with friends without a tabula rasa, in that we are under the influence of something we've recently heard, seen, or otherwise experienced. Yet, these days, that information we ingest is often incorrect, not validated, and can ruin the encounter.

"Trust but verify" is a Russian proverb made famous when a Russian expert mentioned it to President Reagan (and he deliberately used it against them). It's pretty good advice. I didn't just buy that pickup, I hired a "car concierge" who was expert in pickups to help me.

Recency bias also takes the form of listening to and deciding upon the last thing you hear about the subject. Just as there are bosses about whom we hear, “Don’t bring up anything after lunch” (because they tire or drink or just get ornery) there are others about whom we hear, “Get their ear at the very last minute.” This is a common political tactic, and it may be the peculiar reasoning behind those people at the polling places kept 25 yards away (like wild animals) screaming at you to vote for their candidate.

Don’t be swayed by what you hear late in the game, especially if you have your checkbook in front of you and your pen in your hand…

AI: Alan Intelligence™

This has now been launched in its "beta" testing, we have hundred of people already using it in the first three days. Go here for complete details: https://alanweiss.com/ai-
alan-intelligence/ For one lifetime fee you can ask virtually any question in any language and receive a narrative response, downloadable sources, and even directions and access to the applicable parts of my books!

Zoom Workshops 2025:

When you join for the year, you receive the past videos, or you can sign up for individual sessions:
April 8: Creating unsolicited referrals. An oxymoron, perhaps, but there is a system.
May 6: Gaining financial security. Stop guessing about "how much is enough."
June 3: Conversation with a star. A candid conversation with a success in my community.
July 8: Dramatic conversational pivot points. How to move any conversation to your destination.
August 12: Improving and sustaining an abundance mentality. Understanding that abundance is not what you have but rather who you are.
September 9: Conversation with a star. A candid conversation with a success in my community.
October 7: Self-awareness and self-honesty. The greatest lies are the ones we tell ourselves and believe.
November 4: Questions you always wanted to ask. I'll amass the questions, but you're invited to comment.
December 9: High potential marketing for 2026. The key market segments and avenues to reach them.

Each session is $450 or $5,000 for the year. Recordings are included within 24 hours. Add $2,500 for five, 30-minute coaching sessions one-on-one.
Time: 10:30-12:00 US Eastern Time.

LEARN MORE

An Alan Live Experience: Beyond Success

What happens when you’re meeting your aspirations, when your lifestyle is fabulous, and your prospects are excellent? How much is “enough”? Is there a “retirement”? How do you change (or sell) your business and IP? Are philanthropy, volunteering, and service right for you? Are you able to care for family and important others? What will keep you excited and positive—and “youthful”?

We’ll explore this and more over two days of intense discussion and exercises in a small group. We’ll get together in Los Angeles for two 9-to-4 days, June 11 and 12, including a reception. As you know, you’ll learn a lot from your colleagues and peers in that room. $7,500.

LEARN MORE

Thought Leadership Quarterly

This is a Zoom series based on my popular Thought Leadership Workshops. I’ll be presenting ideas, based on current events and predictions, that will propel you to the forefront of recognition in your “public square.” This will be highly interactive and questions are welcome in advance. This will be 90 minutes and repeated twice to accommodate various time zones, once at 8 US Eastern Time and once at 5 US Eastern Time the same day.

March 20, June 17, September 23, December 18, $2,000 for the series. Note that participants from the Delray FL Thought Leadership Conference can attend for free!!

LEARN MORE

Million Dollar Consulting® Global Online Program

Million Dollar Consulting^® for the World

I’ve provided 14 modules with videos from me, from your colleagues globally, slides, and text. They include everything from launch to self-esteem, proposals to fees, closing business to creating a brand. No upsells! It’s only $115. What do you think about a 10,000:1 ROI? We have over 500 people from 47 countries.

LEARN MORE

Million Dollar Consulting® Global Online Program ADVANCED

Million Dollar Consulting^® for the World ADVANCED

The new program contains over 60 videos and has 15 modules focusing on what to do in the buyer’s office, overcoming crises, financial planning, and much, much more.

LEARN MORE

Million Dollar Consulting® Global Online Program GRADUATE

New: Million Dollar Consulting^® for the World Graduate

Another 12 modules with videos by me and your peers on contemporary issues such as Raising Fees Aggressively, How to Be Consistently Interviewed, Maximizing Happiness, and Managing Multiple Projects. Join the people from 57 countries who are availing themselves of this inexpensive way to dramatically grow their businesses in any economic times. How does 100:1 ROI sound?

LEARN MORE

I like to dine locally, so when I was in Beaumont, Texas many years ago, the group from Chevon suggested Boondocks Restaurant. That evening I drove down a small paved road to a dirt road, with signs nailed to trees, “Boondocks 300 yards,” and so forth.

I arrived at a wooden cabin on a small rise overlooking what I would call a lagoon, with alligators and turtles clearly visible. Inside, there were thousands of business cards stapled to the walls. The waitress, chewing gum, gave me a menu and said, “What’ll you have?” I opened the menu and there were 23 entrees, and every single one was catfish.

I looked at her and said, smiling, “How’s the catfish?”

She looked back at me dead serious and said, “Not too bad.”