Balancing Act^®: The Newsletter

(No. 322, May 2026)

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

Copyright 2026 Alan Weiss. All rights reserved. 

ISSN 1934-3116

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Balancing Act is in four sections:

1. Essays
2. Musings
3. Developmental Stuff
4. ORTIYKMWOYBNT-O Department

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My wife and I have traveled the world for a long time. We climbed the Tower of Pisa which had no guardrails at all at the time. We clambered over Stonehenge's rocks with no restraints. We climbed Gaudi's unfinished Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (the descent was far worse) which had nothing but stone steps without other support.

Today, all of those edifices are carefully cordoned off, or fixed with handholds and bannisters and railings. And today, we use the bannisters and railings wherever we go, including in our own home. (Between 50% and 75% of unintentional injury-related deaths occur in homes: National Safety Council).

We hear of "guardrails" a great deal today, as well as "Let's not go off the rails." People seek safety and boundaries. Aircraft have three or even four redundant systems in case there are failures. The owner's instructions for my cars have manual options to raise and lower the convertible tops and even open electric doors that fail.

I don't think needing guardrails is a function of age, I think it's a sign of having been scared out of our wits and subsequent "after-shocks." Covid has influenced society and created a loss of confidence far greater than the potential effects of AI. We don't trust as much anymore, having lost faith in journalism, medical sources, politicians, universities, religion, and business leaders. There are too many scandals at very high levels, too many secrets previously hidden. With how many people did Jeffrey Epstein interact? It seems like thousands of people in important positions.

My wife and I were confident of our balance in Pisa and Barcelona. We didn't need guardrails and weren't surprised at their absence. But I have the distinct feeling that people are losing their balance today, even on level ground.

Monetizing thought leadership:

The Right Attitude for the Right Altitude

Date: June 23-24, 2026

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Fees: Starts at $2500

REGISTER

HOW ELITE CONSULTANTS EARN MORE BY THINKING DIFFERENTLY

This is not for those who need more tactics. It's for those who seek and identify shift to shamelessly build brand and command the income justified by their value. Objectives:

• The economic prism to best evaluate opportunities and clients
• Creating and justifying high fees without guilt or trepidation
• Exploiting the reasons buyers pay six and seven-figure fees
• Before and beyond a brand: a repositioned identity
• Creating a business that serves your life, not the reverse

​TOPICS AND DISCUSSIONS:

1. The Economics of expertise

• ​Better positioning trumps "more leads"
• The active volcanoes of IP
• Revenue depends on value clarity
• The supremacy of recognized value

​2. Continual value creation

• The psychology of capturing value and ignoring price
• Offensive, not defensive proposals
• Walking your talk, talking your walk

3. Surpassing "trusted advisor"

• The IA (indispensable authority)
• The myths of likeability and accessibility
• Distance without arrogance
• Rejecting positive and dysfunctional relationships

4. The authority/brand/gravity alchemy

• Visibility is not authority
• Thought leadership is framing, not solving
• To market upward you can't go sideways

5. The ROI journey begins at the destination

• There must be "reasonable certainty"
• Work backwards from outcomes
• Confidence and competence over credentials
• Your internal transformation

6. Road closed, do not proceed

• Scaling is something you do to fish
• Only profitable growth makes sense
• The "E" word is elevation, not expansion
• Your life cannot serve your business

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Experienced consultants, speakers, coaches in any field
• Those seeking a great lifestyle, not a specific monetary goal
• People who can openly share and be honest with colleagues
• Those who feel their talents and value can be spread much farther
• Those who feel under-valued and under-appreciated

​Applicants will be "curated" to ensure proper interactions.

$2,500 per person

$3,500 to include second morning with Q&A with Alan demonstrating transition needs for each attendee

$7,500 to include four hours of one-on-one coaching in 30-60 minute segments within six months, flexibly scheduled

$10,000 includes dinner with Alan one-on-one in a great restaurant. Note: I have one confirmed and availability for one more dinner on another night.

You will no longer struggle for client affection, selection, or projection. You'll be chosen because of your identify and authority.

Summary: You're not "buying" information or tactics, you are investing in a new way of thinking about yourself, the market, and long-term, sustainable immediate and passive income for you value.

LONDON:

On May 18-19 (1.5 days) I’m running a “cabaret style” session in my suite in London on how to create the identify, esteem, and market profile required to be a seven-figure consultant. The fee is $4,500, which includes a reception/dinner evening at a Michelin-star restaurant, a light breakfast and lunch. Write me: [email protected] or register here. I HAVE ONE SPACE AVAILABLE.

2026 Zoom Workshops January 6 Maximizing the coaching/advisory dynamic February 3 Maximizing speaking spin-off business March 3 Role-playing tough conversations April 7 Maximizing workshop effectiveness spin-off NEXT: May 5 Maximizing current events potential June 9 Role-playing tougher conversations July 7 Maximizing low project labor practices August 13 Maximizing panels—participant/moderator September 8 Role-playing toughest conversations October 6 Maximizing publishing potential November 2 Maximizing lifestyle potential December 8 Maximizing 2027 personally and professionally All sessions are approximately 90 minutes beginning at 10:30 US eastern time. These sessions are $450 each, or the entire year for $5,000. Add three months of weekly 30-minute coaching for $2,500, a total of $7,500. (My cards are accepted for the full-year, and for the full-year and coaching options, not for individual sessions.) All sessions will include video recording, visual photos, and Zoom Companion summary. Register here: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/zoom-workshops-2026/  AI: Alan Intelligence® My unique AI resource which will direct you to the relevant aspects of my entire body of work to answer your “real time” questions about proposals, value based fees, conceptual agreement, avoiding “ghosting,” and thousands of other issues with text, audio, and video resources, all of which you can download. Please go here to gain lifelong, constantly growing access to my work, including referral to specific pages in my books which you can access online: https://alanweiss.com/ai-alan-intelligence/ If you decide at any time to engage in one of my two elite, personal coaching relationships, I'll deduct the full fee you've paid for this resource. IT'S NOW IN MY VOICE! IN RECOGNITION OF THAT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT, I'M OFFERING A SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP: INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT $1,200, JOIN FOR THE ORIGINAL CHARTER PRICE OF $450, FOR TOTAL ACCESS INCLUDING MY LIBRARY. YOU CAN DO SO HERE: https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/ No annual fee, you can use this resource forever!       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. https://milliondollarconsultingcourse.com LEARN MORE   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. https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/advanced-global-learning-program/ LEARN MORE   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? https://milliondollarconsultingcourse.com/graduate-learning-program/ LEARN MORE   I had dust or a liquid spot on my desktop computer screen, and my fingernail couldn't remove it. I used a special cloth, but to no avail. Then I sprayed it, and when it remained I was afraid it was a chip or a defective pixel. I moved the cursor to find and ask ChatGPT how to safely remove the blemish, and when I did that, the spot disappeared. Alan Weiss’s Balancing Act® Newsletter is a registered trademark of Alan Weiss and Summit Consulting Group, Inc. © Alan Weiss 2026 You are subscribed as: _email_ To REMOVE or CHANGE this address, click here: https://www.cctomany.com/lu/_ln_/_up_/_dp_/