Balancing Act^®: The Newsletter

(No. 328, November 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.alanweiss.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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Listen to my free Podcast Series on iTunes or on ContrarianConsulting.com: Alan Weiss’s The Uncomfortable Truth^®. And watch A Minute with Alan^® and Alan at 80™ daily on all social media and my blog.

The mid-term US elections take place two days after the publication of this issue. Mid-term elections traditionally have not drawn huge turnouts. This one may well be different. A total of 22 countries require citizens to vote. Penalties include small and large fines, loss of voting privileges and prohibition of engaging in banking transactions!

I'm not a fan of compulsory voting because people are often voting to avoid a penalty rather than support a cause or platform. (I also oppose a reward for people voting. I don't think I need to explain the danger of people being paid to vote, as this may become a contest among who pays the most.)

A core philosophy of the American Founding Fathers regarding public voting for officials was built on popular sovereignty tempered by deep skepticism of direct democracy. While they fundamentally agreed that a legitimate government derives its power from the consent of the governed, the majority of the framers were deeply terrified of "mob rule" or a "tyranny of the majortiy" (the basis for Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America written in 1835). Hence, we have a "representative democracy," electing people who create laws for us.

To balance these ideas, they established a constitutional republic rather than a direct democracy, intentionally designed a system that would filter the immediate passions of the general public through deliberative institutions.

I don't believe we have a right to complain about our representation if we don't vote. And if we vote and our personal choices are the "winners," maybe we have to work somewhat harder the next time, or create more of a consensus, or maybe we're just betting on the wrong horse.

My New Book, The Courage of Your Talent, will be released in early November!

You can preorder here on Amazon: amazon.com/Courage-Your-Talent-Self-Esteem-Constantly-ebook/dp/B0GXRNT7DY

In today's volatile business environment, professionals face relentless pressures that erode confidence and self-esteem. Too often, worth is confused with performance—rising with each "victory" and collapsing with every "defeat." This book challenges that cycle, showing how true self-esteem can remain steady, resilient, and empowering without tipping into arrogance or slipping into imposter syndrome.

Drawing on proven techniques, it demonstrates how resilience means bouncing forward from setbacks rahter than retreating, and how self-worth must be distinguished from efficacy. By breaking free from herd mentalities, external validation, and self-doubt, leaders and teams can reclaim their autonomy, project confidence, and thrive in times of disruption.

The methodology outlined here equips readers to:

• Gain rapid acceptance of ideas and accelerate career growth in any organizational setting
• Improve health and well-being by reducing stress, guilt, and fear
• Achieve greater success in entrepreneurial ventures, partnerships, and solo practices
• Develop a clear, independent perspective on business and the world
• Build trust in one's own judgement, enabling faster, more confident decision-making

This book is a practical guide to cultivating self-esteem as the foundation of resilience, adaptability, and leadership. It empowers professionals not just to survive change--but to lead it.

BOOK BONUS PROGRAM: Purchase now in advance or when the book appears but before December 1 in these numbers for these benefits:

Copies:

You can preorder here on Amazon: amazon.com/Courage-Your-Talent-Self-Esteem-Constantly-ebook/dp/B0GXRNT7DY

Live Events: 2027 (NOTE: THESE ARE MY FINAL LIVE EVENTS. I MIGHT DELIVER MORE IN THE FUTURE IF SOMEONE ARRANGES THEM, BUT THESE ARE MY LAST PUBLIC EVENTS.)

I'm not "retiring" just moving on to other things.

1. Las Vegas—February 10-11: Escape Velocity Intellectual Property

• Creating world-class IP daily
• Application in all media
• Cataloging for use
• Trademarking/copyrighting for safety
• Application globally

Walkaway....with the ability to cretae emphatic, contemporary IP daily that will build your brand mightily.

2. Boston—May 19-20: The Future Is A Global Practice

• How to create remote work anywhere
• Creating global, passive income in any language
• Highly profitable global appearances
• The most highly effective personal travel
• Creating international examples and case studies

Walkaway....with a game plan to work as much or as little as you choose overseas in person, and maximize your ability to do so remotely. Have every foreign vacation legally deductible and highly profitable.

3. Miami—November 18-19: Creating Your Life Strategy

• Creating a future that is a calling
• Preventinve and contingent planning for profitable growth
• Examining and adjusting your beliefs and values
• Determining who is in your future
• Who do you want to be?

Walkaway....with perhaps the first true picture of a wonderful, personal future with processes and techniques to modify and alter based on changing conditions. Begin accumulating the resources you need now to be happy then.

Two days each

$2,500 each ($2,000 prior to Oct. 1, 2026)

$6,000 for all three ($5,000 prior to Oct. 1, 2026)

Register Here: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/2027-live-events/

AI: AlanIntelligence®

The response to my special pricing for AI: AlanIntelligence® on my site has been so great that I'm maintaining the $450 fee for the summer with full access for lifetime to my body of work, including book contents.

Here's what people are saying:

"Alan,

This is pure genius! In less than an hour, I got help with three projects:

• Webinar creation

• Updated Business Plan

• A prospect who's raising objections about fees.

I love it. This will be a tool open on my desktop/phone like ChatGPT. 

Ed Tate, CSP

(Certified Speaking Professional and former Toastmasters® World Speaking Champion)"

https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/

2027 Zoom Learning

The Downside Myth - Jan. 14

• How to recognize and assess the upside
• Changing your default
• Changing others' default
• Change does not include neutral

How to Magically Raise Fees - Feb. 16

• The art of the rebate
• Non-cash lucrative compensation
• Raising option 1 near nosebleed
• Developing immense value

The Empire Strikes Back - Mar. 16

• Tactfully dealing with stupidity
• Applying overwhelming social proof
• Rebutting in the moment
• Asking, "What will make you happy?"
• Avoiding the shoulda/coulda/woulda

Odds are 12:5 the Customer's Not Right - Apr. 13

• How Nordstrom got fed up with returns
• Gentle corrections using facts
• Firm corrections using authority
• The line is the sand for respect
• Reframing the issue

Using Debt Intelligently - May 18

• Finding the best sources
• Refunding through making and not taking
• Interest rates are not the top priority
• Maximizing your credit score (harder than you think)

Raising Your Local Profile - June 8

• Why this provides a higher and wider profile
• Learning how to bid with flare at auctions
• Serving on boards and leading boards
• Civic pro bono work

Collecting Powerful Social Proof Daily - July 6

• It's the news, stupid
• Never disregard "irrelevant" items of interest
• Creating analogous lessons
• Staying contemporary

Shedding Stress - Aug. 10

• Distress and eustress
• Only the dead have zero stress
• How to prevent the usual infections
• How to shed it when you get it

It's Not What Happens to You That's Crucial - Sep. 14

• Getting off the floor
• Rallying resources
• Why it's not as bad as you think
• What doesn't kill you makes your stronger

The True Metrics for Your Life - Oct. 12

• Ignoring alien metrics
• Permission to change expectations
• Unbundling concerns
• When to hold and when to fold

Alan's Top 10 Success Practices - Nov. 16

• I'M NOT REVEALING THEM UNLESS YOU SIGN UP!

The Wizard: Brains, Heart, Courage - Dec. 7

• Tailoring your feedback sources
• Cognitive renewal and growth
• Releasing true emotions
• The courage of your talent

$3,500 for the year until December 1, then $4,500

$450 per single session

$5,000 with six coaching sessions

NEW: Creating Urgency

Creating Urgency Dec 17, 2026

• Moving unmovable objects
• Galvanizing action
• The straw man on the burning platform
• Irresistible incentives

Register Here: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/creating-urgency/

$100 discount until Nov. 1.

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   We went to our favorite seafood restaurant where we always eat at the bar. As we walked in there was my wife's Diet Coke and my Hendrick's martini at two adjacent seats. "John," I said to the bartender, "that's amazing! How did you do that so fast?" "I saw you parking across the street, and it took you quite a few moves to get in. Plenty of time!" Download 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 protected] To REMOVE or CHANGE this address, click here: https://www.cctomany.com/lu/onynapvatnpg/yrbaneq/vapyvarznexrgvat.pbz/