Think, Laugh, Cry!!

Do you think everyday?

Do you laugh?

Cry?

Everyday you have the opportunity to make something great happen. Every morning, ask yourself, what can I do to make this a great day?

Jimmy Valvano, great basketball coach, once said, “To me there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is Laugh. Number two, spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions bring you to tears. If you think, laugh, and cry, that’s a heck of a day.”

I challenge you to incorporate these ideas into your business life as well as your personal life to make every day great.

Think!

Everyday you should take the time to think, “How can I make my company or job better?”

What could you be doing that your competition isn’t doing? What could you do more efficiently in your organization to increase profits?

All of us work IN our businesses. Take time everyday to think and work ON your business.

Laugh!

Play your favorite song while driving to work. You’ll be dancing into the office ready to kick butt. Tell a joke in a meeting, or watch the funny email your friend sent you last week.

Laughing releases the tension we build up during our work day. Take an active role in bringing humor to the workplace. Most of us don’t have enough FUN at work. Have fun and laugh everyday!!!

Cry!

Everyone cries at work. “Ohhhh, I got beat on price.” “The shipping company lost our order.” “That’s not my job.”

Instead of crying about what went wrong, cry out your victories. Every time you make the sale, beat the competition or get the check (my favorite), scream out YES!! Celebrate every victory you have in your company.

Before you know it, you will be celebrating all the time and everyday will be great.

Start today!

Think about and work ON your company for 30 minutes.
Laugh out loud with an employee, friend or customer.
Celebrate your victories! Scream out YES!!!

It will feel great!!

John Reinert

Winter is a great time to prune your trees. Most pruning projects consist of crown thinning and raising. Crown thinning is the removal of branches to allow the entrance of sunlight and air into the tree and foliage underneath. Crown raising is generally performed when branches on the bottom of the tree require removal for pedestrians, vehicles, buildings or aesthetic purposes.

I have listed a few basic tips for trimming your trees. If you have any doubt in your ability to prune trees, please contact BenMark Supply and we can refer you to a professional arborist.

1. Prune at Nodes – where branches meet
Make cuts where branches meet. Look for branches where the connection looks like a “V” instead of a “U”. “V” connections are weaker than “U” and should be removed first.

2. Avoid Cutting Branch Collars
Branch collars are the line of bark where the branch joins its parent stem. It will resemble a sewing seam. Removing branch collars will delay healing.

3. Cut Inward Growing Branches First
The first branches to be cut should be ones growing inward, towards the trunk of the tree. Also, remove any branches that are rubbing together.

4. Avoid Tipping Branches
Do not make cuts in the middle of a branch. Always cut at the nodes.

5. Don’t Remove Too Much At One Time
Only remove up to 25% of the tree at once. If more needs to be removed, plan to do so over a couple of years. Also, be careful not to cut more branches out than you can easily haul off. Cleaning up and disposing of the cut branches is a time consuming project.

6. Use Proper Equipment
Making sure you have the proper equipment on hand will save time and help reduce damage to the tree.

7. Watch Out For Falling Limbs
Be careful! Limbs can come crashing to the ground sending you into an unexpected slumber.

Stihl PP 780 Telescoping Pole Saw

If you are a landscape professional, or just interested in pruning your own trees, this saw will make any pruning project a breeze. I bought one myself about 4 months ago and was amazed at the ease with which this saw cuts. It is very lightweight and has an extended reach of 15 feet. Be careful though, this saw cuts so quickly you might have a huge task of disposing cut tree limbs. I am so sure you will enjoy this product, I am even willing to let you borrow mine. If you would like to try mine for yourself, email me at the address below.

John