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9 Business Links, Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Book Review Courtesy of Halton Hills Library Be Excellent at Anything By Tony Schwartz ISBN: 978-1451610260 ©2011 Review by Beverley King, Halton Hills Public Libraries I magine you are the tortoise in the popular story about the tortoise and the hare. Today is race day. You relentlessly trudge along the race route as the hot midday sun urges you to stop and rest. But you press on without stopping. You passed the hare 15 minutes ago. That slacker was sleeping under a tree again. You already know that the tortoise wins. You also probably know the lesson in the story. Slow and steady wins the race. Here's the problem though: it's not true. It's certainly not true in modern life. It's certainly not true if you want to get a lot done and enjoy your life at the same time. Tony Schwartz shows you exactly how you can do both in his book Be Excellent at Anything. What do you do when the demands on you rise relentlessly and distractions seem infinite? Most of us hunker down and press on. We push harder. We stop taking breaks. We get less sleep and eat poorly. Instead of refuelling more frequently we just put in more hours and wonder why we feel miserable. Tony talks about how many us are more vigilant about refuelling and maintaining our cars than we are about taking care of ourselves. He reminds us that the winner of the Indianapolis 500 is not the driver who drives the fastest most continuously. Instead, the winner is the one who "drives at the fastest speeds on the track, but also makes the most efficient pit stops along the way to refuel, change tires, and make mechanical adjustments and repairs." Once we understand how we tend to react when the demands on us rise, then we can begin to change how we do things. Tony explains that it's important to understand that we are meant to pulse. In other words, nearly every system in our body operates rhythmically when it's healthy. Breathing, digestion and our heart rate are common examples, but during the day we also oscillate every ninety minutes or so from higher to lower alertness. If you understand and pay attention to these natural rhythms you can be more productive by simply working in blocks of time from between 45 to 90 minutes. After 90 minutes your body wants a break, so give yourself permission to stop and renew. This is often where we struggle because building breaks into your workday is counterintuitive and countercultural. In the story, the hare has the right idea. He's practicing renewal. When his renewal break is over he'll be refreshed and excited to sprint again. He's not a slacker. He understands how to be productive and enjoy it too. Tony's book is packed with many more insights and he includes action steps at the end of each chapter. He tells stories about how these principles have helped busy executives and even financial traders. I found many ideas that I've already started using. I'm sure you will too. So don't be the tortoise and push through the hot sun. Be the hare instead. Rest for a few minutes and then sprint to the library to get this book! Protection in a Time of Critical Illness I f you're like most people, you probably know of someone who has been diagnosed with or suffered from a serious illness. Because of this life-altering illness, that person, their company and their family also likely suffered from the financial impact of their condition. You may have asked yourself many times, "If I were diagnosed with a serious illness, would my business suffer? Who would pay the bills?" Thanks to improvements in healthy living and medical science, there is a good chance you would recover from a serious illness and get on with your life. Critical Illness Insurance is a product that provides you with the funds needed to ease the burden of a life-altering illness, so you can focus on getting better without the disruption to your lifestyle or income. Here's how it works. Upon survival of a designated waiting period after the diagnosis of one of several specific critical conditions, such as life-threatening cancer, heart attack or stroke, you will be provided with a lump sum payment, which varies depending on the coverage you choose. The benefit of this coverage is yours to use the way you want. That means you'll have the freedom to: · Pay business-related expenses that don't go away if you're ill · Complement your health-care alternatives · Hire a nurse or caregiver · Pay off your mortgage · Complete illness-related home renovations · Pay for child-care and housekeeping · Provide ready cash for expensive drugs and treatments in the United States and abroad All for peace of mind! Submitted by: Ray Johnson & Associates Inc. Insurance & Financial Services, 115 Main St S, Georgetown, ON L7G 3E5 Bus (905) 877-0131 Fax (905) 877-6072 RASPBERRY FESTIVAL On Main Street South Between Church & James July 23, 2011 Join the Downtown Georgetown Farmers' Market with our homage to the Raspberry! Bring the kids and have their face painted FREE! Featuring raspberry pancakes for charity, farmers, crafters, and entertainers. Buy it fresh at the market! For info call 416-895-1081 www.downtowngeorgetown.com