Many years ago, I had the occasion to coach young boys in a competitive baseball league. When I was asked to coach I did so with the idea that I would teach baseball in a manner that taught young boys how to lose and win.  As we all know, being a winner is quite a bit of fun but what happens when you don't. Many kids today and back then in the mid 90's were always told how good they were.  God forbid if a player ever felt bad. What a crushing blow it would be to the self-esteem.

With my coaching plan well thought out I assembled my team, clearly outlined the rules and then braced for the blow back that I knew would occur when my players failed to win. You see, I accepted a number of boys who would not be front line players on most teams. My goal was to get us to .500 for the season. We practiced hard, ran fundamental drills at every practice and kept everyone active the entire time. Then came time for us to suit up and get between the lines.  The time had come to compete. Sometimes we were really good and sometimes we were really bad.  Never did quite reach that level where you are always close to winning. It was an either or for us

As expected, losing created discontent and when that sets in all focus is gone.  You must know, my boys were 13-14 playing on regulation major league fields for the first time.  When teams lose players who are not regulars get a bit uncomfortable sitting on the bench. With limited playing time they feel confident if given a chance they can make the difference. It never works out that way.  They are not front line players for a reason.

After a rather long losing streak I decided to teach one of life's lessons to a young group of boys who no doubt lacked the capacity to understand what I was about to tell them.  Anyway, I took the plunge. I gathered the team for a meeting and simply told them that before you get upset about lack of playing time, losing or any other event they perceived to be negative I shared one of my keys to success. Do Your Best! Life's Not Fair!

By way of explanation I said if the 10th player is sitting on the bench he thinks it's not fair. If I made him the 9th guy and the 9th guy the 10th then he wouldn't think that was not fair. The point is very simple. In some way life is always unfair so get over it. Just keep working hard and some day you will enjoy success. It may not be in baseball and there may not be any understandable return on your effort. But, what you are doing is building an important work ethic, a positive attitude and an understanding that without effort nothing is possible.

It has been years since I coached those boys. You wonder how they turned out. I learned that one of the boys played baseball for several more years, some in college. I heard that he penned one of my comments to him in the bill of his baseball cap; to remind himself of the positive words I once shared with him. There have been a couple other stories that have come back to me.  It is rewarding to think that some of those young boys embraced the message.

In my personal life and business I work hard to maintain that same focus. I always try to do my best and I understand completely that life is not fair. No, I don't think anyone is purposely doing anything to inhibit my success (maybe someone is but so what) people are just going about their own busy lives trying to make a living.  So, you keep working hard, do your best and everything else will take care of itself.

A final thought. Realize that many things are bigger than yourself. Pay forward as often as you can it enriches your life!

This past weekend my wife and I had the occasion to spend a relaxing weekend at the beach with her brother and wife. Both are retired now and enjoy simple things in life such as helping with the grand children, enjoying the beach and helping others. Unfortunately, we are real beach lovers and my in-laws are content just to chill out in their 42foot trailer. We didn't get to the beach all weekend.

We did spend "quality time" reminiscing about our children, relationships, discussing politics.  The hours just ticked away. On our drive home, we talked about our weekend and realized the value in just putting the brakes on and reflecting about the things in life that have shaped who we are. In the world of nano second technology, twitter, fb, cell, you name the communication tool, we just have too little time to truly grasp meaningful events in our life.

The topic that always fascinates me is regret.  Why do people have it?  What does it mean about those who do feel regretful?  Is regret nothing more than an expression of dissatisfaction with ones current situation or is it much deeper? Probably a little bit of both.  Nonetheless, I thought about regret in the context of the discussions we enjoyed this weekend. I don't have much of a firm opinion on what regret means, I'll leave that for the therapist. In my life regret has no place. To me it means that if any one event would have changed a number of good and bad things that have entered my life would not have happened or the void would have been filled with other things; and wouldn't that have just been a different cycle of things to regret?

No, I choose to look at my life as fulfilled regardless of what has found its way into my realm. Oh my, there are certainly a number of things I wish to be different but I don't regret the experiences.  Now that I am over 50 and transitioning to a new phase in my life I find myself being a bit more reflective. It's a good thing!

Several years ago, when I thought about regret, it became clear to me that regret leads to an uncomfortable state. You know, what if I had done this or made that change here....its endless. So, this weekend when all of us were sharing our pearls of wisdom about work, child rearing, friendship, missed opportunities, you name it, I revealed my pearl of wisdom. Regret is created because we lack an anchor event, that one time, situation or event that gave everything else meaning.

The anchor I revealed grounded me on June 17, 1973.  This date marked the first date with my wife. In our 36 years together we have experienced many life vicissitudes, pain, happiness, loss all the normal human experiences and emotions. It's natural to look back over the years and wonder what if, but who will ever know. For me, there are no regrets for without that chance meeting and date on June 17, 1973 many of the joys in my life may never have been experienced and for that event I am forever grateful.

Spend some quiet time with those you care about and reflect on all your great experiences and the find your anchor. Certainly is cheaper than a therapist

Well, slap me in the back of the head for not keeping up with my monthly story.  Every time I write one it brings back some very fond memories. Over the past several months the mood of the country has been pretty glum.  So, I think it's about time for a bit of levity.

When I was a young boy of 4, my family lived in a typical Baltimore neighborhood except we had grass, hedges and a front porch. My maternal grandmother who died at a very young age seemed to enjoy gifting me and my older sister.  She got a cat and I got the bicycle with no brakes 

Can you imagine giving a 4 year old kid a 14" bicycle with no brakes.  Well, actually, she didn't give it to me, my step-grandfather was the wise guy. Nevertheless, I was determined to enjoy this brake less bike so one day, off I went.  To younger people these days it may seem quite odd that a 4 year old boy, who lived near a hill, would be allowed to take off on his bike unsupervised. But, then again, I was no normal 4 year old. I was a free spirit who loved a challenge. To fully enjoy the ride that I am going to share with you we need to step back and take an admiring look at this masterpiece. The frame was yellow with hard rubber tires. I think they may have been spoked but who can remember all the little details. Now to the mechanism that was about to propel me and my brake less bike down a hill. This bike did not have a conventional chain. In place of the chain was a belt very similar to a fan belt that is used to drive the fan in your car. Now you can see why this beautiful yellow bike was brake less. A solid rubber belt required me to pedal continuously.

Slowly I drove the bicycle on flat surface past several homes.  When I got to the intersection that I was warned never to cross I stopped made a right turn and briefly examined the hill I was about to descend. As you probably know, a 4 year old has no concept of death or any ability to understand risk.  All I knew was the fun I would have barreling down the hill.  I paused for just a moment and then off I went. Okay, now I must keep pedaling even though I am going down hill. The pedals were turning faster and faster to the point that I could no longer keep up with the circular motion. I lifted my feet and was immediately beaten each time the pedals rotated past my feet. I was coming near the end of my ride and didn't know how I was going to stop. Remember, a 4 year old isn't too bright. I decided that I had to somehow stop the pedals from spinning. I made a failed attempt to stop the pedals and when the end was nearing I made one last effort to stop the pedals and was thrown from the bike.  Wow, what a way to stop.

I continued to ride that bike for a little while longer.  I think my parents recognized the danger in my new bike. I don't know exactly what happened to it. As I get older and look back on this event, I wonder just how much my step-grandfather cared for me 

Competition is good. If you pay attention and can create opportunities you can prosper. Case in point. Medicare required all durable medical equipment companies to undergo a review and accreditation process before awarding Medicare numbers. Acquiring a Medicare number provides the DME supplier with the opportunity to bill Medicare for services. The preparation process involves significant documentation and if not done correctly, may delay or cause a DME supplier to be denied accreditation.

As FLBSi evaluated the accreditation process we learned that Medicare awarded contracts for 10 companies to conduct the accreditation process for tens of thousands of companies. We also learned that accreditation organizations and other consulting companies were charging clients thousands of dollars to prepare and submit applications. It was possible to spend anywhere from $2,500-$8,000 and incur other charges for on-site mock surveys, updates and other nice to have things but not exactly relevant to getting accredited.

At FLBSi we made a very sharp assessment. All of the ginger bread stuff was irrelevant unless the DME Supplier gained accreditation. The Maison we established was get the DME supplier accredited as quickly as possible and backfill any other relevant details. ProLink was an on-line program we built to guide our clients through the process and it was backed up with nearly immediate telephone and email support.  All of this for $1,499.00.

This example highlights the creative and visionary skills that FLBSi posses. Regardless of the situation, FLBSi will help any company find a way to do things more productively and less costly.  Got an idea, tell us about and let us go to work on a solution learn more at www.filelinkusa.com

What would you pay to outsource accounts payable activity? Or better yet, how much would you save by outsourcing? Imagine a world in which all you do is go on-line and approve a payment and print the check.  This one act will save big money for your company. No more late payment penalties, no lost or misplaced invoices. As an AP professional, I know you have encountered shell games in which departments will delay invoice payment to a time that is more favorable to the bottom line. Let's say a department head is rewarded with bonuses for showing positive financial reporting each month. Isn't it possible to delay paying a big invoice in a month where he will look better? It happens!

Let me tell you why you want to outsource to FLBSi. Since 2001, FLBSi has been the preferred AP outsource for REIT's. Vendors send invoices to FLBSi on a daily basis and within 24 hours the invoice is batched, scanned, indexed and uploaded to the clients workflow system. Don't have a workflow system?  No problem, FLBSi has an on-line system ApLink, go to www.filelinkusa.com and check out more detail.

When I think about it, document scanning is not a very sexy product. I mean when was the last time you overheard someone at a party say, "you gotta check out this document scanning guy, he really has a hot product"; don't think that's going to happen. Over the years, I have enjoyed my relationship with many loyal clients, gave them great service and in most all cases added real value to what they do. In fact, there is one client that looks forward to having lunch as I always share fresh and interesting ideas with him. And then I realized that many other clients were also quite surprised at what I could do for them.

Well there you go. FLBSi is not just a document scanning company it is a company that reflects my intense interest in creating exciting solutions to problems that generally go unsolved.  I operate under a very simple motto 'there's always a better way" I don't talk about thinking outside the box, that just makes my blood run backwards. Too cutesy and distracting. I would rather you tell me that you have a problem and just can figure it out or just tell me you want me to scan your documents and then sit back and marvel at the tangents me and my team will tell you about.  Before you know it, your document scanning project will be contributing to your bottom line in ways you never imagined.  In this world of doing more with less we make it fun and enjoyable!

In a weekly planning meeting with my developer we sat around talking about the best way to tell people what we do. Yes, we do scan paper documents, yes, we do whip up some very creative ways to manage the scanned document but we didn't have the best way to tell people what we do.  As an HGTV and DYI junkie it hit me. We are like the yard crashers. One day you just went out to buy a bag of mulch at the local Home Depot and the next thing you know there is a guy going home with you offering to completely renovate your back yard, AT NO CHARGE. We are a bit like that at FLBSi, Except We Don't Work For Free  Let's say you are just looking around to have somebody scan your documents. No big deal...just scan them and be done with it. Well, just wait until you see what we are going to do. So, we're like that great jackpot of a show, Yard Crashers. You will see so much more than what you ever expected to see.

Check out our website at www.filelinkusa.com let me warn you this is just a sampler. Tell us what you need and we'll take it from there.

It seems that everywhere you look there is a fancy scheme to get rich quick. We know that doesn't happen in real life...we'll maybe once in awhile someone gets lucky. As a small business owner I looked for a market niche in the middle 90's and started my document scanning business. I looked around saw mountains of paper and decided I could provide the market with a very affordable way to increase productivity, profitability and store important documents.

Unfortunately, it takes bucks to get marketing underway. So, I built up the business the old fashioned way, hard work and referral.  That worked for awhile but then I wanted to grow but do so under control. I launched Executive Referral Program. This was a very easy, straightforward program that paid generous dollars for quality referrals.

I have freshened up the program and am relaunching to take advantage of new opportunities that have emerged as the web has matured.

This is how the program works. You refer a company that is interested in document scanning and in turn I will give you a generous fee and as a bonus, 6 months of residual income. This is a straightforward, simple way to increase your cash flow and bring real value to companies that need my service. I don't employ salesman or have extremely high overhead. The majority of my staff are telecommuters so we are not burdened with fixed costs that can choke the life out of a company. Very simply, I have more opportunity to reward those who refer to us.

To learn more about this opportunity and see more of what we do go to www.filelinkusa.com

We are all going to be hearing more about EMR (electronic medical record) in the next several months. Backers of this technology roll out a number of reasons that tell us this is a good idea.  However, I am a bit skeptical. 

In recent commercials they say the EMR will improve research and understanding of major diseases.  It will reduce costs and improve the quality of care...I say, will it?  I have often maintained that marketing and reality are two very different animals.  It's like, when you have a great idea, you are stunned by how simple it would be to invent the next great product. And then you begin to think about the pathway that will lead to the riches you will enjoy from your brilliant idea.  Oh no, I didn't realize how complicated this would be.  Then you realize it's time to move on!

I see the marketing effort by major players and the White House in the same light.  It all sounds so simple.  All we must do is put fancy new technology in every medical office, link to a nationwide mainframe and blamo...we have touchdown! The miracles of modern medicine and technology will explode onto the scene giving all of us a better chance at a comfortable disease free life.

Call me a skeptic but I don't see any of this bureaucracy improving healthcare and reducing costs.  Just think about this on a practical level.  How many mega systems do you know of that work as advertised? Have you ever tried to correct an error in the Social Security Administration statement that shows your contributions over your working life.  Not too easy.  Or, what about the multi billion dollar IRS computer system that had to be scrapped because it didn't work? In Baltimore, the City discovered more than $30 million that was sitting in an account for nearly a decade and no one knew it was there!  More recently, what confidence can you have that medical record information will be protected when the government can not tell you what has happened to trillions of tax dollars?

From where I sit, this bold grab at one third of our economy is about money and power!  Care will be rationed, information will not be collected in a manner that will improve your health, and this intrusion will create opportunities for greater regulation of your behavior. 

You want to save money, be healthier and spend less time in sick care?  Take responsibility for your own health.  There are many simple things that can be done to reduce risk factors for disease and illness.  All the research in the world and sophisticated technology won't mean a thing if you don't take responsibility for your own health.  And when you do need medical help, we have the best medical resources in the world.

As the main writer of this blog I wanted to share a number of ideas and stories that relate to business.  If you are a small business owner like me you remain on alert for exciting ways to broadcast your message.  You are not going to have a large marketing budget, cold calling is just not happening, now, automated emailing is creating as much resentment as robo calls.  So, how do you grow the business?  Simple, don't give up! 

The drive and desire that got you this far may just carry your forward.  You probably thought I might say that your drive and desire will get you to the finish line but yet, there never is one; is there? Think about it.  If you reached a finish line how much fun would that be? 

I have had friends who started businesses and closed down after 3 or 4 years.  I told them they needed to stay in for 7 years maybe even longer.  Achievement is HARD WORK!  If success was easy everybody would be there! 

So, you go about your day-to-day business and constantly look for that one big break or search for the one opening that will provide the advantage you need. No matter how hard you try it just doesn't seem to show up.  Or, maybe it has and you just haven't seen it.

To keep my field of vision wide and alert I subscribe to several very different newsletters and sites that have some very cool and cutting edge points of view. Many have nothing to do with my company's actual service or products and that is the important message.  Stretch the field of vision. Stay engaged and excited.  When a down time hits just do something to break the rut.

On a relatively frequent basis I receive interesting material from friends and relatives that help me keep things in perspective.  It is my long held contention that my success and happiness depends upon a very simple motto I follow.  Do your best...life's not fair! I try to remain alert to my motto.  It still needs to be polished off a bit every now and then.  With that in mind, I wanted to share an experience that was given to me by one of my groups of friends and family. This video clip is a stunning example of how unfair life can be and why you should never give up. Click here: Are You Going to Finish Strong? - Video  - Enjoy

Steve Tabeling

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

File Link Business Systems, Inc.

IF you are paying attention to the doom and gloom news you wouldn't feel to good about the future.  It can feel like a real beat down; that is, until you begin to realize that you don't have to accept the news.

I think this is the perfect time to say wait a minute, I am going to do my part to turn things around for myself, company and the people I serve.  I am going to take a closer look at myself and really question whether or not I am doing my best, what can I do to improve my circumstance? 

Believe me I know how difficult it can be to put the brakes on and all of a sudden introspectively examine performance when it appears the end is near.  But you have to ask yourself what option do I have.  Will I continue being influenced and guided by the news and information that others give me OR stop, look, listen and act in a way that will completely change the course of events.  Big decisions must be made and action must be taken to move forward. 

It is my bet that you want to be successful and to that end it's time to take the high ground and get going.  First, change your reality. If you feel overwhelmed and negative it is because you permitted others to influence your reality.  Don't take advice and counsel from those who contradict your desire for success.  There are enough of those type around.  Find somebody who will help motivate you.  Success is hard work but it gets easier the more you work at it.  Be honest with yourself. If you are not as effective as you would like to be own up to that fact and do something positive about it.

In the course of a typical day your overworked little brain will be filtering a fast stream of messages from co-workers, business associates...you get the picture.  At some point, your overworked brain will begin sending signals to the body saying I've had enough of this.  Maybe a sore neck, could be you are getting a bit irritated or even sleepy.  But, you soldier on and ignore the signals.  In reality, FLAGs are going up all over the place warning you that something is wrong in control central.  The brain and body are teaming up against you to say STOP!!!

Now throw a CRISIS into the mix and whoa buddy we are in for one heck of a bumpy ride...or not.  A CRISIS is nothing more than the eruption of an event that has been brewing for a period of time.  If you take the time to examine the trail leading up to the eruption it will enlighten you and maybe help you create a strategy to head off the next one or minimize the impact of one that just happens to blind side you.  

Now back to my original thesis.  YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN A CRISIS, DON'T ACCEPT THE NEWS!

I can help you change your reality.  To you, I am an outsider who can see things that you may not recognize.  In my business we create business tools that improve productivity and profitability for our clients.  Every product and service we offer has been a direct result of spending time with our client organizing work flow strategies that cut down on overhead and drive efficiency. Our tool kit includes document scanning, web design and work flow management.  Every task within your company will be examined and along with you we will make things operate more efficiently, reduce stress and improve your bottom line.

Now is the time that you need to have a mechanism to STOP yourself and regroup.  If you want to spend some time chatting about your vision give us a call.

In a time of "crisis" you will either rise to the occasion and succeed or perish.