I’m a big proponent of doing a few easy things in the morning to build momentum for the day. Doing some early morning reading, clearing my emails, and reviewing my calendar help to get me going.

But have you ever thought about the kinds of things we can do to kick start our day the night before, like setting up the coffee maker and timer to be brewed when we wake up in the morning or writing out our “do list” the evening before so we are ready to attack the morning.

There are other things we can do to make our day brighter if we can develop some simple habits that reward ourselves in small ways. For example, do you clear your desk each night before leaving the office so when you walk in the next day, things are clean and ready for a fresh start? Can you get the crock pot going in the morning so your dinner is ready when you get home from work or school? Do you make up your bed each morning so when you get home your bedroom looks inviting?

Developing habits of doing the hard thing first will reward you later. It can be as simple as backing into the garage or carport so when you next leave, you are facing out. If you’re really smart, you can pull through a parking space at the grocery store so you’re pointing out without ever backing up. Or it can be more difficult, like improving your diet, getting some much-needed exercise, or committing to more sleep.

Even more rewarding would be putting money away in your youth so the years of life ahead of you will foster compounding interest. Maxing out a 401(k) contribution – admittedly sacrificing today for a better tomorrow – will lead to a happier retirement. The millionaire next door – however modest – probably did a lot of these things.

The biggest problem with family businesses is often family members. This has led me to believe that, in most cases and depending on the size of the business, the fewer the family members in a family business, the better. I say this because it is easy for family baggage to creep into the family business and disrupt other family and non-family members.

But there’s another problem. Long-time non-family members often become like family members, making constructive comments difficult for an individual to accept in order to start necessary improvement. This often comes in the form of bringing personal issues or problems into the business operations.

Let’s face it, smart owners want to be caring and lenient for everyone in the business. Personal issues like illness and special family occasions often get in the way of running the business and put a burden on others to carry the weight. This causes frustration and resentment by those who are not part of the privileged few.

One solution for this might be to refrain from knowing the reasons for requested time off, for example. After all, technically those reasons are personal and not really an owner or manager’s business to know. This may sound cold and indifferent, but it might also cut back on the undue emotional impact or manipulation on owners or others in the business. Clear and unambiguous rules – whether for time off or other requests – might be a solution for all associates, family or non-family members.

All family business owners know that one day they will have to plan an exit strategy. Unfortunately, most also believe that their exit will begin when they decide they’re ready. But it seldom happens that way.

Exits often occur when something or someone decides for them. It could be a major health scare, a family business disagreement, an unsolicited sale offer, or an unsuspected market shift or disruptor, all of which are out of your immediate control. Understanding what you can do about such an unknown event – or what you want to do about it – is a mystery worth solving.

Often, an owner’s thinking is to transition a business to a family member, but knowing or understanding the process and timing of such a plan is missing. Being proactive instead of reactive will help to set your plan in motion in case the unexpected or unplanned event actually occurs.

Planning for an exit should be done in a deliberate and structured way:

• When do you want to leave?

• What are you working toward?

• How will you initiate your plan?

• Where will you find ultimate contentment?

When answers to these questions are clear, plans become intentional and exit strategies are in the hands of owners, where they should be. If you need help developing your exit strategy, get the outside assistance you need to formulate your plan.

Perfect is the enemy of excellent: Perfection is costly, and likely unattainable in most instances. So instead of tweaking things until they are perfect, stop somewhere short of perfect so you aren’t spending twice as much time or money for something no one but you may notice.

Habits hold us back, or propel us forward: The good news is, good habits lead us to success. The bad news is, bad habits lead us to failure. The best news is, habits are in our power to control because we can change our bad habits to good ones.

Minimizing Regret: When emotions get in the way, we all say or do things we wish we could take back. We do it as much as the next person, so when we recognize it’s happening – to us or from us – hit the pause button and count to 10. Everyone will be better for it.

Wisdom trumps knowledge: Gain knowledge, but seek wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge applied to circumstances. Time, experience, and focus create wisdom. Build your knowledge, but consider how you can use it to impact others. You’ll become known as wise.

If you’re like most of us, you tend to take on too much or worry about things you can’t control. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you can’t do anything about a problem, why worry about it. Likewise, if you have a problem and can do something about it, just do it.

So the question remains, how much of what you carry – or try to carry – is not yours to carry at all? If this weighs you down, consider shifting the weight off your shoulders and on to someone who can do something about it. Every burden is not your call unless you make it your call.

If you’re wired to solve issues or burdens beyond your own circle, consider how fragmented your solutions might be without the support of others. All this does is weigh you down. You can’t solve everything, but just because you can’t doesn’t mean you should do nothing.

Pick your battles wisely, but also remember that what’s weighing you down may not be your burden to carry.

If you own or run a family business and want to usher in a new generation of family members, you have a very hard job. It’s not that you don’t know how to run your business. It’s that you don’t know how to run it while balancing the human dynamics of a new family member entering the business.

Generational business transition is complicated, particularly when there is more than one new family member joining your team. But it is still difficult even if there is only one next-gen individual entering the business. Here are four pillars to consider when accepting a new next generation family member:

1) Be a good listener and strategically open to new ideas. Too often owners want to dictate their ideas instead of hearing a diversity of opinions from both new family members and trusted employees. Listening more and talking less makes for a good start. Wait to be the last to offer opinions and remarks.

2) Stay positive and build consensus. Next generation thinking may be the best thing to take your business to the next level. There is always a good reason why family businesses should be turned over to the next generation. Next-gen thinking is often more in tune with younger people who are the heart and soul of your continued business.

3) Balance your traditional thinking with new points of view. Family businesses have been successful because they stuck to their principles and values over many decades. The very best scenario is to insist on sticking with those values while being open to next-gen ideas and ways of doing things.

4) No matter what, the family business comes first. You are supporting the livelihood of both family members and non-family members who have dedicated their lives to your business. You owe it to yourself and your employees to always have the best interest of the business at heart. Family relationships are important, but so is survival of the business long term. Treat them equally and your business will not only survive, but thrive.

One of my first NO responses was in high school when our basketball coach asked me to manage the scoreboard of a game. I politely declined because I wanted to watch the game, not keep the score. That was an important no for a young man who would normally say yes even if I didn’t want to do something.

Learning to say no to what other people want you to do is an unappreciated skill worth learning. This is because saying no to something others want you to do means you can’t say yes to what you may want to do. Said another way, saying yes to something is saying no to something else that might be much more important, meaningful, or enjoyable to you.

Helping people is a great trait, but it can also backfire on busy people who can’t turn down an offer to be of help. My point is, everyone else’s need or call is not necessarily yours to fill. What often happens is you serve someone else’s agenda, not your own, and this can lead to frustration or even resentment without even realizing it.

Do I sound like a bad person when I encourage you to learn to say no?

I help people all the time and you probably do, too. My point is to be conscious of overdoing it so you have the time to do for yourself and others what only you can do. Saying no is an art worth cultivating, so be kind and thoughtful, but clear and committed when you decline your next opportunity.

• Your beliefs, attitude, thoughts, and perspective
• How much you appreciate what you already have
• Your honesty and integrity in the face of challenge
• How open you are to other peoples’ thinking
• The friends you keep and the things you read
• How kind you are to yourself and others
• What you eat, whether you exercise, and the amount you sleep
• How often you say please and thank you, and practice gratitude
• Whether you dwell on the past or embrace the future
• How you express your feelings and the effort you put forth to others

• If it’s not your battle, let it go.
• Defend those who are not able to defend themselves.
• Peacemakers don’t fan the flames of fire.
• If you want to drive a fool crazy, maintain your silence.
• Turn the other cheek, but don’t be a rug people walk all over.
• Arguing with an irrational person is like spitting into the wind.
• People will drag you down to their level if you let them.
• Look for seeds of truth when faced with constructive criticism.
• Letting things go is more a sign of strength than weakness.
• Be careful to criticize people without first considering their virtues.

• Employees stay when they are mentored and trusted, challenged and promoted, involved and appreciated, valued and empowered.
• We have more and better technology, but less and less time; more contacts and connections, but are less personal; more and more choices, but less and less clarity.
• The reason we have difficult conversations is because we don’t want to deal with confrontation when it first occurs. The problems only deepen as time passes.
• You don’t scale by doing more yourself. You scale by setting up systems, empowering your associates, sharing your vision, and executing your plan.
• In luxury, the product is nice, but it’s the experience that we remember. How can you create more memorable experiences?
• It’s not blind faith that matters. Trust is based on authenticity, empathy, and logic.
• The key to razor companies is not the razor. It’s the blades. How can you sell more blades in your business?