Stress sucks energy out of people, then they get distracted and don’t produce because they cannot focus on the stuff that makes them productive. Without productivity a professional or entrepreneur can’t generate value, which converts to income and joy, which makes them really stressed.
A lot of stress that we invite into our lives is preventable. But often we don’t invest in small things that when you need them have a big payoff.
Investing in stress reduction.
There are some things in life I really don’t enjoy spending my hard-earned money on. Three that come to mind are tires, parking tickets and any kind of insurance. While I’ve never experienced a blow out on my car or had to spend the night in jail for parking violations, I do have three stories about insurance that I hope you’ll gain from. Investing in insurance has great upside, especially when your bad luck number is called.
1) Luggage does get lost.
Luggage insurance is $7.50
I buy luggage insurance through American Express. Every time I buy a plane ticket they automatically bill my card $7.50 each way. A few months ago I flew Southwest airlines from Tampa to San Diego. I presented a program on branding for speakers and consultants at the National Speakers Association’s annual conference. I arrived safely, but my luggage did not. With American Express luggage insurance, if your checked luggage is more than six hours late, you can buy what you need for up to $500 and American Express credits your charge card. If my luggage never showed up or was damaged, this coverage also provides additional replacement cost above and beyond what the airline gives you. Most airline replacement policies pay pennies on what you lose.
The low cost and the ease of getting what you need quickly made this insurance work for me.
2) Stuff happens.
Content insurance is pennies compared to replacement cost
I own a condo that I rent out in a Tampa high-rise. Last month, I got text from my tenant at 4 a.m. saying there was a major water main break in the building. He was not exaggerating. A pipe burst on the 10th floor and water flooded like a baby Niagara Falls for several hours down to the first floor lobby. What a mess! The reality is this stuff can happen in your home or office on any given day. Fortunately I had dwelling insurance, my tenant was not so fortunate. He did not have renters insurance, which is very inexpensive. When he moved to Tampa his former policy lapsed. If you rent, make sure your office and home have content insurance.
Watch the flood, this can happen to you.
3) Computers still crash.
Make sure your data and any contractors’ data is being backed up too
Everything is digital today. Accounting records, work product, and photos and videos preserving your important events and memories. My computer has not crashed in a few years, but when it did, I learned my lesson the hard way. I take two measures to back up my files, one on a cloud product called SugarSync. The nice thing about a cloud is you can access your files on the road and from many devices. I also do a daily back up to an external drive that syncs as soon as my computer connects. Here’s the key, even if you have this all set up like I do, sometimes the sync won’t happen. I can’t explain why, just trust me; it’s a good idea to set up a weekly reminder in your calendar to make sure all systems are working and backing up. And if you’ve got contract staff working remotely, make sure they are taking the same measures as you.
Brand on!
