Which I like to call The Art of Learning, Earning and Serving!

Like all great concepts, this is very easy to understand and simple to execute. The concept of "Learning, Earning and Serving" is simply dividing your time into those three categories. This means that 33 percent of your time is spent learning, 33 percent of your time is spent earning and 33 percent of your time is spent serving.

Learning When was the last time you learned something new? I mean brand new. So many of us are consumed, with our businesses and family that we stop the learning process. The lack of learning is so bad for our business, our families and our mental health.

It has been proven over and over again. When you stop learning you make less money. When you stop learning, you become less interesting. When you stop learning your health suffers. Think back to the last time that you learned something brand new. How did you feel? You most likely had a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment, pretty darn close to euphoric. And, you shared that pride with your colleagues, friends, kids, and spouse. When we talk about learning, I am referring to learning anything. Below are some examples of things that I learned this year, and some I plan on learning. I am excited to share with you:

• Rugby by the book: Of course I have been watching Rugby and when I watch the All Blacks , I want to understand the logic and the plays. I want to be able to participate in conversations about his games as well as the countless college and pro games that are discussed in my house. And frankly, the more I understand, well the more fun it really is!
• French: I love Paris. It is my second favourite city in the world, next to New York (I am yet to go there )but my office has a full wall poster. My youngest daughter asked me if I will take her to Paris after Year 8. I told her I would on the condition that she learns the language. I explained to her that I would have enjoyed my several trips to Paris so much more if I had spoken the language. At that point, it occurred to me that I should learn the language as well.
• Symmetry: This is the CRM and email deployment system we use at my company. I have confessed many times that technology is just not my thing. But, knowing that this is the tool I have chosen to communicate with my members and clients, I am bent on mastering it. I work with total enjoyment and stop and do another activity whenever I run low on energy, and enthusiasm.

Serving Call this category whatever you want - serving, giving, volunteering, it does not matter as long as this is the selfless you. Once I made this a CONSCIOUS part of my being, my entire attitude changed. Once I went far beyond the just the Christmas Gifting drive and the school kids drive to music concerts and debates and really started giving my time, I became a much happier self, a person I am proud to be. Plus, study after study has shown that random acts of kindness have an intense effect on your well-being. This includes everything from your productivity to limiting your stress levels. At first, it may be hard to divide your time equally among the three and that's OK. But, I promise you, the sooner you get to the 33/33/33 you will see a difference in your life and your family's life for the better!

And, because you are learning and serving, your endorphins are flowing; making it easier to get the job done.

• And the beat goes on . . . Of course; I have attended several conferences this year as well. And have read countless articles and a small number of books. As a matter of fact, I read daily this keeps me loaded with fresh business ideas and improves my vocabulary on a daily basis. I can honestly say that I am spending 33% of my time learning. Not only does this increase my brainpower and it has been good for my health and my wealth as well.

Earning We have all been there. Thinking that working like a dog will make us rich and happy. Well, how's that working out for you? The reason working countless hours doesn't work is because you burn out, plain and simple. And, once you burn out, you become resentful. Once you become resentful, no one wants to be around you and you end up hating what you are doing. And if you hate what you do, your customers will notice it, not to mention your colleagues and employees. At this point you can never be successful and happy. But, if you limited your work to 33 percent instead of 50, 75 or even 100 percent of your time, you work smarter and more efficiently. This also leaves you the time for the two other important categories mentioned, learning and serving.