Donald Shampine

Living with someone with anxiety and depression teaches you many things. It doesn't matter if it is a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, or a significant other, you will learn, whether you like it or not, you will learn. If you fight the lessons that this teaches you, they will batter at your mind and body and leave you bloodied and defeated. So be open to the lessons you are given as they will serve you well in this and all other aspects of life. Patience  You will learn patience. It tears at your every fiber as you can't seem to make heads or tails of what's going on and why as it all defies logic. You won't understand it because it defies logic but also defies emotion. You will want to make sense if it, find the cause, then implement a cure. Yet, that is not your role, it's not your reality, and it's not likely to happen. So you endure the ebb and flow, loving someone with depression and anxiety will test your patience as you will seek answers, f...

Recently my kids have gotten into hammocks. I’m sure you have seen the brightly colored parachute material strung between two trees with teenagers resting on them from their weary days of summer vacation. Well, this weekend we put those hammocks to the test. My daughter Caitlin and her friend Cauryn and I went up to the Manistee National Forest for a backpacking trip where we spent two nights resting our tired bodies in our hammocks. We hiked about 23 miles, which is a bit ambitious for our first time, but these girls were up to the challenge and I was not about to say no. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I will give my insight about hammocks based on things I learned on the trip as well as the research I did prior to going. Tip 1: Test out some hammocks. Some have fabric that stretches and others are more taut. Finding one that is comfortable to lie in, especially overnight is important. Caitlin and I used the more str...

Businesses Need to Progress Not Just Change I am not a big fan of New Years’ resolutions, especially for business purposes. If you want to make a change, be resolved to make it today. If the change is worth making, it is worth making now. I have heard that over 90% of resolutions are broken before January 15. I am not certain if that is accurate, but it is alarming enough to support the idea that New Years’ resolutions don’t work. Change in your business is inevitable. If you do nothing, your business will still change. If you make adjustments to your daily routines, your business will change. The real question is, will your business progress? Will it actually get better? Are the changes you make improving your chances for success in the upcoming year? The last few weeks of the year is a busy time, it is often difficult to devote the few hours you need to create a plan for the New Year. Yet, it is important for you to make the time and think about your business and make a plan o...

The State of Michigan stands silent on laws governing time off for employees to vote. Employees are not required nor permitted, by law, any time off to cast their ballot. Thus, as an employer you can mandate that that employees vote during non-working hours. You are entitled to “dock” non-exempt employees for any time they take off during the workday to vote. You must remember not to dock your exempt employees for any time they take off to vote. Doing so would amount to a deduction from pay. A deduction from pay potentially voids the exempt status of that position. The bigger question then is, “Should you allow your employees to vote during the work day?” As someone who would like to see a much higher rate of participation I could be easily drawn into that line of thinking. Yet, the economic hardship this could cause to a business is real and must be balanced with its desire to support their employees civic duty. Since  Michigan stands silent, business owners are each given the o...

We all want to better manage our most precious commodity, time. Here are some ideas that I have learned either by reading from others, or through trial and error: 1.    Plan:  Spend 5 to 10 minutes at the end of each day planning for the following day. This “to-do” list will make tackling your projects easier as they will be organized. Make this a habit! 2.  Eat the Elephant:  How do you eat an elephant…, one bite at a time. (no elephants were harmed in the writing of this message) Take on large projects one bite at a time. Breaking down tasks into smaller bits makes it easier to complete the overall goal. Writing down “connect with a new company” on your to-do list isn’t the most effective strategy. Try, 1. Set up goals for this new connection and write down what will be discussed, 2. Gather three names of companies in your area that you can work with, 3. Contact those three companies to set an appointment, etc. 3.  Hard Projects:  Do the hardes...