Little Things that Make Big Impact

Remember the book “All I really needed to know I learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum? In it Fulghum lists a bunch of kindergarten rules that stand the test of time and remain relevant into adulthood.  Things like: share, play fair, don’t hit people, clean up your own mess, don’t take things that aren’t yours, say you’re sorry when you hurt someone, and many more.  You get the gist. I think what’s made the book so popular (in print since 1989) is its simplicity. It’s all very basic—stuff we all know, can agree with and relate to while also being very essential.  It’s one of those things that we read, see, or play (think hula-hoop) and think, why didn’t I come up with that?

Here’s the thing, I think we all can come up with them—the little things in life that can make a big difference.  All we have to do is remember the Golden Rule: do to others as you would have them do to you, and go from there.  We all know how we like (or don’t like) to be treated—that’s the easy part.  The harder part is the follow through.  Here are 3 of the little big things I’ve come up with.

 

  1. Say thank you

We’ve all been taught this, but do we say these two words or show our appreciation as often as we should?  I know this might sound petty, but when I’m driving I’m usually happy to stop and let someone in, but if I don’t get the nod it actually ticks me off. The nod—the thank you—is important to me. So, if showing gratitude is important (and I’m telling you it is) for something this insignificant, guess how much it means in the big scheme of things! We all love to get positive feedback. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all showed our appreciation for one another?

  1. Everyone needs help from time to time

But a lot of people just aren’t comfortable asking for help. This is where it gets a little more complicated: if you are one of those people who don’t ask for help because you think it will make you look weak or are afraid people will lose respect for you, guess again. Asking for help will not only benefit you, the person or people who help you will get to feel like a valued part of your life or business.  Remember, admitting you don’t have all the answers and need help from others is a way more admirable trait than being a know-it-all!

On the flip side, there are those who have trouble asking for help because they don’t want to appear needy or may feel like they aren’t in a position to ask for help.  Asking others if you can be of assistance to them sometimes gives them permission to ask for or accept help. In either case, asking for or offering help results in a win-win for everyone.

  1. Everyone needs to be seen

I’m not talking about being the center of attention, not everyone craves or enjoys being in the spotlight. Everyone already acknowledges the big achievements, what I’m referring to are the little things that really aren’t that little: Like the employee with young children who was having trouble getting to work on time who is now regularly clocking in on time.  Or the person who regularly refills the copiers with paper and ink so they are always ready when we need them. It’s important to let people know they are seen—especially when doing stuff right.

There are so many little things that can make a big impact on our lives and the lives of those around us.  Which ones are important to you?

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 13 years.

 

image provided by: Addy Lake

Back to School: Protect your Child’s Identity

It’s that time of year again.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a parent who’s dreading summer’s end and your kiddos’ hiatus from school or one who has been counting down the days until you are able to usher them back into the classroom, everyone needs to protect their children’s personal and sensitive information.

This morning I read a blog written by Colleen Tressler at the Federal Trade Commission who shared some great tips for keeping your child’s personal information safe.

Her recommendations:

  • Safeguard your child’s Social Security number

Don’t carry your kid’s Social Security card around with you and don’t share it unless you know and trust the other party.  Personally, I take this a little further.  Just because someone asks for your or your child’s Social Security number doesn’t mean they really need it.  I know from experience many entities, if challenged, understand your reticence and will allow you to leave that information blank or only require you to supply the last 4 digits.

  • Know your rights under FERPA

The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects the privacy of student records. FERPA requires schools to notify parents about their school directory policy.  It gives you the right to opt out of sharing directory information with third parties.

  • Limit what kids share online

Teach your youngsters not to post their name, address or full date of birth on social media. Take this further by being cognizant yourself and teaching your kids that many “games” you see on social media are actually phishing expeditions. I recently saw a post on Facebook that asked, ‘how many different maiden names (generations) can you come up with on your family tree?’ I was surprised how many people got sucked into playing and supplied a lengthy list. Were they having a fun social interaction or providing a scammer the answer(s) to a common security question?

  • Use Strong passwords on smartphones, tablets or laptops

Teach the importance of changing passwords and not sharing them. There is a great site we use here and at home https://howsecureismypassword.net/ .  Type in your password and it tells you how long it would take a computer to crack it. 

  • Use a shredder                                                                                                                                                            
  • Check whether your child has a credit report before they turn 16

If there is one—and it has errors due to fraud or misuse—you’ll have to correct it before your child applies for a job, seeks a loan for tuition or a car.

I know some of you are rolling your eyes and wondering if all of this is really necessary. But here’s the thing, according to the 2018 Child Identity Fraud Studyconducted by Javelin Strategy & Research more than 1 million children were victims of identity theft or fraud in 2017; resulting in $2.6 billion of total losses and $540 million in out-of-pocket costs to families!

If that’s not bad enough, I read in a cnbc.com article, “Identity theft isn’t just an adult problem. Kids are victims too” by Kelli B Grant that thieves are more likely to exploit kids’ information. Among the 58 percent of people notified of last year’s data breaches who became victims of fraud, 39 percent were minors and 19 percent were adults.

Synthetic identity theft, a type of identity fraud that creates new identities using a combination of real (Social Security number) and fictitious (name and birth date) information is also wreaking havoc for kids and their parents. Some fraudsters have even built identities around SSNs that haven’t even been assigned yet.  Can you imagine if you found out the Social Security number issued to your baby had earnings already associated with it along with a five-year credit history? Scary, right?!

According to the Child Identity Fraud study 66 percent of kids victimized by identity theft (or fraud) are 7 years old or younger. And while it might seem like a no-brainer that your kindergartner wasn’t responsible for the thousands of dollars’ worth of credit card debt assigned to them, experts say getting to the bottom of identity theft and fraud is just as complicated for kids as it is for adults.  The same hoops need to be jumped through.

The fact that 60 percent of child identity theft or fraud victims personally know the perpetrator complicates things even further. The same is not true for adults; only 7 percent know their thief personally.

I know, it’s not as if parents don’t already have enough to deal with keeping their kids safe, but child identity theft is a growing issue. We need to be as vigilant about protecting their identities as we’ve become protecting our own.

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 13 years.

Are You Worried About Being Among the Worried Well?

“Bridge of Spies”—part of the great body of work of actor Tom Hanks– is a fine film, in my opinion.  Hanks plays James Donovan, an attorney who takes on the highly unpopular defense of a Russian spy, Rudolf Able.  The consequences of his capture are significant, and could include the death penalty if convicted of espionage.  At several key moments in the movie Donovan asks Able “Don’t you ever worry?’ to which Able replies “Would it help?”

Able’s own rhetorical question never gets an answer, but a point well taken.

Yet, whether or not it helps, we all worry.  I don’t know about you, but I worry about big things; I worry about small things.  Sometimes the worry is rational (when someone is ill or injured) and sometimes not (that asteroid came how close to earth???).

For the most part, my worries are truly minor and the blessings in my life far outweigh the truly impactful challenges. As a consequence, I have taken to referring to myself as a ‘lousy prophet’; that is, the dire predictions of even my worst worries rarely if ever come true.  My wife kids me that if I did not have something to worry about I would worry about not having something to worry about.

This was a new one to me, though.  There is now a term for those of us who are perfectly healthy but excessively worry about our health.  We may frequently visit the doctor, even though there is nothing wrong.   This phenomenon is called being one of the ‘worried well;’ or, more gently, suffering from ‘health anxiety’.

One of the culprits is the rise in the use of on line health resources.  While they can be a wonderful resource, in many cases they can have the unintended consequence of incorrect and anxiety producing self-diagnosis.  As a result, we can often leap to the direst causes for even the most minor aches and pains.

How prevalent are the ‘worried well’?  According to an article by Jane Collingwood posted on PsychCentral (“Tackling the Fears of the ‘Worried Well”) perhaps as many as one in four of all doctor’s visits are by someone reporting symptoms but no corresponding disease or cause is found.

In fact, for those in the medical profession, you are likely very aware there is even a billable ICD diagnosis code for this condition.  For the already strained health care system, there are costs to treating the ‘worried well’ too.  Unnecessary office visits and tests to reassure the patient that there is nothing wrong can add up for both for the patient and for the healthcare professional in unnecessary and unneeded appointments.  For employers, lost employee time and productivity due to unnecessary absences can cause strain not only on the employee involved, but also the entire work place.

There appears to be no straightforward answer to what to do with someone who is among the ‘worried well.’  There are many tools and suggestions for overcoming anxiety and worry, which can keep life and health in perspective.  Sometimes professional help is the best answer to break the cycle of unnecessary worry about our health.  Yet, discouraging visits to a healthcare professional are not advisable either.  We know our bodies and if we feel something is wrong, a visit is always in order.

Of course worry, whether or not about health or life in general, can have consequences that can impact our ability to enjoy life and truly appreciate the abundance of blessings we have all been given.  Finding the ability to give thanks for all the blessings we have been given, and do enjoy in life, can also be helpful in offsetting our daily worries.

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 12 years.