#48 Positivity 🎁 Productivity🎄 Pulitzer-Worthy Poetry 🎅

“T’was early this morning, when needing a lift
I found in my email a wonderful gift.
Chills ran up my spine, a tear fell from my eye
T’was a SPECIAL EDITION of ON THE FLY!
The colors were standard, neither green nor red
But it was holiday content to greet me instead.

I was good this year, not naughty but nice
So I’ll get the gift of some Expert Advice.

And because with my loved ones I spare no expense
I’ll receive a great tip that’ll help me Make Cents.

Hustle Hub brings perspective through a seasonal lens
And Networking Hack shows me how to make friends.

In lieu of big stories and the most recent news
I’ll get both Convo Starters and Searches to choose.

Then at the end, in the final section
A nice Food for Thought about thankful reflection.

With a great boost in energy and spirits so high…It’s time for some growth while I live on the fly.”

(Just a heads up - next week, we will take
A restful, rejuvenating post-Christmas break.

So spend time with loved ones, get your head clear
We’ll see you back here to kick off the New Year!)

Despite us taking off from a full edition, you should expect some OTF gifts in your inbox next week (yes, fo’ free!)

We thought it was only right to reward you given your support throughout 2023!

Here’s how we’re celebrating this Holiday Edition:

👍️ Ending the Year with Advice From James Clear

💰️ Be Sure to Refuse the “Free Shipping” Ruse

👋 Why You Should Pretend Someone New is an Old Friend

➕ Much. More.

Expert Advice ☃️ 

From James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter.

He shares 3 ideas with his readers for them to ponder.

And these were some of our favorites.

Who is James Clear?

• He’s most recognized for his book Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. His work has also been featured in the the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and more.
  

• You can get more gems like the above in his 3-2-1 newsletter that goes out every week.

Making Cents ❄️ 

Why You Shouldn’t Fall For The Free Shipping Trap

Short and Sweet: A lot of stores offer free shipping, especially during the holidays, but more often than not there’s a catch: you must spend X to receive it.

Example: “Receive free shipping on any order $75 and up.” But you only have $52 in your cart, and shipping is only $8…

🚨 This is where they get ya!

Why It Matters: Because this is unnecessary spending, just to receive a perk that ends up costing you more in the long run anyway. Sometimes, you’re better off paying for shipping as opposed to wasting money on frivolous items.

💡 Here Are 3 Ways To Help You With The Free Shipping Trap:

1. Shop During Sales: With the holidays and the season of giving upon us, there are typically sales you can take advantage to help you meet the minimum by finding another product that you can gift to someone else.

2. Return Hassles: What happens when the product you bought, that got you over the purchase requirement to get free shipping, ends up being an item you return? You may end up paying for return shipping, nullifying you of the previous free shipping benefit.

3. Quality Vs. Cost: Choosing a product solely based on free shipping can lead to purchasing lower-quality items that don't meet your needs. Buying just to buy to get over the free shipping amount and then some, may not be the way to go.

(Remember: Companies wouldn’t use this tactic if it didn’t increase revenue…think about that during your next
free shipping situation.)

Hustle Hub 🎁 

• YOUR SUCCESS: Need inspiration for your next venture? Give yourself a present from this list to get the boost you need.

• THEIR SUCCESS: Check out this quick video from Alister Shirazi, who tested the holiday light-hanging side-hustle with resounding success. (Maybe try it for yourself next year!)
  

• YOUR SUCCESS: The wrapping paper matters! Create a stronger brand with this dive into how to “differentiate your startup [or side-hustle] in a competitive market.”

• THEIR SUCCESS: CEO of Brex, Pedro Franceschi, gives you the gift of improved leadership with this Big Think guest essay.

Networking Hack 🎅 

👋 The “Hello, Old Friend”

The tip is from the book How To Talk To Anyone by Leil Lowndes. She kicks off a chapter with this:

“A very wise man with the funny name of Zig once told me, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care…about them.’ Zig Ziglar is right. The secret to making people like you is showing how much you like them.

So how does this go in line with Hello, Old Friend?

When engaging an acquaintance, imagine they are an old friend (or former customer, colleague, anyone you have great affection for).

Play a mental trick on yourself. In your mind’s eye, they are an old friend. This can help you approach them with more excitement, which shows the person you like their company.

Remember: if you want someone to like you, demonstrate (or pretend) you like them.

Conversation Starters 🕎 

Here are some timely topics for chatting it up as we close out December:

• SELF-INTEREST: Talk about these tips on “how to make the holidays special.”
  

• HUMAN INTEREST: Talk about the narcissists in your life and whether or not these tips for handling them will work.
  

• ARTIFICIAL INTEREST: Talk about ChatGPT’s recommendations for a holiday season to remember ⬇️

The Search Bar ⛄️ 

As of Monday, 12/18 at 10:30am est.

• MOST-SEARCHED HOLIDAY TRADITION (past 24 hrs):
  “TWELVE GRAPES” - Christmas traditions in Spain were popular enough to hit #10 on Google’s Trends list, though the tradition that seems to be most popular - eating 12 grapes at midnight - is actually a New Year’s Eve custom.
  

• MOST-SEARCHED $$$ STORY (past 24 hrs):
  CENTRAL MAINE POWER COMPANY - The headline says it all: “Electricity bills for many Mainers are going down in the new year.” Good for you, CMP - that’s gonna be a tough gift to top!
  

• MOST-VIEWED HOLIDAY MOVIES (Nov. 10 - Dec. 10)

  

Food For Thought 🎄 

A Gift For You 🎁 

As we relayed in the intro of this edition, expect to receive some free gifts from us next week.

You may be wondering what that entails, but we believe it will be worth the wait.

However, we thought we’d start by gifting you a creative newsletter for those in the creator economy space.

This is a great way to be in the know on B2B creators & influencer marketing strategies and insights.

For more, subscribe below or check out their website here.

You are now On The Fly and In The Know.