The other night I was supposed to meet with a person that I am coaching at 6:30 PM at a local coffee shop. At 6:45 I called and left a message. At 7:00 PM I left another message. Finally at 7:30 I left to come back home. The coffee shop is 15 minutes away from my house, and to get ready for the meeting, it took me about 30 minutes. So all said and done, I had just wasted 1 hour at the coffee shop, 1 hour driving back and forth, and 30 minutes getting ready for a total of 2 and a half hours.

I finally got a text message around 10:00 PM that said, “Hey, I fell asleep after I got off of work. Sorry.”

That’s it, no real apology, no real explanation. How likely do you think I am to work with this person again?

I started thinking about how little apologies mean because of how little thought goes into them. How many times a day do you hear, “I’m sorry” said with no emotion or sincerity? Here are 7 points to include in a sincere apology:

1. Be sincere in your apology- “I’m sincerely sorry…”
2. What you did- “That I missed our meeting.”
3. Why you did it, don’t justify by using the word ‘because’- “I had fallen asleep when I got home from work.”
4. How the other person felt- “I know that you must be feeling that I am not reliable…”
5. How it impacted the other person- “And that you wasted a lot of time waiting for me…”
6. Tell them how you can fix it- “But I would really appreciate it if you gave me another chance.”
7. Apologize again and why- “I really am sorry I missed our meeting”

Can you see the difference? Do you think I would work with this person again if they had given me that response? Of course I would because they just let me know that they value my time and want to put forth the effort to make things right. Also, having a sincere apology that explains what happens and how to fix things also does wonders when it comes to defusing a volatile situation.

“Josh, this is Karla. Karla, this is Josh”

And once the introductions are made, the conversation sounds similar to this:

“Hi Karla, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too Josh”

But then the conversation dies. It’s not Josh’s fault and it’s not Karla’s fault, the fault lies with the introduction. When you introduce two people, what you really want to do is build a relationship. For that to happen, you must give a foundation for the relationship to build on. Instead of just telling each other the names, why not give them some information about each other so that they can actually have a conversation. Here are 6 techniques that have proven effective for me:

1. Similar Interests: Chung, I know how much you love Germany. My friend Nickie actually just got back from Germany last week.
2. Their hobbies: Jessica, this is David. Like you, he has also been playing tennis for years.
3. Their talents: Frodo, I’d like you to meet Samwise. Sam is an incredible gardener.
4. An interesting fact: Robin, this is Ted. Did you know that Ted actually licked the Liberty Bell?
5. A professional relationship starter: Nam, this is Anthony who is the CIO of XYZ Corporation. Anthony, Nam is an IT Consultant who specializes in DBA.
6. Say something nice: Carie, I’d like you to meet Rhyan. Rhyan is by far one of the funniest people I know.

As you can see, introducing people can be fun and easy. Simply give the names, and then a little bit of information so that they can begin a conversation. Not only will the two people have a better conversation, but you will begin to have the reputation of being known as a people connector.

Does it come as a surprise to learn that only 1 out of every 9 people knows how to breathe correctly? The average person inhales about 2,500 gallons of air each day during 20,000 to 26,000 breaths, at the rate of 15 to 18 inhales per minute. This rate, which is considered “normal”, is actually too fast! This faster breathing, hyperventilation, takes 20% more energy than breathing from the diaphragm.

Deep breathing stimulates and massages your internal organs, tones the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. When you exhale, 70% of your body’s toxins are released. That is the reason that deep breathing is so powerful and a natural detoxifier.

Look at a baby when it is laying down, and pay attention to how it breathes. The baby’s stomach will go up and down because it is breathing through its diaphragm. To begin breathing properly, perform the following exercise. First you have to find out if you are breathing properly or not. Lay down comfortably and place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest. Take a deep

breath and notice if your hands rise and fall during inhale and exhale or if your chest does. If you are breathing properly, your chest will stay still while your stomach will rise and fall. To start the exercise, follow these steps:

1. Slowly inhale through your nose to the count of 5, pushing your hands up with your stomach.
2. Hold your breath for another count of 5
3. Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 5, while letting your hands fall down.
4. Repeat this process for 5 minutes.
5. When you feel comfortable with this exercise, do it for at least 5 minutes twice a day.

In about a week, you will notice increased energy and an alert focus you haven’t felt in a long time.