1 There’s a saying that people who are too busy to meditate, are those most in need of its benefits. The ability to quiet the mind has undeniable value at a time when our attention is under siege and distracted has become our daily mental state. You may not have the time or inclination to learn serious meditative practice but through NATIONAL MEDItATION MONTH find a minute or two several times a day to quietly concentrate on your breathing: in for a count of three and out for six … Less action, more focus usually leads to better productivity.
1 Fracture a bone and most people will seek immediate medical attention. Deteriorating vision and they dither, sometimes for years. During HEALTHY VISION MONTH, help the National Eye Institute with its campaign to encourage Americans to make eye health a priority with regular checkups and wiser life choices. A toolkit at invmag.us/041701 provides a variety of resources including a fact sheet, drop-in article, newsletter text, prewritten social media posts for Facebook and Twitter (English and Spanish), graphics and more.
6-7 GREAT GLASSES PLAY DAY is a terrific opportunity to make kids feel better about their spectacles, contacts and even patches, and a chance for eye pros to dispense some best-practice advice to kids on wearing and caring for their eyewear. Visit the locations page at greatglassesplayday.com to see if there’s an event near you, or to sign up to organize one yourself.
11 Join the two million Americans who will cycle to work today as part of NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK DAY. It’s about fun, fitness and clean air — and if you join your business district’s organizing committee, a good networking opportunity.
14 Mothers are big-time influencers. Ahead of MOTHER’S DAY this year, try something different: mom bloggers. Invite three of the most popular mommy bloggers in your market in to discuss vision issues and eyewear fashion. They are always looking for material. And they’re likely to spread the word of your good work. Start your search for mom bloggers here: invmag.us/041702.
15 Mark NATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS WEEK (May 15-19) by doing something, yes, effective. Keep a journal of everything you do, broken down into 30-minute increments. At the end of each day, assign a value — 1, 2 or 3 (the lowest) — to your time. At the end of the week, evaluate the results. They may surprise you. Obviously, you want to be spending at least half your time on number ones.
16 It helps to be smart in your marketing, but bold is so much better. Remember that today as the world celebrates SEAMONKEY DAY — a briny nod to the power of selling emotional benefits if nothing else. Think Purple Cows, or closer to home — colored contacts.
More May Holidays/Events
May 1 Older Americans Month. These are your people. Get involved!
May 7-13 National Pet Week. Post different photos of pets in glasses on Facebook. They are easy to find.
May 10 Receptionists Day. Bring in some flowers or chocolates. (How long before chaos ensues without your receptionist?)
May 17 World Hypertension Day. Remind patients to have their blood pressure and eyes checked regularly.
May 29 Memorial Day. Enjoy the extra day. Back-to-school is on the way.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY OF THE MONTHHappy 55th to George Clooney!
May 6, 1961 “George walks into a room and the room changes,” Matt Damon once said, making an unfavorable comparison with himself. It could partly come down to their choice of eyewear. At 55, the star, who helped revive Rat Pack chic in his Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, continues to wear shades better than just anyone else in Hollywood.
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 edition of INVISION.