Columnists

12 Quotes to Start 2024 on a Positive Note

ColumnistsJan 02, 2024

12 Quotes to Start 2024 on a Positive Note

Peter Smith has picked a dozen of his favorite expressions to help readers start the new year off right.

National Jeweler columnist Peter Smith
Peter Smith is an industry consultant, speaker, sales trainer, and author. He can be reached via email at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.
As we kick off a new year, I’m dedicating my first column of 2024 to the experts, academics, and authors who inspire me and to you, my industry colleagues and friends.

I hope you’ll find something to help you focus on the tasks at hand this year, and maybe even find a book or two here you might like to explore!

1. “When it comes to your experiences and perceptions, you’re much more in the driver’s seat than you might think. You predict, construct, and act. You are an architect of your experiences.” — Lisa Feldman Barrett, “How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain”

2. “Positive emotions might have evolved to give our ancient ancestors a survival advantage, but to experience them still enhances our lives today.” — Leonard Mlodinow, “Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking”

3. “Salespeople who truly believe in their product will influence customers in their favor. The unconscious expression of belief by sales personnel is a powerful cue that customers process both consciously and unconsciously.” — Gerald Zaltman, “How Customers Think: Essential Insights Into the Mind of the Market”

4. “Advice from every quarter, ancient and contemporary, backs up the observation that to change our feelings, we should change our actions.” — Gretchen Rubin, “The Happiness Project” 

5. “Your mind, when focused on appreciation, has an unparalleled power to trigger physical and emotional healing.” — Dan Baker and Cameron Stauth, “What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better”

6. “Decades of work from multiple different subfields within psychology all point towards the conclusion that regularly resting your brain improves the quality of your work. When you work, work hard. When you’re done, be done.” — Cal Newport, “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World”

7. “Develop the habit of letting small things happen. If you don’t, you’ll never find time for the life-changing big things.” — Tim Ferriss

 Related stories will be right here … 

8. “We all say we want to achieve things, but we don’t really want to achieve them unless we are willing to take the necessary steps to achieve what we say we want.” — Jeff Haden, “The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win”

9. “Being busy is not an accomplishment.” — Morten Hansen, “Great At Work”

10. “Grit has two components: passion and perseverance.” — Angela Duckworth, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”

11. “High dominance or ego-driven people may passionately believe that you should have product and feel compelled to sell it to you, no matter how much you resist. This may sound pushy, but if blended with empathy, this person will close with perfection.” — Chet Holmes, “The Ultimate Sales Machine” 

12. “Risk taking is integral to learning. You have to push your boundaries and take a few risks if you want to improve at a given task.” — Kayt Sukel, “The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution, & Chance”

Thanks for reading my columns. 

Here’s to a healthy and happy year ahead! 

Peter Smithis an industry consultant, speaker, and sales trainer, and author of 3 books on sales. Reach him at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.

The Latest

Diamonds Direct Atlanta store
MajorsJul 26, 2024
Diamonds Direct Opens Store in Atlanta

It’s the Signet-owned banner’s first location in Georgia.

Bea Bongiasca’s Double Loop Earrings
TrendsJul 26, 2024
Piece of the Week: Bea Bongiasca’s ‘Double Loop’ Earrings

Commemorate “brat summer” with these green hoops.

Stock image of Providence, Rhode Island, skyline
EditorsJul 26, 2024
Out & About: A Dispatch from the Nation’s Smallest State

Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff returns from Rhode Island with thoughts about in-store shopping and a trends report.

Untitled design.jpg
Brought to you by
The End of an Era? Lab-Grown Diamonds' Journey Towards Price Stability

As the demand for lab-grown diamond jewelry may still be increasing, the most notable change we are likely to see is price stabilization.

Supplier BulletinJul 25, 2024
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional Edition

Sponsored by Gemological Institute of America

Weekly QuizJul 25, 2024
This Week’s Quiz
Test your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Take the Quiz
Amazon package outside door
TechnologyJul 25, 2024
Amazon, BBB Sue Website Allegedly Peddling Fake Reviews

They claim ReviewServiceUSA.com was selling both positive and negative reviews of products and businesses.

De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine
SourcingJul 25, 2024
De Beers’ H1 Revenue Falls 21% in ‘Weak’ Market

Lab-grown diamond sales in the United States and ongoing economic challenges in China are impacting natural diamond demand.

1872 x 1052 Gemolite.jpg
Brought to you by
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional Edition

GIA®’s most advanced microscope has new features to optimize greater precision and comfort.

IndependentsJul 25, 2024
Store Designer Ruth Mellergaard Dies

A longtime member of IJO, she’s remembered for her passion for design, learning, and environmentalism.

Pomellato Malachite Pom Pom Dot bracelet
FinancialsJul 25, 2024
Boucheron, Pomellato Post Double-Digit Growth in Q2

The gains come amid a tough time for parent company Kering, which saw sales slide 11 percent in the first half of the year.

Shane Co. and the Kids in Need foundation logo
MajorsJul 25, 2024
Shane Co. Partners With Kids In Need Foundation to Donate 7,200 Backpacks

The fine jewelry retailer filled backpacks with back-to-school essentials for students in 13 states.

Bulgari high jewelry campaign
FinancialsJul 24, 2024
LVMH’s First-Half Jewelry, Watch Sales Dip 5%

Tiffany & Co. is focusing on its “iconic” collections while the company has made changes at the top at TAG Heuer and Hublot.

Chaumet Paris 2024 Olympics medals
MajorsJul 24, 2024
See Chaumet’s Paris Olympic Medals Inspired by its High Jewelry

The Parisian brand is the first jewelry company in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to design the medals.

Jewelers Mutual and Union Life and Casualty logos
MajorsJul 24, 2024
Jewelers Mutual Acquires Pawnbroker Insurance Provider

Union Life & Casualty will join JM Insurance Agency Partners, expanding the provider’s pawnbroker coverage.

Bradlei Smith
MajorsJul 24, 2024
Ben Bridge Announces 2024 Lonia Tate Scholarship Winner

Los Angeles-based Bradlei Smith was selected for this year’s award.

De Beers rough diamond display
SourcingJul 23, 2024
De Beers’ Production Drops 15% in Q2

The company also reported the $150 million sale of an iron ore royalty right, part of its ongoing effort to divest “non-core” assets.

Long’s Jewelers giveaway promo
IndependentsJul 23, 2024
Long’s Jewelers Is Giving Away a Luxury Cape Cod Vacation

The giveaway is part of the New England jeweler’s summer bridal event.

Sophia Moreno-Bunge of Isa Isa modeling Guzema’s Hidden Beauty collection
CollectionsJul 23, 2024
Guzema Debuts ‘Flower Power’ Campaign

The ad features three celebrity florists creating floral sculptures while wearing jewelry by Guzema.

Tresia Shituula, Monkgogi Moshaga, Mohamed Samu
Policies & IssuesJul 23, 2024
Diamonds Do Good Announces Its 2024 Entrepreneurship Grant Winners

The grant provided a total of $100,000 to support 13 entrepreneurs from diamond communities in Africa and India.

Ghazi “Gus” Michel Osta
CrimeJul 22, 2024
Florida Jeweler Shot, Killed Following Argument With Customer

Ghazi Michel Osta, or “Gus,” was killed Friday by an 83-year-old man said to be a frequent customer at his store, Volusia Gold & Diamond.

Elyssa Jenkins-Perez and Effie Marinos
Policies & IssuesJul 22, 2024
JVC’s Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez Joins RJC

The organization also announced Effie Marinos as its new specialist advisor for technical standards, as well as four other appointments.

Karen Rentmeesters
SourcingJul 22, 2024
AWDC Names Karen Rentmeesters as CEO

Rentmeesters has served as interim CEO since April following former CEO Ari Epstein’s resignation.

Brian and Jessie Mann
IndependentsJul 19, 2024
Longtime D.C. Jeweler Brian Mann Dies at 70

Mann, whose family’s jewelry store was located inside the Pentagon, is remembered for being a thoughtful champion of the industry.

Tudor store in Denver
IndependentsJul 19, 2024
The 1916 Company Opens New Tudor Boutique

The 500-square-foot boutique is located in Denver’s Cherry Creek Shopping Center.

Messika’s So Move Max Necklace
CollectionsJul 19, 2024
Piece of the Week: Messika’s ‘So Move Max’ Necklace

Dance all night long with the “So Move Max” set’s necklace.

Julien Tornare and Antoine Pin
WatchesJul 18, 2024
TAG Heuer, Hublot Will Have New CEOs

Luxury giant LVMH is reshuffling the leadership in its watches division.

Etsy billboard rendering in NYC
MajorsJul 18, 2024
New Etsy Campaign Prioritizes Creators Amid Backlash

Sellers and shoppers have spoken out against a rise in mass-produced merchandise on the platform meant to highlight handmade goods.

×

This site uses cookies to give you the best online experience. By continuing to use & browse this site, we assume you agree to our Privacy Policy