May 2020

Page A18 MAY 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A time initiative since its 2013 inception. The national fun- draising dollars that supported the Have the Talk digital campaign, which helped get the word out to consumers, were expected to support the campaign through 2017. “Through excellent stewardship of the dollars, we were able to stretch the funding through the end of 2019, en- abling us to support the program two years longer than expected,” explained Kathryn Pratscher , executive di- rector of FAMIC. “As the funding came to an end, our board wanted the initiative to continue but felt that it Bay Memorials 321 S. 15 th St. • Escanaba, MI 49829 • (906) 786-2609 • Fax (906) 786-2692 Zerbel’s www.baymemorialsbabycaskets.com infant Cremation containers Available in 10”, 20”, 30” Flannel Lined Unisex Juvenile Pattern White Corrugated Cardboard Beginning at $20.00 Appropriate For Viewing NFDA Assumes Management of the “Have the Talk of a Lifetime” Initiative needed to be managed by an organization that could provide more resources. Ultimately, NFDA proved to be the right fit to carry on our work.” FAMIC will receive cred- it as the founding organi- zation of Have the Talk of a Lifetime. NFDA will le- verage its marketing, public relations and social media resources to ensure the in- tegrity of the Have the Talk program is maintained and supported in the future. The Have the Talk program is an ideal complement to the direct-to-consum- er outreach and education NFDA has been engaged in under its Remembering A Life initiative; Have the Talk will be promoted as part of NFDA’s Remem- bering A Life initiative. “NFDA has been a proud and significant supporter of Have the Talk of a Lifetime since its inception,” said NFDA President R. Bryant Hightower Jr ., CFSP. “We are honored that FAMIC has entrusted the Have the Talk program to NFDA so that we might continue this impor- tant work.” As the Have the Talk program transitions to NFDA, all members of FAMIC associations will continue to have ac- cess to Have the Talk of a Lifetime resources; the tools will remain on the FAMIC website, www.famic.org. Have the Talk of a Lifetime will go through a period of evaluation by NFDA in 2020. Some materials will be archived; NFDA will keep funeral professionals apprised of major changes. Two immediate changes will affect funeral profession- als. First, the licensing rights for the talent and music in the “Big Ed” video have expired. If a funeral business is using this video on any digital or social media outlets (e.g., website, Facebook, etc.), it should be removed im- mediately; continued use is a violation of the license. Second, as of January 2020, no new entries will be add- ed into the funeral home search tool on the Have the Talk of a Lifetime consumer website, www.talkofalifetime.org. Consumers can search those that are currently there, but none will be added. “The associations and funeral professionals who have supported Have the Talk of a Lifetime by using the out- reach tools in their community should be very proud of their efforts to establish this program as a key resource for families who want to learn more about each other, ulti- mately enabling them to create meaningful tributes for their family members and friends,” said Pratscher. “Have the Talk of a Lifetime has united the profession and NFDA looks forward to continuing to enhance the program and ensuring its legacy is one of which we can all be proud,” said Hightower. For more information, vis- it www.nfda.org. BROOKFIELD,WI— The Funeral and Memorial In- formation Council (FAMIC) has announced the National Funeral Directors Association has assumed management of the Have the Talk of a Lifetime consumer education initiative. FAMIC-member associations and other generous donors have funded the Have the Talk of a Life- By Mark Bowser Doing the Impossible with Walt Disney “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” –Walt Disney Impossible. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines it as “That cannot be…Impracticable; not feasible; that cannot be done.” But Walt Disney made it a habit of doing what others labeled impossible. Hmmm, he made it a habit. Let’s think about that for a minute. Webster’s defines habit as “A disposition or condition of the mind or body acquired by custom or a frequent repetition of the same act. Habit is that which is held or retained, the effect of custom or fre- quent repetition. Hence we speak of good habits and bad habits.” Disney made it a point of repetition to tackle what others said was impossible. He believed in possibilities and he constantly took action on that belief. Because of that action and belief, today we have Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, the list goes on and on. So, how do we, like Disney, accomplish the impossi- ble? I believe there are four pivotal steps in accomplish- ing the impossible. Let’s explore them together. One, DREAM . Without a dream, possibilities with- er on the vine. What do you have in your heart? If you knew you wouldn’t fail, what would you do? It was T.E. Lawrence who said, “All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but The Foundations of Success for Funeral Directors the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them pos- sible.” Let us all become a little more dangerous. Let us become men and women of enthusiasm, passion, and of conviction for a dream. Two, have a GAME PLAN OF ACTION . Having a big dream isn’t enough. We must put those dreams into action. Break your dream down into bite size chunks and get to work on them. Paul J. Meyer said, “Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people’s criticisms, carry out your plan.” Three, WHO CANHELP YOU ? No one can reach the top of Success Mountain all by themselves. Disney had his brother Roy. He also had a team of dedicated believers. And even when Disney had thinkers of impossibles in his inner circle, he sought help elsewhere. Who can help you? Who has the financial possibilities? Who has the asset pos- sibilities? Who believes in you and your dream? Four, FAITH . To succeed at your dream, you have to have unshakable belief. Times will get tough. The road will become hazardous during your journey. What is go- ing to keep you going? You must have faith and hope to keep going. A faith in God, in yourself, and in the impor- tance of your dream. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” When you have those four steps in place, you can’t lose. Your dream is alive! After all, dreams do come true. We have a Walt Disney World to prove it. Dis- ney was right. It is fun doing the impossible. During this time of uncertainty and concern caused by the coronavirus, it is important that we look to- wards the future. There is no better way than to make plans of growth and success for after this crisis. What do you want to accomplish one year from now? What can your funeral home do today to serve your com- munity during this crisis and how can you continue to make a difference in the days, months, and years ahead. This time in history will pass. Don’t let the nay- sayers stand in your way. Be persistent! Make it a habit of making the impossibles…possible! Stay safe…stay positive…keep your faith up! God bless you! To view a video on this topic from one of Mark Bowser’s live sem- inars then go to https://youtu.be/NXRBFB8cLvM Excerpted and adapted from Mark Bowser’s Seminar, The Foundation of Success for Funeral Directors. To schedule Mark Bowser as a speaker for your next event or conference then email mark@BrightCorporation.com or visit www.MarkBowser.com Mark Bowser is the Vice President at one of the funeral industries premier stationary publishers, the Bright Corporation, and one of the top Professional Business Speakers in the United States. He is the au- thor of several books including The 3 Pillars of Success for Funeral Directors and Sales Success with Zig Ziglar. He can be reached at 1-800-428-6424 or email mark@BrightCorporation.com. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at