Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thank you, BusinessWeek
I don't usually read each issue of BusinessWeek that arrives in the mailbox, but I do have a tendency to flip through and check the headlines (in the same manner many of you probably read the paper). It's not that I don't want to learn about what's going on in the world of business - I actually have quite an interest in it - which is why I subscribe to the publication in the first place. However, the stories lately only focus on the "failing economy", and similar stories of doom and gloom, and feelings I don't like to perpetuate...
That said, as I sat down for a short bike ride at the gym today and flipped through this issue, I found a wonderful opinion column on page 98 by Jack & Suzy Welch entitled, "Put Your Rage on the Back Burner". Consequently, I read on. It's a fabulous little piece that indirectly touches on the law of attraction (my favorite law). They say that 'rage begets only rage', i.e., like attracts like. That's right, you learned this in Chemistry, and have probably forgotten to continue applying it to the world you live in now. The best part of the entire story is a paragraph that states the following:
You can be sure, too, that legions of people out there aren't frightened by the economy. They're called entrepreneurs. And challenges don't make them surrender; they make them fierce.
This paragraph alone has planted a little seed in me to find those entrepreneurs, believers, yay-sayers, if you will. I'd like to learn their stories and write about them, and in turn will begin my own perpetuation of so-called 'happy thoughts'.
That said, as I sat down for a short bike ride at the gym today and flipped through this issue, I found a wonderful opinion column on page 98 by Jack & Suzy Welch entitled, "Put Your Rage on the Back Burner". Consequently, I read on. It's a fabulous little piece that indirectly touches on the law of attraction (my favorite law). They say that 'rage begets only rage', i.e., like attracts like. That's right, you learned this in Chemistry, and have probably forgotten to continue applying it to the world you live in now. The best part of the entire story is a paragraph that states the following:
You can be sure, too, that legions of people out there aren't frightened by the economy. They're called entrepreneurs. And challenges don't make them surrender; they make them fierce.
This paragraph alone has planted a little seed in me to find those entrepreneurs, believers, yay-sayers, if you will. I'd like to learn their stories and write about them, and in turn will begin my own perpetuation of so-called 'happy thoughts'.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Fables & Fortune Hunters
If you haven't read The 4-Hour Work Week, you should. And if the title doesn't entice you all on it's own, here's one of my favorite little stories Timothy Ferriss includes-
An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor's orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American asked.
"Only a little while," the Mexican relied in surprisingly good English.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American then asked.
"I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends," the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.
"But...What do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican looked up and smiled. "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.
The American laughed and stood tall. "Sir, I'm a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats."
He continued, "Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to L.A., and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, senor, how long will all this take?" The which the American replied, "15-20 years. 25 tops." "But what then, senor?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public an become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions, senor? Then what?"
"Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos..."
An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor's orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American asked.
"Only a little while," the Mexican relied in surprisingly good English.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American then asked.
"I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends," the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.
"But...What do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican looked up and smiled. "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.
The American laughed and stood tall. "Sir, I'm a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats."
He continued, "Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to L.A., and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, senor, how long will all this take?" The which the American replied, "15-20 years. 25 tops." "But what then, senor?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public an become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions, senor? Then what?"
"Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos..."
I'm not surprised.
Of course the value of the dollar is declining, and it's going to continue to decline as long as the government believes that printing more paper is going to solve our debt crisis. This isn't news folks. Everyone needs to pick up a book, and enhance their financial education. A little reading can go a long way. A few books on my list of future reads include: Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver, The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, Crash Proof, and Rich Dad's Prophecy, just to name a few. Luckily for me, that boy keeps me updated on what's going on in the economy. Check out his blog here.
Check out a few recent news articles:
Dollar slides after US Fed plan
What the Fed's action means for you
Check out a few recent news articles:
Dollar slides after US Fed plan
What the Fed's action means for you
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The State of the Media: Not Good
Time magazine offers some quite negative, albeit realistic insight into the world of journalism, advertising, and the partnership of the two. Predictions about the state of this relationship have called for a downfall like this for years, which leads me to wonder if it's anything but a self-fulfilling prophecy. You decide. Take a look at http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1885349,00.html
Christian, the Lion
Thanks to the Today show, I was able to learn about Christian, the lion - a cat who was raised in the sixties/seventies by two New Yorkers and was later released into the wild of Africa. I'll be researching this more, and potentially writing about it for a class. In the meantime, check out the most recent story here.Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A book worth reading
The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander is a good reminder about philosophies you know and understand inherently, but may have forgotten. My favorite chapter is entitled "Giving an A", and offers great advice for meeting new people. It's true that in the first seven seconds of meeting someone, you will form at least eleven thoughts about him/her subconsciously. It's known as the 7/11 rule in advertising. So, in an attempt to combat the judgments we knowingly/unknowingly form, the Zanders suggest that we give everyone we meet an 'A' grade. By automatically treating others as though they're 'A' students, and not discounting them based on our immediate judgments, we give them the benefit of the doubt, and create a more open environment in which to interact. Nevertheless, it's a great read. These lessons could be applied to any aspect of your life.
Calling for an optimistic approach
As graduation nears, it's hard to not get caught up in the stress of finding a job. Even I've let it get the best of me at times, but the search won't get me down anymore. I promise. It's a promise I've made to myself and refuse to break. It'd be nice if I didn't stand alone with my optimism though. I seem to be a lone soul in believing that the failing economy just isn't that bad. There. I said it. It's all in your head.
I think we all know the economy isn't ideal, but is it really grounds for perpetuating attitudes of doom and gloom? Do you not understand that you become what you believe? The world is jaded, and it's tiresome watching my peers excuse their in-actions by way of the economy. It's time to step up, and take responsibility for yourself. And I'll take responsibility for myself. If you continue to believe that there are no opportunities for you, inevitably, none will appear. It's not magic, it's just the power of thought; your thoughts. Let's make them positive together. Who knows? Maybe that's all we need.
And lastly, would it be too much for me to ask the bitter boomers to stop raining on our young, innocent parades? I may be naive, but I'm talented and prepared too. And if one more person tells me that I should take any job opportunity that I can get in 'this economy', rest be assured, your name will be taken. I am keeping track of you Negative Nancys, and writing a book about you, so someday you can read about my success, and start to believe in the power of optimistic thought yourself.
So here's to facing life with a new and improved optimistic approach.
I may be a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I think we all know the economy isn't ideal, but is it really grounds for perpetuating attitudes of doom and gloom? Do you not understand that you become what you believe? The world is jaded, and it's tiresome watching my peers excuse their in-actions by way of the economy. It's time to step up, and take responsibility for yourself. And I'll take responsibility for myself. If you continue to believe that there are no opportunities for you, inevitably, none will appear. It's not magic, it's just the power of thought; your thoughts. Let's make them positive together. Who knows? Maybe that's all we need.
And lastly, would it be too much for me to ask the bitter boomers to stop raining on our young, innocent parades? I may be naive, but I'm talented and prepared too. And if one more person tells me that I should take any job opportunity that I can get in 'this economy', rest be assured, your name will be taken. I am keeping track of you Negative Nancys, and writing a book about you, so someday you can read about my success, and start to believe in the power of optimistic thought yourself.
So here's to facing life with a new and improved optimistic approach.
I may be a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
My mind branches and shoots..
For those of you who know me, you're well aware of how neat and tidy I keep my things [insert wink here]. Unfortunately/fortunately that's how my mind works as well. My days consist of an on-going series of random thoughts in which each new one hardly relates to the last. I recently finished Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. It was not my choice to read the novel as I'm still on MU's leash, but I did enjoy parts of it. Dillard says very eloquently that "[her] mind branches and shoots like a tree." And for that, I can relate. It's this very reason, that I've decided to finally blog - and this time it is for real, yo. It's challenging keeping track of all those journals, post-its and lists I have scattered about. So, here's to an honest attempt to keep track of my thoughts. Cheers!
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