My Turn to Face Reality Part Three (aka "I Thought I Had A Business Education")

I know that I am not "religious" about my blogging but it would really be helpful for you, the reader, to locate and read the first two parts of this series My Turn to Face Reality.  I am working on being better at blogging though, so please stay tuned!

After reading The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business by Carol Roth this spring, I had to question what I was doing based on the results I was getting.  I decided to work on my Entrepreneurial Resume.  Not because I'm going to post it at Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com or scour Craigslist.org jobs ads for the "Entrepreneur" job title.  In my opinion (and I could be wrong), that is something I create myself.  I wanted to identify IF I had indeed developed the skillset of a successful entrepreneur.  According to my bank account, I had not.  Over the years, I confess that I have been duped into thinking that if I sign up (giving them my money in the process) with the right mentor and work my ass off doing what they are doing that I would be successful in any business area.  This is not true.  I have tried that many times for many years.  I failed.

What DO I know about designing and starting a successful business?  I declared that I am a self-educated businessman.  The last formal school I graduated from was US Naval Nuclear Power School that used to be in Orlando, Florida.  They didn't teach me much about business. My next step was to identify all the business books that I have actually read and when.  I was not afforded the luxury of a formal business education and have not positoned myself to do so since my college-aged years.  I did come across a book called The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten.  With all the arrogance I could muster, I thought that SURELY I had read 100 business books.  I counted the books on my bookshelves.  I didn't come up with 100.  As I was outlining my "business education," I did read the majority of the Portable MBA series that was written in the early 1990's...and that was it.  Except for a few books that I have read since 2004, I really had no idea what I was doing.  It sucks to admit that, but knowing where square one is becomes the beginning of the new journey.

I decided to start my own list of 100 best business books of all time. I discovered The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman.  This is where my business education will begin...at least the "book" part.  Since then, I have discovered about 30 additional books on about 20 different business topics and even a few new business ideas that I might be able to develop into new businesses. 

It's amazing what you can find when you start looking...

Spinning Economic Numbers aka Sifting Through The BS

It's August 16, 2011 and one of my favorite economic indicators is being released today. The figure is called capacity utilization and is the percentage of industry that is being utilized vs. sitting idle waiting on workers, capital, orders, repair, etc. If you ask me, it is a great indicator of where the economy is truly headed. It is also one of the more esoteric indicators, so I have to look for it. I also have an uncanny nose for bullshit. Let me explain.

I was thankfully forced to read a book called 1984 by George Orwell in high school in 1983. This was an era before cell phones, personal computers, GPS or any of the other niceties that we enjoy/tolerate today. I thought it impossible that there would be an illuminated box that would sit on a table and spy on my every move, reporting to the central government nicknamed "Big Brother." The news agencies were all state run (in the book) and the people saw the news that the government wanted them to see, which usualy had something to do with the geo-political sentiments for that time. At least that is the way it was in the book, right? Team that up with my service in the US Atlantic Submarine Fleet in the late 80's and I have an almost immediate distrust for what people call "the news."

When I was a broker (by NASD license alone), I read the Investor's Business Daily and watched CNBC for economic news. These were two places that the news was almost all eceonomic. In many cases, if you didn't have a background in economics (or at least know a little something about it), the news from these sources would not make any sense to you.

I now rely on CNBC.com and in all fairness to one of my favorite channels, I haven't had the luxury of watching CNBC in a few years now. I would hope that their televised reporting has less to do with politics and more to do with economics.

As I am looking for my favorite indicator, here is what I see on the CNBC.com homepage and why it stands out to me:

"US Housing Starts Fall Less Than Expected in July"- In a perfect world, this is not-so-good economic news. Here they are trying to make it sound completely peachy. The news is not-so-good.

"Is Texas Job Boom Gov. Perry's Doing- Or Just Luck"- As a trader, broker, investor or someone else involved int he economic machinery of today, why do I care about this obvious political jab from a formerly conservative news source?

"Stocks Fall Amid Global Economic Fears"- What about domestic economic fears? We have high unemployment, no growth and stifling government intervention in small business. By the way, less than 1.4% growth in GDP for two straight quarters is, for all practical purposes, no growth. Also, it is an economic fact, not an opinion, that small business creates the jobs, not government. We don't have any fears here? Try again!

Today, I had to sift through some BS and eventually go to another site to get the number I wanted. The answer is 77.5%, up from 76.7%. This is better economic news, all things considered. It does indicate that a surge in industrial production took place in July. It is better news, but not the indication that we are heading for an optimal 3.5% growth in GDP anytime soon.

Watch the "news" with care. There's a LOT of bullshit out there.

A Slight Edge Moment

The first time I ever heard of The Slight Edge Theory, it was during my first listening of The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy about 11 years ago. As an example, it states that the winning racehorse wins approximately 10-100 times more money than an average racehorse, but wins the races sometimes only by a few inches. In The Psychology of Selling, Brian goes one step further and states that the same thing about us as businesspeople, that the salesperson that gets the sale and the salesperson that does not get the sale differ only by about 1%-4%, but the difference in commissions (or revenues) is enormous at the end of the year. I have also heard The Slight Edge Theory mentioned by the late Jim Rohn, as well as the fantastic book "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson.

This morning I had a brush with The Slight Edge. I accidentally woke up a little bit earlier. The clock on my coffee maker accidentally got set an hour ahead so coffee was ready when I accidentally got up. While I was rebooting my computer and preparing it for the rigors I put it through everyday, I checked my email on my Blackberry and noticed that the usual stack of emails I have to sift through in the morning weren't there yet. Part of my morning ritual is to retweet Seth Godin's blog (when I feel it is applicable). This morning it was the first tweet for me to review, saving me from what is sometimes a time consuming process.

It's not something that I've never noticed before. It's not like I've never heard the expression "the early bird gets the worm." It's just neat to sometimes experience a universal truth all over again...a kind of reaffirming sense of discovering something new, but something I've always known. Let's see what else I can re-discover today!

Focus on What I CAN Control

Ok, I admit it. I have gotten distracted. I have allowed the pundits on TV and the ________'s in Washington seduce me into getting involved in politics instead of focusing on business and what's REALLY important in my life...maybe not REALLY important, but what I can REALLY directly control.

Right now, I see that there is a battle taking place between government and business in which government is limiting business and the prosperity of this country, if not financially bankrupting my country. I had never noticed this before, but I also have read Atlas Shrugged now, at least to the point that the warning in the book and the drama on the TV became the same (in my eyes). I don't see "liberals" or "progressives," I see "socialists" and "communists." When I hear "tax the top 1%," or "the wealthy must pay their 'fair share,'" I hear "wealth redistribution" a la "The Communist Manifesto." I also see this as morally incorrect and an infringement on the freedom to succeed in business and in life, even though I am currently far from being in the top 1%.

When I first discovered Klout.com, I was influential about entrepreneurship, a subject that is near and dear to my heart. After a couple of political tweets, I find out that I'm influential about "prison" (Klout.com is based in Nancy Pelosi's district, lol). I've never been to prison however a few people with my name have, as I discover after "Googling" myself. After getting involved with the current political debate (and recently there have been many), I found myself taking a breather from my business life and getting angry about things I cannot directly control.

Here's the deal from my perspective. I give something power by the amount of thought and attention I give to it. If I give a government that has a history of spending beyond it's means more attention than it deserves, I give it power and I take away power from what I can do to contribute to the business world and the world of entrepreneurship. Where the two cross in my world is my love for the foriegn exchange markets and the government policies that are in the background. I need to remember that I cannot directly change government policy as I also cannot directly control how the FOREX market trades.

I CAN control my attitude and keep it a winning attitude. I CAN control how I invest my money and making it increase in value. I CAN control my business education and make sure I'm learning something new everyday about business. I CAN control my FOCUS and stay focused on what's REALLY important.

By staying focused on entrepreneurship and business, I make the best contribution to the world I can make...one more happier, wealthier and more-educated individual.

Why I'm Doing Better Than I Was Three Years Ago

This is a note to all the politicians and the people that think that government will help you out.

First, the question that is a campaign tool for many politicians is "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" I am a fiscally conservative single heterosexual man who is doing better than he was four years ago. I even had to spend a weekend or two at a local homeless shelter here in downtown Atlanta as early as August 2007 and April 2008. So now, it's July 2011. How did I accomplish this miracle of improving my life in the midst of a financial crisis that is actually still going on?

The government didn't have a thing to do with it. I didn't get a stimulus check and I had business losses that gave my Federal tax benefits. I did not and do not see how the government did anything towards my personal progress except giving me the freedom to do it.

Perhaps, one of my best friends said it best: "You pulled yourself up by your bootstraps and pulled your head out of your ass."

1) I stopped drinking alcohol
2) I stopped smoking cigarettes
3) I took responsibillity for the results of my life
4) I invested in my mind and my continuing education
5) I read positive things, listened to positive things and started exercising
6) I started using Quicken software to better control my expenditures
7) I stopped wasting money on pipe dreams and "businesses" that I didn't have time to execute on.

Philosophically speaking, I came across "The Art of Exceptional Living" by Jim Rohn and "The Psychology of Winning" by Denis Waitley. I listened to them. I took notes. I red Atlas Shrugged because Jim challenged me to. I started pushing the limits of who I was into a new definition of Who I can be. I quit investing in a business that was doomed from the get-go and investing into more productive areas. I started paying off my debts and investing in me.

The bottom line is that I started accepting responsibility for my life. It's the only way to create change in your life.

My challenge to you is "Are you taking more responsibility for yourself than you wre four years ago?"

Economics vs. Politics

The "mainstream media" keeps telling me that the economy is in the crapper, but I've never been without a job for longer than around 45 days (except when I lived in south Florida in the summer one year in 2003). When I lose a job, I get another one. It's just the way I am. The last time I filed for unemployment, it took me 45 days to get my one and only check because it took me 10 days to find another job.

The politicians are all telling me that the economy is in the crapper, too. Personally, I don't have a lot to complain about. I'm not necesarily making more or less money, but I am thoroughly enjoying the ride! I did quit two very expensive habits, smoking and drinking. I seem to see things a lot clearer now.

So, what's really going on here? Some time ago, someone convinced (duped)the American public into thinking that Politics trumps Economics, and hence politicians control the economy. This is one of the biggest hoaxes that has ever been perpetrated on the American people. Maybe because as a formerly-homeless veteran, I can see through government lies about what they do to help you (us), the people. When I went to the VA in the summer of 2003, told them I was homeless and Honorably Discharged, produced copies of my DD-214's, they took a picture of me and then handed me my VA card. I asked about what resources were available to me, a homeless veteran. The answer was "Nothing." As it turns out, a LOT of homeless men are veterans. When the government puts better measures into place to help veterans adjust from military life to civilian life, I'll believe that the government can do anything to help me.

Here's another clue. The current attorney general of the United States recently made implications that the best weapon we have against terrorism is our civilian court system. This is nothing less of delusional. I have no idea how he can make such a statement. It's just not even worthy of attention it's so delusional.

Another clue: Al Gore. As you can see from the link, it is never mentioned that he minored in physics, meteorology (very physics-based) or ever worked as a scientist anywhere, yet, the effects of "global warming" are everywhere...until you ask a REAL scientist. It did cause a politician-forced shift in consumer products from an inexpensive industry to a more expensive industry, such as the ban on incandescent light bulbs set to go into effect in 2012. Here's a hint for you: The climate is changing and has every year since the Earth was born. Just ask a paleometeorologist.

This brings me to the next failure of the current political structure to convince me that we were sliding off a cliff economically. This whole debt ceiling thing is kind of a hoax. All the players involved know that the debt ceiling has to be raised. Why? They've already spent the money.

Why? THEY'VE ALREADY SPENT THE MONEY. This is the equivalent of going to the store with $30 in your checking account and spending $50. I don't know what happens to your bank account, but mine would get overdrawn and my bank would charge me a pretty decent fee.

They, the politicians (looters) have a spending problem. I fixed my spending problem. Why can't Washington fix theirs?

I believe that this 2012 election season is one where the American people choose not only a President, but an economic system. The steps are in place to further shift the American economy closer to socialism and further away from capitalism. The only excuse for the shortcomings of the socialist American system is to blame the previous President, not the fact that it mathematically does not work. Just ask Greece...

By the way, taxing the rich IS wealth re-distribution!

My Identity Crisis Continues...

If you've ever read that I blog for my own benefit and not yours, this is one of those posts.

So who the hell am I and why should you read this (another great question posed by Carol Roth)? She didn't ask me personally, but I'm going to try to answer this question for my own benefit.

In addition to buying the wrong plan in life, I had the wrong friends i.e. a group of attorneys and businesspeople in my hometown who frequently confused the activities "networking" and "alcoholism." It was the late 1990's and everyone was making money and times were good. I was waiting tables at the time (and still do, but hey, the bills are getting paid).

What was the first thing I did when I got out of the Navy, i.e. entered the "real" world? I started my own business and failed miserably. Upon recent investigation, I never had a business, but donated my money to someone else's "get-rich-quick" scheme. They didn't. They went bankrupt.

What did I do then? I got a job as a salesman in a retail jewelry business which doesn't exist anymore. I got my first taste of sales and I was pretty good at it. I made a litle bit of money and got my first taste of corporate politics that ultimately got me fired. That was over 20 years ago and I still detest politics, whether it is on TV or in my face.

Why did I go into sales when my background was in a highly technical field (nuclear power plant operation)? Because I wanted to become successful in business and someone convinced me that you HAVE to have a college degree to succeed in business or in life, for that matter. It was the early 1990's and the internet revolution hadn't quite made it to where I was living yet. Education was a lot more expensive than it is today. I am CERTAINLY not advocating dropping out of college for the sheer hell of it, but I am saying that there are other sources of education (i.e. Amazon.com). This has been a fallacy that I have to counter every day of my life. Of all the erroneous beliefs that have held me back in life, this has to be the most damaging.

Why didn't I go back to college? I was trying to make it in sales early in my sales career and I was surrounded by other sales people that didn't have degrees. Guess what "advice" I got? "You don't need to go back to college, just make taht next sale."

What am I doing about it?

At last something to work on with some merit...

My Turn to Face Reality Part Two (aka "I Thought I Had a Business")

I haven't done a blog and I haven't done much of anything with my business over the last couple of months. I have ordered a few new books on some topics of interest, trading some esoteric markets, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," and some Buddhist teachings. Here I am on a hot summer afternoon in Atlanta trying to figure out just what it is I am doing.

Why am I in this state of "doing nothingness?" I love Carol Roth's book and her work. I follow her work and look forward to new insights that she has that can help me improve my business and my life. After all, isn't that the purpose of personal (and professional) development?

The main premise of Carol's book is a very hard lesson to swallow. I have heard Brian Tracy mention it in the past to view yourself as a publicly traded stock. Would you invest in yourself based on your current track record? However I wasn't quite ready for the delve into my personal finances and to look at myself from the perspective of an investment banker who is looking for reasons to take you public. That is a completely different concept. It's one thing to have a plan and actually work on that plan. To decide if that plan is executable from the entrepreneur's perspective is something I wish I had learned years ago. Taking a crucial step back and looking at my business from a different perspective, did I have a business, a job-business or a "jobby?"

I bought a "micro-franchise" for a company that I think (and know) offers a great product that I think everyone should have. I thought I had a business. Everyone told me I had a business. My mentors in this business had actually left this business and moved on to another busienss and at least one of them was making (and is still making) great money (>$250K per year).

My second source of this new insight comes from the IRS' hobby law when it comes to business loss reporting for consecutive years. The law roughly states that you can only claim a loss on your individual tax return for three out of four consecutive years (or five out of seven years)as a sole proprietorship. My last business and all of my "businesses" have been sole proprietorships (another blog topic for another time). As I was doing four consecutive years of tax returns (do not do this) for one reason or another (I was drunk for a really long time-not an excuse, just sayin'). I consulted my attorney for this and discovered that what would also come into account if I got audited would be questions like

1) Do you really have a business?
2) How much time do you have to operate your business?
3) What are your chances of becoming profitable and when?

These are some of the same questions that "The Entrepreneur Equation" posed to me. Rightfully so, because when you are posting a business loss, essentially it is Uncle Sam that is "investing" in your business. They want you to grow your business, incorporate it, become hugely successful so they can tax the hell out of you and your business and get those write-offs back (not cynical-realistic).

So I recently did what has been called the Benjamin Franklin method of decision-making with regards to my business. I take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side I list the reasons I should continue operating this business at this time. I also write on the other side of this page reasons I should stop pursuing this business at this time.

What will I do with my "career" now? Who knows? I have come to some new and interesting conclusions about business and particularly my "business" from the standpoint of an investor and an aspiring and failed entrepreneur.

I encourage you to continue with me as I take this walk back to the drawing board.

My Turn to Face Reality Part One (aka "Confessions of a Failed Entrepreneur")

Again, here's the book that made me start thinking this. It's the first time that I ever looked at business ownership and entrepreneurship from the perspective of an investment banker/venture capitalist. I mentioned in Facing Reality that this book "forced me to look at my business career and my life in an entirely new manner." I HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you are considering entrepreneurship as a lifestyle. 

I wish that this was easy. In a way, it is a great relief and in another way it is creating the opporutunity to re-create and (re) begin(?) my business career (see re-invention ). I usually don't disclose all this pesonal stuff, but I'm writing this for my benefit so I can figure out what's next in my career. If someone should read this and help them NOT quit their job too soon, lose their spouse and/or family, the roof over their head, etc. (and you think I'm kidding), then I've done a good thing.

It's time for me to sharply take a look at who I am and what I really have been doing. I am not without personal accomplishments, but my business accomplishments are on a short list. This re-invention process has been something I have been working on for a couple of years now, but tonight I am feeling the need to pick up the pace a notch.

I seem to be making a whole lot of new friends, so now MIGHT be a great time to re-introduce myself...and I'm about to find out (the hard way, as usual). First, my name is Michael Neely and I have fancied myself an entrepreneur for many years now. I'm the guy who bet the farm and lost...a few times. I basically wanted to become what I thought was an "entrepreneur" from what I saw in the movie "Wall Street." After all, everyone was making LOTS of money, staying up all night, getting wasted with a lot of beautiful women running around half-naked...hell yeah, sign me up!

I got out of the Navy in 1989 and jumped straight in...with all of my money and absolutely no training. Then again, in 1989 there wasn't any training (still isn't), internet, personal computers, cellphones, iPods, iPhones, or anything else the "Technology Revolution" has bestowed upon us. My main motivation was not working for anyone else. This has proved to be a mistake (learning experience).  Needless to say, I failed miserably in my first business attempt and returning to college was not an option any longer.  A few years later, I financed my life and businesses by waiting tables in restaurants, you know, like the late JFK Jr. SAID he would have done IF he ever lost everything in the Barbara Walters interview in 1991(?).

After a few more years, I racked up about three more complete business failures as sole proprietorships.  By the way, they don't make a "smiley" for this emotion.  Due to my second to last business failure, I left my hometown of Birmingham, AL and headed to south Florida (where my mother lives) to put my life back together again.  I got into the commodities and currencies options and futures "business," except the companies I was working with were "less than ethical" (and that's being kind). After making absolutely no money and, once again "betting the farm," I found myself working at Chili's as a server in Coral Springs, FL and sleeping on a picnic table in 2003. I worked with Fast Company magazine's readership network as a volunteer coordinator (means "not getting paid") for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Special Interest Group at the Palm Beach Community College library that was open to the public. This kept me somewhat sane over the next couple of years as I got into the habit of keeping a roof over my head.  I got to write (rant) about business ownership and meet some cool people (albeit, through the internet) like Steve Farber
and Barry J. Moltz. I moved to Atlanta with my last $20 in January 2007 and, with the help of a few friends, the re-invention has been an ongoing process ever since.  I stopped getting wasted a couple of years ago and finally started taking care of myself and my career.

Yesterday, I thought I'd put together my entrepreneurial resume as if I would go out and finance a company. After staring at the neatly typed screen for a couple of hours, I came to the conclusion that I've never had a success. There have been other hints that I haven't achieved the success I desired (trophy-wife, Ferrari, etc.), but this was the first time I had a "NO BULLSHIT" viewpoint of whether I'd been successful or not. The weird reality is that instead of thinking in terms of "risk/reward," I was thinking totally in terms of "risk." It's like someone told me years ago that I would never be successful as an entrepreneur (ex-wife, ex-girlfriends, ex-employers, ex-friends, ex-family members, ex-dog, etc.) and I have been following their orders, taking on as much "risk" as possible for no apparent reason (reward). Some of that psychological, self-fulfilling prophecy stuff might be right after all.

I have devoted myself to personal and professional development and study over the last two years and Carol Roth's book, The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business, has been a part of that. If you do just one thing and think of the Return on Investment and Return on your Time investment realistically, you MIGHT have a better "run for the money."  It would be better to buy the book, so you don't have to sleep on a picnic table one day.

Facing Reality

There is a book out there that forced me to look at my business career and my life in an entirely new manner.  It's called The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business by Carol Roth.  People have always looked upon me as a little crazy, if not completely off my rocker.  All this time, I thought it was because I had some really stupid friends.  Not so fast, Skippy (speaking to myself, another reason that my friends...um, nevermind).

Growing up in Birmingham, AL, there weren't a great deal of entrepreneurial role models (outside of prison) to follow.  Even some of Birmingham's greatest entrepreneurs are currently serving prison time.  I got bit by the entrepreneurial "bug" when I was in the Navy (living in New England) and thought this was what I wanted to dedicate my life to.  That was 1989.  I thought "Entrepreneurship is easy!  Just get started and saunter to the bank laughing everyday!"  Since 1989, technology has made this a completely different world and entrepreneurship looks easier than ever.  There are many less responsible people that still get people into entrepreneurship today without looking at the downside risks or even mention a "risk/reward ratio."  I didn't even know what that phrase meant until I had lost everthing at least a couple of times.

The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business does just as it's title says it does.  I laughed several times as I realized that I had made some of the mistakes that Carol outlines in her book.  I also realized a lot of mistakes that I have been making over and over again without solving them (the classic, not to mention expensive, definition of "insanity").  I realized that my business education (the books I read or should have been reading) was WAY behind the times.  In short, this book will defintiely make you re-think what you do as an entrepreneur and make you re-think IF you should become an entrepreneur in the first place.

This is an outstanding book with a lot of great advice, to your advantage if followed and to your financial detriment if ignored.  It even made me question what I'm doing and I am one stubborn S.O.B.

Hwæt! OMG, LOL make the Oxford English Dictionary

Remember the high dive that terrified you as a kid?  You were scared silly of jumping off of it, but one day came that you jumped off anyway.  You return as an adult and realize that the "high dive" that once was a part of your nightmares was only six feet off the water and no big deal at all.  I remember the daunting site of the Oxford English Dictionary sitting in the school library.  It was kind of a hallowed place that we looked up words only if we wanted to re-write the paper we were working on.  For me, the American dictionary worked just fine...which might explain a few of my literary short comings (LOL).
Well, the standard for "proper" words of the English language has been updated and there are a few additions that surprised me, additions that criticizing them makes me sound like my parents and my teachers.  The additions that are most notable arrived from the digital age and are text lingo such as OMG and LOL.  I can't say that I was a stickler for perfection in my English classes, but I guess I am getting older.

Then again let's think about it.  I also studied Latin and it a given taht the Latin language was what is termed a "dead language," not because all the Romans were dead, but because there were no new words created in the evolution of the language.

Here is the difference between a living language and a dead language:

Hwæt! We Gardena        in geardagum,
þeodcyninga,        þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas       ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing       sceaþena þreatum,

5
monegum mægþum,       meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas.        Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden,        he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum,        weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc        þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade        hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan.        þæt wæs god cyning!

 

Translation (I guess):

LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won!
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
awing the earls. Since erst he lay
friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:
for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve
till before him the folk, both far and near,

who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,
gave him gifts: a good king he!

 
This is epic poem Beowulf from 4th Century ad England.  I copied and pasted this from another web site, and I don't speak Old English.  No body does, anymore that's why they call it Old English.  I have no idea if this is a valid translation or not...but it is close.

I guess we should be thankful that our language and our culture are changing and (I guess) growing.  One could also argue that are culture is now in decline, as our language is becoming over-simplified.  It also is a challenge that I hold dear that I can communicate with people who hold the traditional English language dear to their hearts and at least be able to understand what people are intending to mean when they say something stupid like "O-M-G" (typed, yes-  spoken, personally not a fan).

I guess the good news is that "WTF" didn't make the Oxford English Dictionary...or did it?

MBN

The Eureka Moment Strikes Again!

In this immediately applicable program, entrepreneur and world-renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer provides a refreshingly optimistic view of where our economy is headed -- and shows you how you can take advantage of the great opportunities that lie ahead.

Have you ever had that thought that wakes you in the middle of the night? Maybe it's a task that you're stuck on or a new idea that just won't let you go back to sleep? Maybe it's that you live across the street from a nightclub and you just figured out how to come up with the money to move away from the apartment across the street from the nightclub?

When I was a kid we had a Eureka in the closet...a Eureka vacuum cleaner that I was extremely familiar with from doing chores around the house (yes, chores). The word "Eureka" is attributed to Archimedes running around the town of Syracuse naked in ancient Greece after an important discovery. The Eureka Moment or Effect, as it has been named, has been attributed to doing neat things throughout history. Thomas A. Edison was known for taking small naps and waking up with the solution to a problem. With over 10,000 patents to his credit, I think it's safe to say that Edison did some neat things. I think it is a form of brainstorming that takes place in the brain during periods of extreme searching or even worrying about a situation. It's one of those thoughts that will not let you go back to sleep. It's one of those thoughts that could change your life and the lives of others. it's one of those thoughts that unleashes the floodgates of additional thoughts that lead to a new business, a new venture or a whole host of solutions to problems. It's how progress is made and problems are solved. Napoleon Hill even mentions something like it in his classic business book, Think and Grow Rich, considered by many to be the beginning of the personal development industry. Some people attribute it to prayer or deep meditation and to religious sources. Who knows where the Eureka Effect comes from. As Jim Rohn would say "I'm an amateur at all this stuff."

What makes me so sure about all of this? Hint: It's 6:06 on a Sunday morning and I'm typing this about the Eureka experience! What does my Eureka Moment have in store for myself and others? I can't tell you yet. Let's see what happens next! DEFINITELY more to follow!

MBN

Happy 100,000,000th Linked In!

Yes, it's true. I guess I'm not so much of a "spring chicken" anymore. I remember the days before telephones had push buttons and I remember thinking "It would be so cool to carry a telephone everywhere I went, but it weighs 3 pounds and cost $2000." It just seems like yesterday that I was wondering if this "personal computer" thing would ever catch on. Just because I remember these things, DOES NOT, under any circumstances, mean that I am getting old!

Apparently, I was into Social Media before it was called "Social Media." I got an email this past week from someone named Reid Hoffman. He is the co-founder and chairman of Linked In, thanking me for the years that I have been a Linked In member (since January 27th, 2004). I am their 168,555th member. Linked In this week is celebrating it's 100,000,000th member and congratulations to them! It is because of Linked In that I eventually got a little caught up recently, got a Blackberry, a Twitter account and recognized my Facebook page as a communication tool. It is basically because of Linked In that my life is changing rapidly and I doing my best to keep up with the changes.

Thank you Linked In and thank you Reid Hoffman! So it's taken me seven years to catch on...

MBN

Seth's Blog: Faster, Better and More

Seth's Blog: Faster, Better and More

My Apologies to Linked In

For the past couple of days I have been "venting" somewhat about Linked In. I went forward with a free trial to explore their Premium Services, but I never got the chance to fully explore the functionality of this business networking platform. I am currently reading a book on how to use this platform with another book right behind it on the same topic. When it was time to decide on whether to continue with the upgrade and start paying for their services, I tried to cancel, only to discover that it would take a couple of days before I would have any acknowledgement of having successfully stopped the billing. It didn't happen and my account got billed. I was furious and acting like a spoiled brat because I couldn't get satisfaction...NOW! To see this "victim" behavior in adults irritates me, and here I was doing it. It wasn't even the money, it was that there wasn't someone to hold my hand right then and there.

Last night I got an email from Roberta who promptly handled my requests and had a refund set up to my account. I replied that I didn't understand why their customer service wasn't better. The answer glared at me in her prompt reply:

"Once again, I apologize for the initial delay. Please know that we have 90 million members we need to service and we try to respond to our premium members within 48 hours."

90 million users is (what I am estimatiing to be) all of the adult working US, just to put it into perspective. 90 million users is HUGE. I also understand that there are countries outside of the US and that they also have Linked In accounts, I am not taht naive. I now completely understand why Linked In couldn't stop what they were doing to "hold my hand" (my words, no one else's) while they got caught up on things. No one has held my hand in life so far through life's difficulties, why should they start now (I should start dating again :-) ).

Again, I apologize to the Linked In staff and I still want to explore your Premium services as soon as I have time.

MBN

I deserve my successes...

This is Brian Tracy. He doesn't know it but he is one of my mentors. I own a lot of Brian Tracy audios and DVD's. I do something crazy with his audios and videos, like I watch the videos, listen to the audios and take notes, looking for the ideas that can change my life. The information I have recieved has been instrumental in the reconstruction of my life and the development in a philosophy that helps me work towards future successes.

One of my favorites is The Psychology of Selling By Brian Tracy. This is one of the first Nightingale-Conant programs I purchased back in 1999 or 2000 and although I lost that copy, I replaced it and still own it today. He basically outlines what is required in one of the toughest jobs in the world, commissioned sales. For years, I have wanted to achieve success in business. I have all the intelligence, if not more than necessary, but without a degree to get my career started, this has been the avenue to get started for me. For some reason there was always something holding me back, some unseen force I could not reckon with or conquer. For years, I tried and failed. For years, I could not get through the first 40 minute session on the "Self-Image."

One of the hardest things to overcome is the feeling of constant rejection that comes from being previously homeless. That feeling doesn't go away without a lot of effort. Here's the kicker though. Not too many people become accidentally homeless in the U.S. There is something that they were doing or something that they were not doing that got them there in the first place. It was almost as though I was rejecting myself from the successes that life COULD (and does) offer. The real task comes from getting one's stuff together and start achieving more and doing more.

In The Psychology of Selling, Brian puts forth that you cannot achieve anything unless you feel like you deserve the successes. From the perspective of a sales rep, if you feel that aren't worth more than $50,000 a year, you will never earn more than $50,000, for example. This is the "self-image" I had to re-create in myself. I started to re-create it by investing heavily in myself and getting caught up on doing the things I needed to do. I also had a lot of guilt stemming from things I should have done, but did not or could not complete...at least not at that time.

I've had to shed a lot of that guilt and realize that I am doing the best I can right now and things are only getting better for myself, and those around me.

More to follow...

MBN

Everyone Needs a Partner...

Many years ago, I was wondering where I could find the answers to the difficult questions in life. I was wondering why some of my friends were doing well and I was not living the life I wanted to live. I needed skills I didn't have, I didn't even know how to type and from the late 1980's to today, let's just say that the world is a drastically different place. When I was in high school, the biggest threat to our freedoms and our way of life was the Soviet Union and instead of the much-debated issue of global warming being the "biggest threat" to life on Earth, it was global thermal nuclear warfare (which I guess is a lot like "global warming," but on a much greater scale).

I found myself a little lost when I decided not to stay in the Navy and retire. My transition from the Navy to civlian world was a little tricky, to say the least. The Navy didn't teach us anything about the Law of Attraction and, if I had to guess, they probably still don't. I didn't learn any negotiation skills or any skills I needed to succeed in today's world. Going back to college was not going to happen for me and finding a great, high-paying job was also not in my future...unless I created it. That led my thoughts to having the best job in the world, the job I created for myself. I have since been involved with several different companies representing several different products and services over the years. My life as I wanted it was put on hold from 2002-2006 when I wandered in south Florida searching for the right brokerage firm for me, selling currency and commodity options and futures. That didn't work either. Then finally, a couple of years ago, I realized that the problem wasn't the government, the tax structure, my business associates, the businesses I was involved in or the products I represented (and until a couple of years ago, I represented poorly).

I realized that I was the problem of why my life wasn't going the way I wanted. I didn't have the skills, the education, the mindset or the information. In the past couple of weeks, I have partnered with the Nightingale-Conant Corporation. Nightingale-Conant was formed by Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant in 1960 and is the world leader in personal development materials.

I have been a customer of Nightingale-Conant's for years now and I'd like to share one of the sources for the information I have needed and used to change my life. Now, with all of the advances in technology, change happens quicker than ever. If you don't stay ahead of change, change will wipe you out. You have to be stronger mentally, you have to know where you're going and how you're going to get there. You have to associate with the personal coaches that have already helped countless thousands to achieve their goals, over the years. You have to maintain your belief that you can overcome obstacles and turn adversity into opportunity. You have to devlop the conviction and the perseverence that says "I will never give up!"

This is one of the companies I represent today because I use their products. In my library is some of the greatest audios available by some of the wisest leaders who have ever walked the planet. I have access to this enlightened world of knowledge, skills and motivation...and you can too! Living successfully has been and always be a choice. At any time you want you can change and improve your life...if you have the right information.

Nightingale-Conant is where I get my information to improve my life. Click on the link above and find something to change your life...because change is the only constant there is in the world.

My Library (aka "Where Personal Development Comes From")

Over the past few years, I have assembled a decent library. I finally got around to reading a fantastic book called "The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle" by a great man named Jim Rohn. I highly recommend this book. My copy is an eBook on my hard drive, courtesy of my enrolling in Jim Rohn International's One Year Success Plan. My first exposure to him was when I was learning how to fail at sales in 1998. I was not quite computer literate yet, and I didn't understand a lot of the changes that were happening around me. I heard the words and I liked what he had to say, but I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that none of my "friends" at the time had ever heard of him. After all, I had all the arrogance of being around some of the best minds in my hometown, not to mention my education and experience as a nuclear mechanical operator. Surely some of my "successful" friends would have heard of him. A couple of years ago, I realized that what I was listening to in 1998 was called "The Art of Exceptional Living." It is a compilation of some of the late Mr. Rohn's best work and, now, a part of my library.

I found myself with not a lot to do on Sunday, so instead of trying to keep up with the NFL scores of the day, I decided to do something productive and read a book. I had revisited the course a couple of nights before and realized that I had not read some of the material they sent me. Since the past couple years of my life have been almost exclusively devoted to creating positive personal change, I thought that I could keep up with football (fun to watch) or do something I have been meaning to do (improve myself by reading a new book). All throughout this book I could hear Mr. Rohn recite the lines he wrote many years ago. All of his ideas are great, inspiring and, best of all, they are true.

Why would I invest in a library of some of the best ideas ever written? Maybe I like to read. Maybe I'm actually serious about creating positive change in my life. Maybe it just looks cool (which I admit, I DO think it looks cool). This is where personal development comes from- the best ideas ever written and left by their authors for us to find. I am compiling this library because I have always had a hunger for knowledge and what I can do with it. It is also a curiosity of what those ideas can help me accomplish. Why not find a new idea that could help my business do better? Why not read something that makes the morning coffee taste a little better? Why not read something that inspires me with hope instead of the daily dread of the morning news?

This is where my greatest source of inspiration comes from...and to think it all started with a library card many years ago. Thank you, Mr. Rohn.

What If It's Not as Bad as "They" Say It Is?

This blog entry began on July 16, 2010. I am learning about writing a post and saving it as adraft so some of the current information may seem a little outdated, but the message is clear.

As I begin this entry, I am watching the stock markets enter a trading area known as "the crapper." I'm sure that a lot of novice investors and faithful employees have probably lost money in the stock market this year- that is IF they are bold enough to try to trade this market. The catalyst is that a preliminary consumer sentiment index for July is at the lowest level in 11 months, which shouldn't be that hard to imagine. I know that a lot of people are having a really difficult time right now financially. I'm not buying yachts or Carribbean islands right now, but I have to say that I'm doing alright. Considering that I was homeless a few years ago, my definition of "alright" might differ from yours. I'm achieving new goals and making plans to restore my FICO score to levels it hasn't seen in years. This brings me to the question "Who do you believe?"

I almost never watch the news unless I'm forced to because it's on in an area where I am, like having lunch at CNN Center. I don't think it's a coincidence that, if you're having lunch at CNN Center, you WILL watch CNN, whether you like it or not. I do pull CNBC up online and whenever I can view it in my leisure time, but only very briefly and only during trading hours. It's actually an old habit from my lost gig as a commodities and currency options and futures broker. Except if there's some major breaking news, I pay as small amount of attention to the media as possible. I even missed Lindsay Lohan getting sentenced to 90 days in jail, but my life went on.

There is a school of thought that states that whatever thoughts you hold in your mind, those thoughts will materialize in the outside world. If this sounds like an excerpt from the book or movie "The Secret," you're right. It is also the way that prayers are answered. I have experienced this phenomenon in my life as I'm sure you have too. So if you watch a lot of news and do your personal economic forecasting and planning based on recent news reports, I'll bet you haven't gotten very far recently (unless you work for "the news"). With the media cranking out nothing but bad news, if you pay a lot of attention to it, you have nothing but bad thoughts running through your mind...and this is creating your current reality.

Let's play a game to illustrate my point. I'm going to ask a few questions and, as quickly as you can, I want you to say first thought you have out loud (or think it to yourself, if you're in a "quiet" place). My reference for this is an audio program called "I know What To Do, So Why Don't I Do It" by Dr. Nick Hall (very highly recommended).

a) What color is freshly fallen snow?
b) What color do clouds appear on a sunny day?
c) What color is a doctor's lab coat?
d) What color does table salt appear?
e) How do you pronounce the word spelled "w-h-i-t-e?"
f) What do cows drink?

Well five out of six "ain't bad," right?

What's my point?

Since the first five questions had your mind fixating on with the word "white," I would bet your answer for the last question was incorrect. Chances are pretty good that you answered "milk" for the last answer. Cows don't drink milk, they give milk. Cows drink water.

So what if we're all being brainwashed by the media these days to limit ourselves and our potential? What if it's really not THAT bad out there? What if the media is painting a picture that does not really exist for you? I can just about guarantee that if you believe that it's bad out there (in the "real" world), it will be for you. If you think that things are getting better for you, they will be getting better (or not seem as bad).

If things aren't really that bad for you out there, what excuses can you now get rid of in order to improve your life?

When My Education Really Began

A lot of the ideas that I will be revealing did not originate with me. I would love to take credit for them, but I have had many influences. It would have been a great tragedy to say that when I graduated school, that my education ended and I never read another book (there are people out there like that, you know).

I have always been a little ashamed of the fact that I never completed my college degree after I got out of the Navy, but for whatever reasons (or excuses), I didn't. There were some people in my past that thought that a college degree is first, foremost and defines all of the success in life that anyone will have. That notion is great...if you're about 22 years old and have just finished final exams.

Notice that I haven't said "an education." People go to college, study hard (or not), graduate and the common misnomer is that they are thoroughly educated. They have reading, writing and 'rithmetic skills out the wazoo, so therefore, they are thoroughly educated. There is nothing wrong with this and it has worked for a great many people...for a while. College doesn't and can't give you an education. College gives you a degree (if you earn it).

According to Merriam-Webster, the word "educate" has a few of definitions. These are the two definitions that I am referring to:

1 a : to provide schooling for b : to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession
2 a : to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction b : to provide with information : inform

The first definition is first because it is the most popularly used definition and the most popular context of the word. It is the classic definition of "go to school and get an education." The second definition is what you do with your mind AFTER you get out of school. It's the second definition that is the key to this thought.

My education began when I decided to read a book my teachers in school didn't require me to read. The first book I remember reading under these circumstances was "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. I read it in about two days when I was in the third grade. I had always had a love for the sea and stories about sailing ships. I continued reading about these sorts of things until I was in high school. In high school, I studied at Indian Springs School, just outside Birmingham, AL, for one year. I learned one pivotal skill there...how to teach myself. After one semester at Florida State University (where I learned virtually nothing new), I found myself in the Navy. I was "educated" in nuclear power plant operation. This worked great for me when I was near a nuclear power plant. When I left the Navy and decided that I would not pursue a career as a nuclear operator, this "education" was suddenly obsolete.

I started a business with my life's savings and failed. I knew nothing about business, except business owners were the highest paid people in the company and I wanted to be the highest paid person in the company.

I found myself in retail sales as an assistant manager in a jewelry store and then as a manager of my own jewelry store with the same company. I didn't know much of anything about my trade and I was consistently one of the top salespeople in the company. Again, since I had some "business success" under my belt managing someone else's business, I thought I was thoroughly educated. I started my second business and failed...again. I thought I knew enough to start my own business, but I didn't...apparently.

My education really began (as it applies to the world of business) when I started putting together my library. It was in the early 1990's and I joined a business book club, where they send you a book you don't want, you send it back and buy a book that you do want. After a while they quit sending me books and I bought a business book of my choosing every month. I had amassed a great deal of knowledge in business and sales. I lost that library after I moved to south Florida and got in the habit of losing everything I had about every nine months.

My library now is becoming a source in inspiration for me and my future successes. It contains authors like Donald Trump, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell, Robert Kiyosaki, Denis Waitley, Dr. Joe Vitale, Jeff Olsen and more. It has some of the greatest knowledge that business has ever put together and I am still a great student of my own library. I try to learn something new everyday and usually do. I cannot give myself a better present than a great education.

If you want better things out of your life, put something new into your mind. Turn off TV. Read a book. Invest in yourself and your future. Read a book that can change your life and improve who you are.

After all, success is not something you pursue, it's something you become.