So “Occupy” is back up to shenanigans I see without any direction once again. I have wrote on this topic before and deleted it because I got way buck wild and cussed way too much. I have posed several questions to people involved in the movement to which no answers are ever provided which leads me to believe it’s a total unorganized clusterfuck (which I already knew) furthering the downfall of this economy and country. They simply do not understand anything they are doing, or stand for. It’s absolutely laughable in some cases.

Let me preface this by saying I don’t think ALL of the sentiment is bad by the movement, and I will explain later on so bear with the ass handing in the first part and I’ll explain. I can’t do the 50,000 word dissertation to baby walk every aspect to each portion but this is a brief.

Do I have views on this? Of course I do. I think government is too big and too linked to the corporate world, I think that health care issues could be handled a lot differently but not through a universal health system, but education and less regulation on natural health and alternatives. There are better ways for many many things NONE of which the Occupy movement is doing. Probably the most slack group social movement participants I have ever witnessed.

I am curious if they understand how to “follow the money” properly, like they say they supposedly do. I think they just follow what they are told, or whatever some documentary director told them without thinking BEYOND that. A huge complaint of theirs is banking, but without taking out any loans banking never would exist, and i have a sneaking suspicion that a good portion of the Occupy movement have loans, have had credit, have mortgages, and student loans. So money is created via a loan, therefore “banking transactions” are created by the issuance of a loan. So why did they take them? Wanted stuff they couldn’t afford probably… so now go bitch about it. So what does the bitching do?

Well it means officers and tax dollars have to go toward watching their asses sit and hold signs, be drunk, and smoke weed. Country goes into further tax deficit paying extra tax funding into major metros having to babysit, country gets further loans from Federal reserve to pay the said metro services, citizens are taxed to repay the federal reserve. Further weakening the economy. So no benefit there because the money goes directly back into the central banks, making them have a higher reserve in which to base higher CEO salaries from. So… did you enjoy that lesson? It’s about as 2nd grade as I can make it without showing the other mechanics. So Occupy and protesting… you are actually creating higher salaries. Great job.

Beyond that there is a strong sentiment for distrusting government yet several petitions, “contact your congressperson”, storm the capitol with signs movements going around. So what I gather is that you are somehow trusting the same government you openly distrust to read and honor a petition, or a congressperson to take your calls if an agenda has already been set in action? You said you hate them already Occupiers, so why are you pleading to them? Kind of like sending hate mail to the NY Times and asking them to run it on the front page.. how about get a brain.

“We need government OUT of our lives… but we really need government health care!”… sounds legit right? Geniuses at work.

“Government is corrupt, kill the system altogether… but vote Ron Paul for President in the meantime”… So vote a person into a system you want dismantled? It’s a new concept I’ll admit that much!

So what would an Occupy “victory” REALLY look like?  Well lets say things got bad and banks shut their 30,60,90 day credit tradelines to suppliers of all imports.  No gas, no importing of goods, millions more out of work immediately.  Occupy wants banks to shut down but do they realize that every major supplier of food, gas, power, etc rely on bank credit lines to operate and involve the jobs of probably upward of 100,000,000 people?  So food supplies cease, petroleum production stops, refrigeration eventually stops, no heating oils heading into winter for the east coast, no power to heat western homes, widespread blackouts. Communication will cease, no Internet, and these “well informed” groups who have not managed any clear plan will run rampant in all directions, not knowing what the goal even was to begin with…

Many have a possibility of starvation, death will reach tens of millions if that happens, pestilence to follow, contamination of water everywhere, more death, rinse repeat etc..  So where do these “we are the 99%” keep their food stores?  Where are their farms and clean water supplies and heating for the winter?  Their stockpile of fire wood and shelters for the outcome of what they are hoping to accomplish? They have NO CLUE whatsoever the ramifications of their “victory”… it is one of the most poorly planned mass hysteria creating showings of people I have ever seen.

What does it mean? It means that the Occupy movement will eliminate themselves and bring an additional 75% with them that didn’t even want their stupidity to influence the supply chain in the first place. Don’t Occupy ANYTHING on my behalf that has ramifications for me… in doing so you are JUST AS BAD as the Government control, probably worse!  Right or wrong?  You are taking it upon yourselves to force MY outcome without clarity of thought? NO THANKS! I’ll take a “pass” on that offer!

How many innocent people will die because of it, or be injured? Both Occupy side and law enforcement, fire, and EMS? Not to mention other civilians that have no hand to hand action in it, just from trickle down of destruction?

Do I think they are wrong for their thoughts? Not at all. The financial system as it stands with current regulation WILL collapse at some point, it is an inevitable mechanic of the fractional banking system where a gov’t doesn’t print its own money, but it needs to happen in proper timing. Organically, at a pace where the education of it coming on allows everyone to prepare. Not where the resistance and ignorance of few push the envelope forward before the remaining are prepared. So much for them doing this because of “love and compassion”, and many touting of “non-judgment” they will be responsible for the deaths of many if they have their “victory”, and a further proof that they have also left balance behind and are still the exact same sheep, just following another heard without learning enough, understanding enough, or searching for alternatives enough.

BALANCE PEOPLE. All things in life must have a balance to work. Dogmatic ideals never bring positive results one way or the other. Allow things to come about in due timing. Educating is great, but rioting in a way that FORCES collapse is highly irresponsible if you truly care about other human beings.

You want to know what WOULD be crazy? If the 2,800 cities that are listed as having “occupy movements” did mass volunteer action. Mass infrastructure rebuild volunteering, mass planting of edible foods, mass cleanups, taking probably upward of 30 million people around the nation and having them doing things for good, that normally cost workers time and money to do.. now THAT would alleviate a system, that would start moving us out from the thumb of a deficit. That would not cause your dumb asses to get pepper sprayed… and hell, you might actually make a great enough impression to keep a job, learn some new skills, and get massive news coverage for once.

I feel a little crass in this prediction, however. I would be willing to place a strong wager that if the Occupy movement were to shift to be more about action in volunteering, about 10% would show up. I bet “occupying” wouldn’t be so hip then. THAT is the crux of this issue, many of the people involved don’t want mass action. They don’t understand why they are there, the ramifications, or what to even do if there IS an outcome. They want to sit around with a sign, write on a piece of paper about the shitty loans they agreed to for the education system they also openly hate, and post it on facebook.

The evil is in LACK OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! Not another thing, person, or system.

For now, though, there is a monetary system. Many have abused it, many don’t read what they are signing for, many want to blame others for their poor decisions and endanger people now, and in future generations, for doing so. So for now, I am going to side with getting work done, not supporting any occupy movement, not supporting a forced collapse, and not supporting a movement that is asking for contradictory results with no game plan. Do I have a game plan of how it could work? Well, I do of course, but read the previous… I’m not working for free.

I know the side of balance the macro system needs, I know the banking side completely, I have also worked with the federal government so I know that too, and I do “get” the OWS frame of thought as well. I am one of the few that can see all of the angles and how all are acting in complete ignorance pushing the universe forward when it isn’t needed. It has always been the way of man, push push push. ALL pushing of systems without balance is BAD period! Have you never heard of the law of physics that the greatest push creates the most resistance? The harder you push something not ready to move the more it pushes back, the more excuses you give it to shoot you with rubber bullets and pass laws to have the National Guard lock you up. If you want to be effective in your own right, and choice. Go educate individuals in your own circle of people without causing harm to everyone else who doesn’t agree in a violent opposition.

All things happen in due time, and patience IS the fastest way. The world WILL change, just LET it, stop cramming your own agendas at your pace when they create an outcome for others that, personally, may not be prepared for! If any OWS participants, or action leaders want to make a difference start “DOING” good, educating along the way, keeping people in peaceful situations. Everyone you are dragging into this has a family, and people they love somewhere in the line. Think hard on that while you sit around with your sign angering people daily who are trying to get ahead in life. There is a way to do it, but you are not using your minds or keeping it as simple as it needs to be!

If lack of personal responsibility and understanding has created it… what do you think it would take to pull us out of it?

Exactly.

I was thinking this morning, which is dangerous in itself, about the current state of society and relationships between men and women, same sex partners as well.  One thing that I have noticed is the flaccid nature of everyone’s opinions and communication.  They are dull, they are not direct, they are blatantly vague so that they can “fit in” with each group.  I think it is a huge detriment to society and relationships to have such flaccid opinions.  To remain in a pattern that can just help you “fit in” and get by day-to-day with the daily grind.

It is the same complaint I have with people wanting to create these super children with successful outcomes in every aspect of life yet teach them that “just participating” will get you a trophy.  NO, it won’t!  That isn’t life.  I frankly don’t think that animalistic competition is even needed in an abundant society to move life forward, however, we do have it.  We have sports, and games, and competition so if we want to be successful at those things we need to stop teaching “participation wins” and start teaching people to train their asses off to become winners, become the best and you will EARN the reward, it makes EVERYONE better involved.  Maybe it is a little bit of a “survival of the fittest” attitude, but in my opinion it can make those who are interested become the best at that particular field.

Politics, same thing.  I hate talking about politics because I can’t teach everyone what I know in 30 seconds and it ends up with me arguing the truth to a media loving monkey fucking a coconut that won’t listen.  A politician doesn’t give an opinion or direction on their beliefs, they use rhetoric that fits both sides of the table, to appeal to everyone for reelection, not because they actually know what the hell they are doing, or what would be right or wrong for the country.

Relationships may be the worst of all.  If you are married, honor your marriage, work to make it amazing, hell even a novel idea of have an amazing relationship and trust PRIOR to getting married.  Husbands, you cannot have a wife, and also a mistress/girlfriend that satisfies your sexual desires, these are things you need to talk to your wife about, things that probably should have been spoken about even BEFORE getting married.  People take relationships so flippantly and it’s insane to me. 

Secondly to this is the fact that men and women seem to have lost near all patience and self-restraint, and definition of what LOVE actually is.  I understand we live in a society of instant gratification, but we all know that constant gratification from several methods, people, places, only seeds the makings of an insatiable character that has to escalate things rapidly to fill their desires.  You will NEVER feel like you have enough, like you have it fast enough, or wild enough.

Same goes for women towards their men, I have seen it from both sexes.  Women generally want more attention than their husband gives, and men generally want a “different” form of sex than they are comfortable discussing with their wives.  How fucking childish are you that you are MARRIED to someone you can’t communicate with?  You need a damn cheerleader costume in the bedroom, TELL HER, I can guarantee you that a grown woman, in love with her husband/boyfriend has no damn problem doing a little “something” for that extra fire and attention. 

Same goes for women, if you are so angry that your man isn’t paying attention that you resort to someone else, then you are poorly communicating as well.  Men are so easy, I know women try to MAKE us complex, we are simple, so simple.  Sexiness, a touch when least expected, showing that you are confident and you can TRUST without being overbearing, and it’s on, you will have all of the attention in the world. 

UNLESS, again I always emphasize this, your communication has been shitty for years.  If two people are not direct, yet they are in a monogamous relationship… that makes ZERO sense to me.  This is a person you have chosen to share a good portion of your life with, what is the point of not trusting them enough with your inner most wishes?  Are you afraid they won’t take it well?  Then you probably weren’t compatible to begin with, but forced the monogamous relationship because of the timetable of “life” and what is “supposed to happen” based on our society with a couple that care for each other and you wanted to fit that box.  Meet, date, relationship, engaged, married, kids, etc…  The societal “things” that are supposed to happen that you are NOT forced at gun point to follow.   

Sex, of course, also is intimate between couples if they have chosen to be in a committed relationship.  I understand that on a biological basis there can be some animalistic sex that just fits the cravings of the other human being and that is all it will be, but in that case (and sometimes it is just that, which is great) you need to be clear to each other anyway to dissuade any future mixed signals. 

However, back to committed couples, sex has some extra meaning and if one partner wants to take things so far “out there” where there is no intimacy involved, ie. something like having your husband watch you have sex with three other men and a machine driven by a small block Chevy engine and if he doesn’t want to watch then you want a divorce… well that is simply unacceptable for a relationship that is based in love and you are ALREADY an insatiable creature that has lost all sense of monogamy. You’ve put your animal desires above your love and commitment.  It’s not that the act itself is wrong, it’s that you are choosing the act itself over your lover’s comfortability level and then having it effect the outcome of the whole relationship.

You can’t always place your animal desires over your commitment and this comes back to my belief that people have forgotten their definitions of love and a reason for monogamy.  If you don’t believe in it, that’s fine as well, I wouldn’t judge that if it is clearly communicated, but you can’t expect to start off one way and persuade your partner down the road to switch it up.  These are discussions to have prior to getting extremely serious.

My opinion, women obviously miss having a strong man and it is fairly apparent by the amount of women who are unhappy in their marriages seeking out fantasy of submissiveness and highly aggressive sex, someone to just throw them around, choke them, and take control for once.  They feel like their man has this “wishy washy” attitude and that they are walking on eggshells all of the time scared of “pissing off the boss” (their wives). 

“But society said it’s disrespectful if I am rough with my wife so I need to just be gentle at all time”… that is absolutely not true.  If she is ASKING you to hold her down with some power and just give it to her sexually the way she needs, you are NOT being disrespectful.  You are in an intimate relationship that is mutually agreeable but for some reason you think every move means you are being disrespectful?  Such twisted frames of thought.  Again, it all falls back on high levels of communication and respect with non-judgement.

Stop giving trust so easily to each person you encounter, it is EARNED, and stop being so afraid to speak what you want.  The worst that can happen is that you weed out enough “no’s” and mismatches in your life in such a quick manner that you have so much extra time with those that fit your lifestyle.  That is what we are all seeking.  The problem with having a “flaccid” lifestyle without direct wishes and opinions is that you are wasting day after day just dealing with, and trying to fit your square peg in the round holes of people around you.

We are about 7,000,000,000 people now on this fine planet and for some odd reason we feel the need to fit in with everyone.  We won’t ever do that, and we will ruin our own lives and relationships in the process of trying.  Have strong and direct communication, mean what you say, ask for what you want without shame or feeling like you are being judged.  If your partner is not mature enough to have a discussion about desires or even day-to-day things needed to make a love stronger, then frankly speaking there is a LOT of issues larger within them and their comfort with their own self before even starting on the relationship.

(No, I didn’t proof-read this one, sorry, probably multiple typos and errors)

A recent survey was done that asked executives how quickly they could make decisions on who to hire during a first interview or who to promote during a promotion review. The answer… well the lowest option they could choose on their survey was “less than 30 seconds” and nearly all of them chose that option.

Later on in a group discussion they all revealed that the actual time it would take them is between 3 - 5 seconds, so roughly 4 seconds on average. Now what does this tell you about human nature? In 4 seconds many very capable men and women are immediately disqualified, doesn’t that seem completely unfair? If you think it’s unfair you had better keep reading this because you are exactly who I wrote this for.

First things first, welcome to Planet Earth, glad you could join us. Things on our planet are not “fair” as the literal definition of the word would have them be. Hopefully by reading on we can further explore options that will not only level the playing field for you, but actually make you jump all over advancement opportunities. You may feel like a small swimming employee in a big sea, maybe just socially you could adapt some methods and use them, or even if you are representing your own business as an entrepreneur. This will help on several levels.

Humans are creatures of perception. Very rarely do they see what is actually there, instead they see what they think is there. What they think they see will determine what actions they take. For example if your friend is perceived as being more successful, or a co-worker is perceived as being the “hard worker” they will receive the increasing workload, accolades, and advancement opportunities whether they truly are better or not. They may just be the master at brown nosing at the right time.

In the same survey I mentioned above the executives also noted three main qualities that would stand out among who they “perceive” as being successful and they are:

1. The ability to set priorities

2. A sense of urgency when doing tasks

3. Being able to trust that the job will get completed.

If you already have these three things covered you are off to a great start. But let’s say that everyone around you already has those skills too, maybe those are just a jumping off point for your entire peer group, so how will you ever stand out?

Here’s your guide to standing out in the world of perception, what might surprise you is that some of these actually involve being GOOD at what you do, yeah unheard of I know, actually doing your job well is one of them! What a radical concept! Read on…

1. Let’s start with the title of this, “Looks Don’t Matter? You’ll Be Toast In 4-Seconds!”: You MUST look the part. Not the part you play now, but the part you want! A good rule of thumb if you are in a large corporation working up the ladders is to dress the part of a person 2 positions higher than you. For people who own their own business, you know what this means right? Pick your top competitor, look at their CEO and dress better. You ARE the top person, so you need to look outside of your own company to dress your best no matter how uncomfortable you think it is.

Your grooming and overall appearance, make a statement about the kind of person you are whether you believe it or not. The way you look on the outside is a representation of the way you see yourself on the inside. If you have a positive, professional self-image, you will take all of the pain necessary to make your external appearance consistent with it.

Consequently, the perception of the people who can help you in your career (the power brokers) will be a much more positive one. They will open doors for you in ways that you cannot, right now at least, imagine. When seeing or meeting someone in a position of power, you need to remind yourself that you live and die by the 4 Second Factor!

2. Become EXCELLENT at the things you were hired to do: I know this is some far out stuff to actually ask you to do well at your job, but it’s a hot concept! Every boss is raving about it! Constantly upgrade your job skills, stay up with the latest advancements in your field. Attend related seminars and workshops.

You can even ask a mentor or your boss what they may recommend to help you advance your skills. Your bosses especially love this because it boosts their ego when you hold them in a position of knowing more than you. You are giving off a perception that you hold them as an authority figure by asking for guidance, of course it may not actually be true, and I have known several employees that trump their bosses knowledge, but suck it up and ask them anyway.

If you are not at the “excellent” level of your hired for job skills, don’t bother going any further in these steps until you are. Becoming excellent at your base skills is the cornerstone for any progression.

3. Network, network, network! Many men and women who have very little resources, or who are just starting out, have risen to great heights in their chosen profession because of someone they may have met on a social level first. Instead of throwing your money at charitable organizations, see if volunteering your time or your expertise would be more beneficial.

Join Chambers of Commerce and attend meetings and functions. I know of an individual who joined a statewide Chamber of Commerce which had many members but VERY few, if any, were actively involved beyond wanting their name on a roster so they could add it to their bio. He volunteered for a specific area of expertise in the statewide chamber, a position in education reform. Within a year he was the keynote speaker for the entire education committee of the statewide chamber just because he was willing, and had the know how. His audience at their first function was comprised of the top executives of businesses based in California. You can imagine the networking opportunities that ended up creating.

Get out and network, and stay in contact with key people. Keep supreme integrity in networking by contacting those you say you will contact in a timely manner, and they will know you are serious about yourself, and your business.

4. Be a person that deserves to succeed: Plain and simple, carry yourself as a person that you would want to see become successful. Nobody likes when liars, cheaters, and lazy people always get ahead in life so don’t be that person or many people will hold contempt for you. Be happy, keep a positive outlook, and keep your business and personal integrity intact. Keep yourself out of local scandals and tabloids, abide by the laws, be an overall good person.

Always be the person willing to reach out your hand to help first! Gain the reputation of the “go to” person for advice on how to improve one’s life because they perceive, hopefully in truth, that your life is on a positive pathway. Give back to your craft, and to your community. By giving and keeping supreme integrity most people around you will go to extraordinary efforts to open up doors for you should the need arise.

You can be successful at anything you’d like as long as you have the burning desire, but don’t lose sight of the fact that many people today have been jaded into “perception thinking” by repetitive advertising and constant letdowns. Hopefully this provided you with some ideas and tools to use, on top of your obvious skill in your craft, to open doorways for advancement. Not everyone thinks like you do, and that is a huge mistake many people make. Don’t just bring along your brain and put it in another persons shoes, dig into the root of what creates THEIR perceptions.

After all, you have to fish with the bait that fish want to eat, not with whatever the fisherman feels like giving them that day.

In the brilliant movie The Truman Show, Jim Carrey portrays a man who, unbeknownst to him, lives his entire life on a bigger-than-life television set. While Truman thinks he is making free personal choices, every aspect of his life is manipulated by a calculating producer watching from a distant control booth.

Eventually Truman gets wind of the scheme and tries to escape from the small town he has never ventured beyond. But in order to keep their popular television show alive, the producers stage obstacle after obstacle against Truman’s attempts to break free.

At one point, an assistant in the control booth asks the producer, “Do you think he will be able to find his way out?” The producer soberly answers, “If he was absolutely determined to leave, he could at anytime. The truth is…. that he prefers his world.”

Are you more afraid of the possibilities outside of “your world”, are you just blindly comfortable with the movie set you call your life?

You must decide to make your life different. The true origins of the word “decide” means to “cut off completely”, you have to “cut off” all possibilities of failing, or falling back into habit in order for it to be considered a true decision.

Let’s face it, some people have simply shit in the pants of life. There are those that are grown up enough to make the effort to clean up the situation and put on something new. Then there are those that are so damn lazy and comfortable in their own mess that they spray on something to cover up the stench and try to manage through life because actually changing requires too much effort.

So… have you decided, TRULY, to change? Or are the doors of bad habit left open for you to fall back on? Cut off every obstacle to your goal and you are left with a clear path. Get on that path, and run hard!

When you engage with people who don’t match your highest interests, you will end up feeling sucked dry of your life-force. Not by the people themselves, but by your own inner being telling you that you don’t belong there, and that something just isn’t right about what you are doing. That inner voice will nag at you daily, driving you insane. If you had followed your intuition, you wouldn’t be there in the first place. As humans, though, sometimes we just do the things that are the easiest attention grab for that moment without realizing how worthless the outcome actually is.

Here are some very common types of interactions that will suck your energy because you, being involved with them, is inappropriate in the first place:

• People you are with out of a sense of obligation because you are scared they might be hurt if you leave
• People who use, abuse, or don’t appreciate you exactly how you’d like
• People who don’t want to be there in the first place and you sense their misery
• People you don’t really like that much, but you want something from them so you stick around
• People with whom you do not set healthy boundaries and let take advantage of you
• People you are trying to fix or save. This one is a terrible life suck, and it’s not your job to fix anybody!
• People who don’t like themselves. They will drag every ounce out of you with self-complaints and drama

You absolutely have to move beyond these toxic relationships to live your life to the fullest. A few things you can do to prevent these pitfalls are recognizing that (1) You have a choice about who you are with, and why. You are not obligated to stick around for the fiery disaster ending; (2) If the situation is not working for you, neither of you will end up with what you want or be happy; and (3) If you made an error by choosing to be with someone you don’t match with long-term and you are just realizing it now, you only compound it by continuing on longer. END IT!

Begin to speak and act on the truth that reverses the dysfunctional reasons you get into situations and relationships with people, move on to a healthier situation, and everyone involved will be better off.

You are neither a better nor worse person for the kind of car you drive, the size of your home, whether you even own a home or not, the physical gifts you have given or received or the performance of your investment portfolio. Remember what really matters in your life.

Imagine for a moment that today was your very last to be alive. Now, what if I asked you to make a list of all the things you are proud of, and all the things that have made you happy during this lifetime, what would the list look like?

Did your car make the list? How about all of the cool presents you just got for Christmas? Your iPhone? Maybe your job title and college degree? No. Probably not.

What’s on the list are more than likely the fundamental elements of a satisfied life. Your relationship with friends and family, the contribution you have made to help others. Maybe a strong marriage, amazing physical health, or being a parent to wonderful children. Those should be some of the foundational type of things to build your list on. If they aren’t, you have have a mix up of what happiness truly is.

Many of us live day to day as if the opposite were true. Instead of appreciating what is truly important and making that our priority, we collect things, trinkets, memorabilia, and indicators of success without questioning just what happiness really means.

I have had a unique opportunity to work abroad in several places. To see cultures who practice true happiness. Food, water, shelter, soil, family, friends, community are the kind of things these cultures thrive on. They are ALWAYS smiling, and have nothing as far as the western civilization would see as value.

Don’t weigh your happiness or success by what “stuff” you have accumulated. Think of it in terms of what you truly have to be thankful for!

In a study using surveys and daily observation, the availability of material resources and physical items was nine times less important to happiness than the availability of “personal” resources such as friends and family.
-Diener, E., and F. Fujita. 1995. “Resources, Personal Strivings, and Subjective Well-Being.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 68:926.

Many people say there is no opportunity to make it in today’s world. The economy has ruined everything, it’s harder to get a degree, everything is drying up. That’s total nonsense. It’s an excuse used by people who don’t want to pay the price to use a little bit of intelligent thinking, or just want to go on in their rut in life. “The only place opportunity cannot be found is in a closed-minded person” is the way Bo Bennett put it.

No doubt it’s much easier to sit around and talk about the lack of opportunities, much easier to be the bloke at the pub talking about the last broken business idea than it is to spot new opportunities and do something with them right away. The time that many people spend complaining about the lack of opportunities is the same time that others are utilizing to capitalize on ones that are passing right by you.

Opportunity knocks a lot more often than most people care to admit! Most people are completely oblivious to opportunities. Hell, most people are totally oblivious to the blessing of daily life all around them! Thomas Edison once observed, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks a lot like work.” In other words, if you want the door of opportunity to open, you may want to do your part by actually turning the knob and pushing the door open!

If you really look, there are a hundred interesting and exciting opportunities around you at this moment if you just think intelligently. And the future will continue to bring new ones. I have a full notebook of random inventions that I have come up with. Some will go to patent and licensing and some never do, but it exericses the mind because one idea leads to another. It’s the way that many rocket scientists think. Business concepts: I can think of a hundred in a day without a problem. Then all you do is refine and whiddle down to what makes the most sense.

Helen Keller made a great point when she observed, “When one door of opportunity closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Basically she is making the point that we spend FAR too long dwelling. Dwelling on past businesses opportunities that have failed, failed relationships, bad grades in class. We dwell on all of the negative things we cannot go back and change instead of moving on to the next new exciting opportunity. Forget about lost opportunities and focus on those around you at this time.

Remember that opportunity knocks often! The question is: Are your ears even listening for it, or are you too busy talking about failure?

Bro-ism / Valley Girl Speak: “And she was like, ummm, and I was just like, you know, umm, no way, really, like, yeah, and when she was like that, I was just like..umm….” and for added flair throw a “bro” in there every third word. Look, I am originally from Southern California & also worked on Wall St. so I have heard that exact string of communication thousands of times from both coasts. It’s this weird ability people acquire of piecing together no information at all and making it sound like something is actually there. No mention of people, places, actual things… nothing of substance, it’s amazing. In the business world there are things that do the exact same thing, some of my favorites are: kind of, sort of, around, synergy, value-add, etc. All very fluffy, but have lost all meaning, so I shut off listening.

Meaningless Expressions: A continuation of the above is the meaningless expression. Things that are SO overused and misinterpreted that they have lost all meaning. “Think outside the box” is one that can fit this category. “exceed expectations” is another meaningless phrase. The majority of the time I sit there and think, “how can you exceed my expectations when you have never, once, asked me what my expectations even are?” People just get in the habit of saying filler garbage phrases that are meaningless. Some of my other favorites are: Low-hanging fruit, win-win, thought leader, change agent, paradigm shift, let’s run it up the flagpole; just to name a few.

UTMATAC (Using Too Many Acronyms That Are Confusing): This is a disease of epic proportions in the world of business. I was on a conference call just two days ago during which several well-meaning corporate officers were presenting a corporate finance project to me. The meat of their discussion revolved around acronyms. GDA, PSDF, RMA, USR, and on and on. In the span of twenty minutes these acronyms must have been used 10 times each. They were central to understanding the topic at hand, but not ONCE did anyone define them to me or identify them by their long-form name. I had not the vaguest idea what the guys were talking about. None. Could have been talking about how to make a roast duck for Christmas for all I know. Unfortunate for them, they were trying to raise capital for their business, and obviously if I can’t understand your business, I can’t recommend that my clients invest in it.

The Abstract Painter: “The viewing portal of the culinary quarters of the living space”… It’s a KITCHEN WINDOW! Have we all completely forgotten how to use the real name for things? Why do people insist on describing things without just saying what the hell it is? It just gives me a headache and wastes my time. “The latest technology in residential access”… It’s a f*cking doorknob, just say it.

This would all be funny if it weren’t true. People just don’t make sense anymore. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble if you internalize this, observe it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most conversations have become.

You will gain tremendous credibility, become much more productive, and make those around you much more productive, by just spitting out exactly what you mean directly. Nothing is worse than wasting your breath for five minutes and having me look directly at you and say, “I don’t have any idea what the f*ck you just said to me.”

Before sugar production went into a “refined” state in the 1700’s it was fairly rare to find sugar in foods other than rum and molasses, whole fruits, and the odd batch of honey. It just wasn’t something that our ancestors included as part of their diets. Today though, Americans are consuming on average 150lbs of sugar per person, per year. That’s about 1/2lb of pure sugar each and every day for each person. It makes up about 25% of the average American adults diet, and almost 50% of the average American kids diet!

The fact is: refined, modern sugar, is not only worthless, it is extremely harmful. Eating refined sugars brings about malnutrition and toxicity in the body. The human body has not been designed to process sugar as a food, rather as a toxin… and why would you expect otherwise? It has ZERO nutritional value so your body thinks it’s a foreign substance that it needs to process into something else or eliminate.

If sugar were introduced as a food item today, and all of the evidence of its cause of disease and decay were presented along with it, the FDA and the American people would not approve it as a consumable item. Of course that would be in a world where the FDA was actually unbiased. Sugar has been linked with cancer, diabetes, heart disease, immune deficiency, obesity, tooth and bone deficiencies just to name a few. 

Yet what do parents give to their children as a “reward”?!?  CANDY!  COOKIES!  ICE CREAM!  SUGAR! SUGAR!  SUGAR!  Congratulations parents, you are introducing a highly detrimental toxin into your children as a reward.

Food can be defined as a substance that is supportive to life. Sugar doesn’t support the life of anything, not plants, animals, humans, insects, nothing! The sugar refining process strips any and all nutrients from sugar cane and the body has to make up for proper metabolization by depleting the other reserves it has to complete the process. This leads to massive vitamin B deficiencies as well as huge depletion of magnesium and chromium. For a span of six to eight hours after eating sugar your body goes into a chaotic state. Hormones, carbs, fats, and protein metabolism are thrown completely off and the body has a spike in blood sugar. To correct the spike the cells take in the sugar and convert it to fats and cholesterol just to get it out of the blood stream. Introducing the, ever so lovely, heart disease.

Actually you would be better off eating a spoonful of pure saturated fat than you would eating a spoonful of refined sugar! At least with saturated fat you don’t increase insulin levels. Increased insulin is what tells your body to not only store the fat, but also NOT to release it. So with sugar you get fat, and you stay fat, bottom line. The fats are deposited in the cells and organs causing all blood cells to become sticky and clumped and in turn increases LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreases HDL (good cholesterol). When that happens, and your body is deficient in nutrients, which if you are eating a lot of sugar it probably is, your cells begin the oxidation process. This creates and enhances free-radical activity and reducing the bodies ability to move oxygen freely.

Sugar produces massive hormone imbalances and weakens the immune system greatly. Daily consumption of sugar causes an overworked biochemical balancing act resulting in adrenal exhaustion, which in turn decreases the body’s ability to respond to future stresses. Adrenal exhaustion is now a common problem in the chronically ill and those with diseases. Sugar quadruples adrenaline levels, while increasing both cholesterol and cortisol. Cortisol is known to depress immune function. In fact a study was done of 20 teenagers suffering psychosis who could not be not cured or changed by the use of psychotherapy or prescriptions. They were actually CURED with the introduction of high doses of B1 vitamin supplementation. Sugar had depleted their B vitamin reserves so much that is was making them deficient and causing the abnormal behavior. One can be sure there are thousands, if not millions, of teens and adults out there right now with similar problems.

Studies show that the ability of white cells to destroy harmful bacteria is reduced as sugar consumption rises.  This is why children, who eat lots of sugar, are more susceptible to colds, flu, and other infections.

WHY DO YOU THINK FLU SEASON IS RIGHT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS?!?!?

Because our body is in a state of malnutrition and over sugar filled from all of the sugar we ate during the holidays. White flours, sugars, alcohols, heavy meats and dairy products all cause weakened immunity. So of course after we shove our face from Thanksgiving to Christmas, we then go get trashed New Years Eve so we can start out the year with a massive cold and/or flu and sit back and blame it on the latest and greatest “flu bug” that the newspaper headlines are chattering about. It’s our own faults for getting sick, not some flu bug from another country!

Steering clear of refined sugars in our modern society is near impossible. It is hidden in a ton of things under a lot of different names. Names such as barley malt, maltose, maltodextrin, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, glucose, concentrated fruit juice, corn syrup, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, rice syrup, and brown sugar are just a few. The natural sugar in whole fruits are acceptable because of the fiber that is in whole fruit to offset the absorption. Juicing of fruits is not a good idea though because then you are just left with the juice full of sugar that will be absorbed without the fiber offset of the actual “meat” of the fruit. A good rule is to eat your fruits whole, eating vegetables whole or juicing them are both acceptable because most veggies do not contain high levels of sugar like fruit does.

Again though, I am a HUGE advocate of balance. You can cheat a little bit here and there without effect as long as your immunity is top notch. If you have a lot of other great foods going in your body to offset the sugar intake you can make a few exceptions. I know the holidays are filled with work functions, events, and dinners and you don’t want to seem rude by eating a varied diet than the other guests. Just be sure to keep your B vitamins high, your fiber high, and drink plenty of water to offset the sugar rush.

Deficiencies and toxins are the leaders of disease in this country, and sugar is the absolute leader to BOTH deficiency and toxicity! Read labels as best you can and look out for the refined sugars in foods today, and above all else do not feed it to your children. It will cause illness, hyperactivity, chemical imbalances, huge hormones imbalances (high estrogen causing breasts in pre-pubescent children, even in males), and above all else you are giving a TOXIN to your child in the form of reward teaching them a horrible habit.

I hope everyone thinks twice before consuming refined white sugar because the end all, be all, side effect is ultimately an early grave!

I will just go ahead and call people that do this “losers” to make it easier than typing “horrible male/female partner” a thousand times because that’s annoying for me to type.

All losers are faced with a huge relationship dilemma: How can they keep the fact that they have needs that they want met totally hidden, yet still create situations in which they have some hope of getting their needs met? After all nobody wants to act like they need anything, that would be ridiculous to ask for something they actually want out of their partner! Most losers have found a great solution.

In order to accomplish this seemingly impossible goal, losers utilize the “covert contract” method. These unconscious, unspoken agreements are the primary way that losers interact with the world around them, regardless of the situation. Almost everything a loser does in life does represents some manifestation of a covert contract. They simply live their lives ONLY doing things for people when they can get something out of it.

The Loser covert contract is simply this:
1) I will do this ______________ (fill in the blank) for you, so that
2) You will do this ______________ (fill in the blank) for me.
3) We will both act as if we have no awareness of this contract and continue to have a miserable existence around each other until one of us decides to kill the other or cheat with someone offering better contract terms.

Most of us have had the experience of leaning over and whispering in our lover’s ear, “I love you.” We wait with expectation for our beloved to respond with, “I love you too.” This is a total loser covert contract in which a person gives to get. Of course saying “I love you” and meaning it is perfectly fine, however, most losers will make a HUGE deal of it when the statement isn’t returned. A HUGE DEAL!

Giving “I love yous” to get “I love you toos” in return is just a very basic level way losers find a way to get their need of hearing they are loved met. Loser covert contracts are indirect, unclear, and manipulative.

As a result of the conditioning they received in their family and society, losers believe if they are “good,” then they should be loved, get their needs met, and have a problem-free life.

In reality, the primary paradigm of the loser is nothing more than a big covert contract with life. Everything they receive they manipulate in order to get, and they never freely GIVE without expectations or strings attached.

They keep score too! Diligently! So if you haven’t made a return to them for a while you’ll be hearing about it. So keep an eye out for this red flag in your partner before you end up is a disastrous, resentful, relationship that could get more manipulative over time.