The latest “rule” about the “new economy” and the “new job market” (or, rather, on how to take advantage of the economic downturn by becoming an entrepreneur) seems to be: “get ahead by breaking the rules”.
I’ve always found that advice to be a bit suspect or a bit too “convenient”, overshadowing the role that luck and selective memories often play.
Of course, that’s not to suggest that we don’t benefit from the “learning opportunity” of missteps, whether due to breaking the rules or not. However, when it comes to rules, sometimes the “learning” is that some rules aren’t meant to be broken in a willy-nilly way. Read more »
What makes my thoughts or ideas any more or less prophetic, important, or meaningful than anyone else’s?
I’m sure I could say some things that some people in search of such wisdom haven’t heard before. They’d probably be rather impressed with what I’d communicate. Who knows though…if I were referencing commonly held beliefs or affirmations often heard in circles that others just haven’t encountered yet, perhaps they would hear the same thing somewhere else along their journey anyway. Isn’t there a phrase about: “When the student is ready, the teacher will be there”? Read more »
Confidence and conviction are admirable traits. Thus, many of us are familiar with the phrase: “if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
Yet , when it comes to things like political discussions, even the civil ones, with all the divergent points of view out there, I always wonder how anyone can be 100% sure that their view is the only right (or best) view.
When we look at experts’ forecasts about what the future holds, we don’t have to look too hard to find almost every possible point of view vehemently defended by someone. In the end, who is ultimately most accurate will only be revealed by time. Someone will clearly be right, whether by design or by accident, it’s just a question of who, what, and when.
Recently on Bloomberg radio I remember hearing “the future” described as this: “the future by definition is unknown and unknowable” and it’s about “tilting the odds in your favor”. Read more »
When people argue over politics, the arguments usually eventually always come down to the same cliché positions that puts you either on the side that “government is necessary” or “government should not intrude.”
The pro-government people defend their idealistic view that government can efficiently provide services and opportunities to the less fortunate in order to level the playing field.
At the same time, the anti-government people focus on their idealistic vision that self-regulation and personal responsibility is their cure-all for society’s ills.
Pro-government advocates, just like their anti-government counterparts, generally don’t ever acknowledge that any inefficiencies, flaws, or limitations exist within the system they believe in.
In reality, does either system alone really function ideally? Don’t we probably really need a blend of both? Read more »
In this fast-changing world of ours, decisiveness is clearly the name of the game.
In the book “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, we learn that those with expertise in a particular subject matter can be quite accurate in their quick instinctual gut reactions to certain claims or situations.
And, conversely, those without expertise in a particular area of focus generally don’t fair so well with this kind of quick decision-making. Hence, the phrase “rushing to judgment” doesn’t have such a positive connotation.
“Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all.” ~Brian Tracy
So, what do we make of this common advice that: “making any decision is better than making no decision?” We could all probably readily agree that it is true that inaction, like procrastination, has let many high-potential projects go uncompleted or forever remain un-started. But should that really be the only criteria we are considering here? Read more »
It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Greg Hayes from Live Fit Blog. In today’s guest post, Greg shares some great advice on the key ingredient needed to get healthy – advice that can easily be applied to making changes in all areas of our lives.
Note: Greg is one of the great people I’ve met through fellow blogger, Josh Hanagarne of World’s Strongest Librarian. Josh is really building up a great network of like-minded readers (with an intriguing range of interests) via the openness of his blog, his guest blogging and commenting.
After reading this post, be sure to visit Live Fit Blog and World’s Strongest Librarian at any time for more (or just to say “hello”). We always enjoy reading any and all comments you’d like to share.
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Why Change? – A Guest Post by Greg Hayes
Most of us can probably agree that we should be paying more attention to our health. Turn on the news at any given time of day, and you’re apt to hear someone debating this subject. Inevitably, the discussion turns to obesity and its contribution to rising healthcare costs.
Seven years ago, I could have been their poster child. By any metric, I was obese. Not that I saw myself that way. Read more »
For me, one of the best things about the internet is meeting people that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise met. One such person, who I’d like to introduce you to, is Josh Hanagarne (pictured below), writer of the blog: World’s Strongest Librarian.
I first “discovered” Josh via a guest post he had written for Problogger. I’ve since come to love his writing style. He is a great storyteller. He’s funny and smart and not afraid to share his personal side, too. He has an equally intriguing set of readers that regularly leave thoughtful comments on his posts (which he freely replies to, as well).
I’m proud to share the following guest post that I asked Josh to write as part of the Guest Post Ultra-Marathon he has embarked on. Let me/us know how you like it.
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Two Questions To Ask Yourself Before Making A Difficult Decision – A Guest Post by Josh Hanagarne
By the time a person with an average respiration rate is fifteen years old, they’ve typically taken upwards of 150,000,000 breaths. Of course, when you’re panicked, you breathe more than usual—like when you’re faced with questions, problems, and dilemmas that don’t have easy answers.
But before you start sucking wind and saying, “Oh man oh man oh man what do I do?” there are two questions you can ask yourself that will guide you—provided you can actually answer these questions. Read more »
Every year, new buzzwords are coined (see last year’s list: “The Buzzwords of 2008“). Clearly the list for 2009 is still evolving and will certainly include words that do not even exist yet.
Surprising or not, even the “eye-blurring” subject of Economics has contributed buzzwords to our lexicon as when “irrational exuberance” became a buzzword back in December of 1996.
“Green shoots“, as first heard from Bernanke in a “60 Minutes” interview last month, is sure to make the list of buzzwords for 2009. In reference to the state of our current economy, this phrase is a metaphor indicating that we are starting to see signs of economic recovery (or as others would suggest are merely indications that “things are not getting worse at an accelerating rate.”)
Depending on your political persuasion, “green shoots” might even be a good way to characterize Obama’s first 100 days in office.
Quite conveniently, the phrase “green shoots” has also arrived in time for the Celebration of this year’s Earth Day, or as some would say is Earth Week, or Earth Month. The Obama Administration’s new focus on the environment also reflects the “green shoots” that make this year’s Earth Day different from those in the past.
Yet, as pointed out and paraphrased from at least one of this Sunday’s morning talk shows: “a good start doesn’t insure a good finish.” There is still a long road ahead.
Read more »
Opinions are essentially based on: our interpretations of information; and, our life experiences. Once we form an opinion, it is not uncommon that we believe that our opinion is the right opinion to have.
Groups form based on people with similar opinions, priorities, and interests. We often reinforce and nurture our beliefs from these groups.
Yet, we know that it is also important to form opinions of our own, too, and that we can’t just blindly accept the opinions of others.
There will always be things that we can’t possibly know everything about and/or things that we haven’t experienced in the same way that others have. For those times, it is important to be open to seeking out and considering the opinions and experiences of others.
Read more »
Is it better to know or not to know?
Does more learning occur before, during, or after we’ve studied something?
The truth is that many times the learning stops once we believe we’ve solved a problem. That’s when we think we can safely put the previous concerns to bed, go into “autopilot” for that situation, and begin focusing our energies on the new/next situation.
Often we’ll stay in that “solved” mode, never giving it much more thought, until it resurfaces as a new problem for us or someone else.
Uncertainty about any situation inevitably can lead to feelings like anxiety, frustration, fear, anger, or apathy. These are feelings that no one is comfortable staying in for extended periods of time. Often, longer bouts of uncertainty can appear to be more tortuous than even swift negative results.
Read more »
The latest “rule” about the “new economy” and the “new job market” (or, rather, on how to take advantage of the economic downturn by becoming an entrepreneur) seems to be: “get ahead by breaking the rules”. 