Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Is This Making You Poor?


Welcome back, friends, to this circle of sanity, this cabal of clarity, this… you get the idea: once again it’s my task to IMPROVE your existence so you may join the ranks of the rich. This is my base assumption each time we speak: that you want to be wealthy. If you don’t wish to become wealthy, then, as they say in government, I just work here…

But the rich are in the tiny minority of people, so how could little ol’ you join them? Do they have something you don’t? Do they have an unfair advantage over you?

Your suspicions are correct. The rich DO have something over you, an unfair edge. It’s not a college education (many successful people are high school dropouts). It’s not inherited wealth (most started from nothing, and often began as dirt poor).

So what edge did they have?
How can we say its all “unfair” when most rich people started from nothing and often didn’t have higher education? And so follows the inconvenient question: what’s your excuse for not joining them??

The ‘edge’ they have is mostly based in the mind, and no I’m not talking about smarts. I want to talk about two obstacles you face in this regard: thinking small and not having a coherent logic about money. First, thinking small…

Most people think in terms of ‘chump change’. They have miniscule goals when it comes to money. For modern proof of this, take a look at what people evidently want to watch on TV: reality shows about pawn shops, bidding on abandoned storage units, rummaging through mud in search of an old coin, searching through the attic in the hope of restoring something, buying stuff you don’t want with coupons and cheering about it… it’s a frenzied craze of late.

People have become obsessed with, and are celebrating, breadcrumbs on the floor of the banquet hall. We are developing into a scavenger-race like something out of a ‘Mad Max’ post-nuclear holocaust.

And while most people are playing in the dirt, the rich man plays a different game- a faster game, and he never gets his hands dirty.

All because he thinks on a different level, and because he has a coherent philosophy about money.
It’s more about a question of how you think, and on what level. If your entire day is spent obsessing about small things and ‘chump change’, you’re not getting a good return on your thoughts. As Donald Trump famously once said, “You have to think anyway, so you may as well think big.”

So I must ask you if you’re ‘big minded’… or ‘small-minded’.

If your financial goal consists of a running battle from day to day, scavenging what you can here and there like some crazed biker in Mad Max, it’s time to take stock of your situation, and most of all, your THOUGHTS. Take a ‘time out’, and evaluate where you are and where you need to be…

The rich man was once dirt poor. But back then he didn’t participate in this kind of small thinking, he wasn’t HAPPY with breadcrumbs from the banquet. He said, “Screw this! I want to get me a seat up there on the banquet table!”

So how about you?

Will you give me a big, loud, “Screw this!” too?

Picture yourself on that cold floor of the banquet hall… the smell of the roast beef… the laughter and chinking of glasses… while you fight with the other rats for that bone that just landed on the floor…

That’s your first step. You have to make a decision to think bigger, to not be content with what you have, and to actually do something about it.

You see, what most people do on the floor of the banqueting hall is find reasons why they can’t get up on the table. They’ll complain about the system or try and change it (good luck with that). They’ll pin all their hopes on winning the lottery or a self-serving politician saving them with his empty promises of throwing a little more meat on that floor.

Which brings me onto my second point: having a coherent philosophy about money…

Most people are extremely confused about money to an oxymoronic degree. On one hand they crave money, and on the other they feel wealth and wealthy people are somehow corrupt, immoral, and that ‘money is the root of all evil’. You can see this in some of the postings we get on the website. I mean, it beats the crap out of me why some people are reading a newsletter specifically about making money and then they complain about ‘the system’, capitalism, how unfair everything is, yada, yada, yada. This is pure nonsense.
That is NOT a coherent logic. You have to make a choice, because this confusion in your mind is stopping you from growing rich! So which is it? Are you here to make money? Yes? Great! If so, it’s time to clear out all that garbage in your head that’s holding you back- the cynicism, the laziness, the negativity, the confusion, and guilt you feel regarding wealth.

Look, money is indifferent to you. It’s like a beautiful and sophisticated woman who doesn’t need men, and she’s repulsed by desperation and inconsideration. She doesn’t care one way or the other what you think about her. If you want me, come and get me, she says. And if you don’t, that’s fine too, because plenty of others will if you don’t.

The guy with the balls to approach her is the one who’ll get her. Do you think she gives a hoot if you go and complain about that outcome if you didn’t approach her first?

She’s been around as long as civilization itself, and she’s here to stay. And throughout history, any time humans have tried to share her equally among the masses, she went into hiding. Just ask anyone who lives in Cuba.

The man who has a coherent philosophy about her, the man who knows what she is, accepts her as such, and respects her… he’s the one who’ll take her home.
Be discerning about what nonsense fills your head each day, because you’re exposed to a lot of anti-wealth propaganda on a daily basis, thanks to what is predominantly a covertly socialist media campaigning for a ‘fairer’ society. Most Hollywood stories are just as guilty- notice how the bad guy is the rich guy in movies, and how the dirt-poor underdog is the one with virtue and victory. And of course, Hollywood does this because most movie-goers ARE that working class ‘hero’, and it’s what the masses want to hear, it appeals to their mental coping mechanisms that justify their financial inadequacy.

Compare that to the person who lets nothing but quality information into his head, someone who reads books on growing rich instead of watching reality shows about scavenging. Which person will be wealthier in the next five years?

Don’t think all that stuff going in your mind isn’t doing anything to you! It’s the equivalent of a junk food diet slowly destroying you. Your body is a temple, and so is your mind.

On one hand you want wealth, and you KNOW that way too many rich people didn’t have a privilege over you. But on the other hand, there’s a conflict inside you based on what society and media feeds you: that wealth is corruption and rich people are evil. This all adds up to a paralyzing affliction and an incoherent philosophy regarding money that will keep you scavenging for breadcrumbs in instead of banqueting with that beautiful woman, money.

And if you truly don’t want to get up on that table, that’s fine too, as long as you get out of the way of others who do. At least you have a coherent philosophy now. Just make a decision and end the conflict in your mind. 

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE


Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.
The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.
When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.
Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?'
'It was Bob the next door neighbour,' she replies.
'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'
Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
Lesson 2
A priest offered a Nun a lift.
She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.
The priest nearly had an accident.
After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'
The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.'
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'
Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
Lesson 3
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'
'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'
Puff! She's gone.
'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'
Puff! He's gone.
'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'
Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.
Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.
A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?'
The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.'
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull.
'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch..
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story: Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.
While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!