Miscellaneous Briefs

Groundhogs’ Day

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On Wednesday, I wrote about how I transformed from being an underachiever to a motivated successful person.

Most people reading this will think, “I don’t need another motivational speech. What I need is a change of luck.”

I’m here to say that luck had nothing to do with the change in my life. And it needn’t have anything to do with whatever changes you would like to make in yours. Had I waited for luck to come to me, I might be waiting still. My life changed when I got fed up and started planning my success.

You, too, can change your life if you are (a) dissatisfied with the lack of success you’ve had so far; (b) willing to make a big change – and not just a minor adjustment; (c) prepared to start working differently and thinking about yourself as a different kind of person; and (d) willing to start now by preparing yourself to succeed.

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Miscellaneous Briefs

53 Year Old MMA Fighter

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I’ve been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 15 years. Last year I won two first place belts at the North American Grappling Championship in the expert division for men over 40 and over 50. I’ve always had a fantasy of fighting MMA but I would never want the stress of preparing for a fight. My fantasy has always been to be asked to fight while sitting ringside, drinking. Apparently this happened to a 53 year old. Check this out.

Miscellaneous Briefs

Entrepreneurs and Ideologues

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Entrepreneurs are interested in future trends for pragmatic reasons. They want to profit from them. The entrepreneur may plan his business around a trend that he expects to develop but he does so tentatively, for he cares more about the health of his business than the accuracy of his prediction.

If, as his business is progressing, he encounters some evidence that suggests the prediction upon which his plan is based is wrong, his immediate reaction is fear – fear for the health of his business. He does not feel personally challenged. He does not feel compelled to refute that evidence.

In other words, the wise entrepreneur analyzes and sometimes acts on future trends but he never weds himself to them.

Ideologues, on the other hand, do just the opposite.

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Miscellaneous Briefs

Balancing Act

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Last week I gave you my formula for making a ton of money without compromising your values. But that doesn’t mean everything will be smooth and easy. You will still have lots of trouble giving time to your other priorities — to your health, to your family and friends, and to your hobbies.

My business life got much better in 1993 when I started to focus on long-term profitability and quality. But I wasn’t able to master my time and get all my other personal goals accomplished until I started writing about personal achievement. That forced me to rethink everything I was doing. And after several years of trying different time-management programs, I finally arrived at a system that allowed me to get everything done that I had neglected for the previous 30 years.

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Miscellaneous Briefs

A Dandy’s Guide to a Good Life

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Oscar Wilde once said: “I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.”

When I first read that, I presumed he was simply being clever, making a witty statement just for the fun of it. But since then I have wondered if he wasn’t actually giving away one of his secrets for a successful life. 

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Miscellaneous Briefs

Soothsayers

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Writers like Charles Bukowsky and comedians like Lenny Bruce and Howard Stern presaged the end of privacy.

They sensed how difficult it was becoming to lead private lives and rather than hide from it they protected themselves by exposing their weaknesses. It’s not a coincidence that Stern’s book is called Private Lives. These comedians were like prophets who taught us how to be comfortable about exposing ourselves. By exposing their sins and shortcomings, these prophets tested the public. And the public embraced them. First they exposed their drinking and gambling and adultery. Then they exposed their cowardliness. And the more they exposed themselves, the better their audiences liked them. In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres admitted she was gay. And America – even Middle America – still embrace her. This has to be good for society. It can’t be good to have a culture that is based on so much hypocrisy.

Miscellaneous Briefs

To-Do Lists

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The great thing about writing to-do lists is that the process itself is motivating. There is no doubt in my mind that I am three hundred percent more productive since I began doing it. But there is a problem. It takes time to write a good to-do list and it takes effort. Unless you are careful, the list making will drain vital energy from you. If you write your lists in the morning and they are extensive, you may not have the energy afterwards to launch into an important project. Thus, it is better to write to-do lists at night.

Miscellaneous Briefs

When Will We Solve the Global Warming Problem?

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Technology changes not when it might but when it must.

Sensitive people note problems and talk about them. Writers and other influential people talk it up. Crusades are launched. And these crusades create counter-crusades. The argument soars in the media. And for a while it seems as if nothing will ever be done. But gradually, as the threat becomes more tangible, the counter-arguments subside. Laws are written. Treaties are signed. But still no great progress is made. Finally, the general population begins to make changes. But these changes don’t happen until the threat becomes tangible to the affected population.

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