Being that there was a delusional idiot in Maryland, who until moments ago was holding several Discovery Channel workers hostage because he felt the T.V. network wasn’t interested in his view on how to “save the planet,” I think this is a good time to revive a rant.
As I briefly mentioned in my prior post, our perception of reality rules our lives no matter what we think.
The Masses — those that allow their own intuition and grounded common sense to become distorted through government-sanctioned mainstream news outlets — believe that what they see is how things really are.
Almost no one, in other words, is willing to look past the veil and speak out against things that are popular crowd-driven ideals and beliefs. Instead, The Crowd wants to be led by being told what to do, and what to believe.
For instance, there’s this ever-populated belief that meddling with natural processes (the environment) is what’s required to, er, “save” something — whether the oceans, the atmosphere, or the entire earth itself.
A growing number of people are willing to spend more time on untouchable things, so they have an unpoken excuse to NOT focus on themselves (something they feel, in their limited minds, is the hardest thing to conquer anyway), or others around them.
Yup, it’s this “I can’t affect ’human’ change… so, I’m gonna attempt to do it with the environment” nonsense.
If you ever get to the point of nausea when listening to all the worry-wort, misguided fear-mongering weirdos on TV – whining, complaining, and just plain trying to outcast companies like BP for an oil spill that was the result of the same people’s desire to fuel the things they need, but won’t admit to the logic of it all – just watch this video:
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Never was there a man that could make you both laugh, think, and even question the way we look at the world, the words we use, and the little things we know about but still don’t notice… er, at least in the way that good ol’ Carlin made us notice.
There’s much more that can be written about Carlin.
This was a man who was cool, smart, dirty, and relentlessly funny.
Most articles, blog posts, and tributes to George Carlin have him labeled in some way or fashion as this irreverent, anti-establishment, foul-mouthed, social renegade.
Sure, those are all very fine and accurate titles and descriptions of him; however, I’d like to give him a little more credit than that and honor him for the impact he really made:
Showing that it’s absolutely okay and effective to be a humanitarian through raw comedy that makes you “think”!
In the best-selling book on the planet, the following line was printed:
“Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
I’m not sure why I’m quoting the Bible, because I don’t like anything about what the book has come to stand for: lack, limitation, fear, crowd thinking, hypocrisy, exclusionism, etc.
But let me give you the Barry-ized version of that Bible verse:
“Forgive them, for they know not what they think.”
Thinking is powerful. But, thinking correctly is change-making. Not only for cleaning our own lenses, to get a clearer perception of reality (what life is), but for ensuring we don’t let distorted, tainted, and misaligned information control our individual lives.
This all came to mind this morning as I accidentally* read an article by Amy Domini, founder and CEO of Domini Social Investments, in the July/August issue of Ode Magazine.
[ * It was sent to us as a trial offer, because it was automatically included via another offer we DID intentionally purchase. Anyway, being that it was sitting on our kitchen island looking like it needed to be picked up, and since its tagline "For Intelligent Optimists" was intriguing, I read a few articles. But, Domini's was the most unintelligent do-gooder pitch for income equality that I've ever laid eyes on. ]
Her appalling argument is that the government, in order to dig us out of the financial crisis (the economic recession), should spend more time (yes, even more than it is) replicating Robin Hood’s favorite meme — “rob from the rich and give to the poor!”
Yup, your eyes didn’t deceive you…
In her quest to enable mediocrity and feel solace for the financially inept, she actually says:
“Our self-interest, indeed the nation’s economic well-being, starts with creating more people who can spend, even at the risk of creating fewer people who can spend billions.”
Really?
Wouldn’t you agree that those who spend billions create more value, more opportunity, more jobs, and more opportunity for others to create wealth than the person who is merely spending a little bit on himself?
If you’ve been a long-standing LWL blog reader, you probably recognize the name Roy Williams.
He’s one of my favorite writers. He’s witty, sharp, eloquent, has a sense of depth about his intelligence, and knows the inner-workings of human nature in ways that 10 or more self-styled and self-labeled mind “gurus” couldn’t fathom (see his book, Wizard of Ads: Turning Words Into Magic and Dreamers Into Millionaires).
In today’s topic, Roy is talking about the most important aspect of personal achievement.
This is something that every grade-school kid in the world should be learning, by the time they’re 7 years old.
That’s my opinion though… let me know yours AFTER you read what Roy has to say:
There’s not a lot you can learn from the Road Runner, but the Coyote knows the secret of wealth.
In September, 1949, the Coyote — Carnivorous vulgaris – built a catapult. But instead of launching him toward the Road Runner, it launched him straight up into a stone outcropping.
The Coyote crawled out of the hole and went back to work.
In December, 1955, the Coyote – Eatibus almost anythingus — waited anxiously for the Road Runner to come around a corner, then lit the fuse of a cannon. But instead of firing the cannonball, the entire cannon — with the Coyote behind it — fired backwards into a mountain wall.
Again the Coyote crawled out of the hole and went back to work.
In May, 1980, the Coyote – Nemesis ridiculii — climbed aboard a rocket, aimed it toward the Road Runner on the opposite side of the canyon and lit the fuse. The fuel and nosecone of the rocket launched out of the rocket hull, leaving the Coyote sitting aboard that empty cylinder. He fell, annoyed, to the canyon floor.
The Coyote climbed out of the canyon and went back to work.
I’ve come across a very interesting video on how people perform with reward-based incentives. It really had an impact on me and while it may seem counter-intuitive at first, it makes perfect sense in the end.
The way it’s animated is really quite awesome. I love this video and I hope you enjoy it too!
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If you’re going to utilize the T.V. (the box that becomes the Electronic Income Reducer if it’s used too much) for enjoyment this week, be sure to tune into NBC starting Tuesday, July 27 at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST).
You may have a similar experience as one of the families he’s going to help break through their self-imposed limiting blocks, beliefs, and errant ways in thinking.
In 2004, I was engaged in various freelance e-marketing gigs — copywriting for one client, strategy consulting for another, creating digital e-books for… well, another.
You get the gist… working FOR entrepreneurs who owned their own products and who were in the business, presumably, of ADDING value to people’s lives through those products.
Sure, it was nice to be able to work from my home-office… the work allowed me to be autonomous, self-reliant, and in control of my schedule and, most importantly, my association with people who I felt were like-minded, ethical, and in business for all the right reasons.
While those reasons are another conversation for another time, the short version of that phrase (“right reasons”) is this:
Is the business associate, vendor, JV partner, or client doing what they’re doing for the love of the game (to use an expression often associated with Michael Jordan) — for their genuine interest and fascination with their niche, product line, or topic ?
… at least the part of YOU who dares to go beyond your own comfort zone and continually strive for new, expansive experiences in life.
But, before we give you the details on what all this means, a big strong shout and cheer goes out to everyone in the USA celebrating the 4th of July Weekend! (And… anyone in Canada still celebrating Canada Day!)
We hope you’re doing fantastic, spending time with family and friends, and having an incredible holiday…
Before you head out to watch fireworks, take 5 minutes of your time to read just ONE thought — a recommendation for a “shift in thinking” — about your FINANCIAL GROWTH…
The other night — last Thursday, actually — I was in the gym working up a sweat and burning off some ideas.
Yeah, strange to say… I know. “Isn’t it calories,” you ask, “you’re supposed to be burning along with the sweat?”
Guess so… but, I don’t hit the hardwood with a basketball with the intention of caring about calories. I don’t count ‘em. My body just knows it needs to sweat, and I do it very well once I’m in the humid gymnasium at our local fitness club.
So, there I was, 20 minutes into my routine of 3-point shooting, running to the basket to get my shot (or missed shot — more of the former, though) , and letting all the mental energy I’d corked up throughout the day escape my noggin.
NOTE: If you, like me, have millions of ideas and business possibilities / To-Dos running through your brain, you really should try shooting hoops by yourself sometime, in a hot, sweaty gym.
And, out of nowhere, comes some wanna-be Mike Tyson, with this iPod earphones in place, shadow-boxing his way to the speedbag. That’s fine, as I too often like punching the crap out of it.
But two minutes later, he leaves the speedbag for the rack of basketballs.
And suddenly, he starts foot-dancing around one like he’s David Beckham or something.
So, while I’m shooting around, I’m wondering how long this guy across the court is gonna move a basketball around with his feet… and then it happened:
Ignorant people aren’t stupid but merely uninformed; a marvelous advantage when you need a perspective from “outside the box.”
The truly naïve are so thoroughly “outside” they’re not even sure what you mean by “the box.”
When you consult specialists within your industry, you’re talking to the builders of the box, the guardians of the box, the faithful defenders of THE BOX.
So when specialists fail to provide the innovative thinking you need, ask the opinions of intelligent people who have no experience in your industry. This is the second quickest shortcut to successful innovation. (I’ll tell you the quickest shortcut later.)
Each suggestion you hear will tempt you to say,
“But you don’t understand…”
Bite your tongue. Don’t say it. The goal of this exercise isn’t to drag people into your box but to get a fresh perspective from outside it, remember? So just listen and ponder all that would have to change if you were to implement the suggestion made by your naïve friend.
The naïve suggestion won’t be workable. What you make from it will be.
Uhmmmmm, now methinks this is gonna get all the spiritually-conservative, status-quo, freedom-loving types in an uproar.
In an era where there’s so much delusion and downright blatant propaganda about just what it means to be “free,” I can’t stand the thought of finishing today’s blog title with the misused word “Pride.”
Genuine pride for me, and most anybody else who has learned to see life through a much broader unconditional lens, is about things that are a lot more personal.
For instance, seeing my 19-month-old toddler climb up the stairs to the slide in the playground and slide down by himself, without needing Daddy’s assistance or cajoling.
Its about accomplishing a project with my wife and over-achieving business partner, Heather, knowing that we’ve just put more valuable information out in the world…. information that is designed to inspire, expand belief systems, effect change, and assist in getting results.
You see, contrary to what “they” (the Masters running the worldly show) want you to believe, there is NO pride in the blind patriotic and religious fervor that fuels a culture of war, over-the-top fear, and needless violence under the guise of ‘freedom.’
Not only are your neighbor, Aunt, and close co-worker of many years struggling to figure out finances, so is practically every frickin’ country on the planet.
Based off a lot of conversation, email replies, and support tickets, we know that a grand majority of our LWL readers are in the very same pot of snot that seemingly sovereign nations throughout this great planet are in:
Debt up to their noses. Yup, borrowing far beyond the means to pay is not only a sticky situation… trying to spend without producing or saving is one slimy mess too.
If that’s not you, congratulations!
You’re the minority, playing in a very small crowd of people who ‘get’ how money, quid-pro-quo, lifestyle structuring and design work.
But, if you’ve yet to get your feet wet in the smart money pool — a place where common sense meets hard work and self-reliant critical-thinking — isn’t it about time?
Isn’t it about time you closed the damn metaphysical book that you only bought because it made you feel good?
Isn’t it about time you realized that some teleconference or webinar about wealth, by some loftier-than-thou self-professed inner-world guru, isn’t the train you want to be riding on?
Isn’t it about time you learned how to protect yourself from the financial tornadoes sweeping the globe, through an understanding of asset protection, cash preservation, and anonymous living?
Isn’t it about time you started putting your money to work through low-entry, high-yielding investments in natural resources, commodities, energy, etc. — “foundational international industries” that make all economic and social activity possible?
Well, if you said yes to at least 3 of the 4 questions above, you should take the time to read this page…
In it you’ll see that we’re not asking you to do anything that we’re not also doing.
Myself and Brad Wajnman (the Managing Editor of The Wealth Vault) just got back from Vegas where we mingled, networked with, and learned from some of the brightest, most in-the-know global investors on the planet.
, and letting all the mental energy I’d corked up throughout the day escape my noggin.
In an era where there’s so much delusion and downright blatant propaganda about just what it means to be “free,” I can’t stand the thought of finishing today’s blog title with the misused word “Pride.”
