Observations In Life

I like to wear jeans. They are comfortable, casual and fit in just about anywhere. One thing that is annoying though is the pockets. It’s hard put put stuff in them and once in hard to get them out.

Recently I was trying to get my keys out of my jean pockets, a frustrating task and after finally succeeding I was met with laughter and looks of surprise. Why did I have all of those keys?! Well obviously they were for all of my stuff, but the sad reality is because people can’t be trusted. Yes on the whole society through the social contract has to trust its members, but like everything one bad apple always spoils the bunch.

Over time we have learned to secure our valuables through the use of locks and keys, making them better, stronger and more secure with technology. I can’t wait until my keys are easy to get out of my jeans.

Fine dining is a truly unique experience. For the majority of people it is an unusual treat, one that often accentuates a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, achievement or a first date even. The song and dance are well rehearsed by the staff that tend to your every need. The menu selections are often exquisite food items that are rare and some are even hard to pronounce made with ingredients no likely to be found in your local grocery store. You eat at this restaurant because of its reputation for excellence, perhaps its ambiance and your confidence that it will live up to its expectation.

I’m no cook. My culinary schools might equal those of a college student at best. Sure I can throw some chicken on a grill or cook a steak just the way I like it. Sauté some spinach? I probably can do it without burning it too much. What I do know is that there are those recipes that I’ve come to perfect after years of practice. They are the old standbys for occasions where I can’t fail. The precise amount of each ingredient has been memorized. There is no guess work.

Much is the same when eating out at a fine restaurant. The Chef, after years of education, trial and error and imagination has concocted a superb meal for your consumption and delight. When it arrives the anticipation as you prepare for your first bite is at its peak. You wait for everyone to be served out of politeness and good manners…unfortunately this is often when that terrible question is asked that changes the tune of the finely orchestra. This is the question that makes you wonder why you came here, the question that makes you wonder if you are missing something.

The waiter or waitress will often ask, “Would you like some fresh ground pepper with your meal?”.

This is when the music stops like a DJ scratching a record on a turn table and the speakers go dead. Why on Earth would I want pepper to be added to my meal? and why has it be introduced as part of protocol at these fine establishments? Is the Chef, management or the wait staff with no culinary skills whatsoever trying to tell me something is lacking from my meal? Are they so bold that they must insinuate that the flavors and spices I am about to enjoy are not quite enough? or worse yet are they telling me that I should add additional spices to mask the flavor of whatever I am about to eat?

This aspect of fine dining is something I fail to understand. When everything is so perfectly crafted, why must I be made to wonder about what I am missing or what I should be afraid of at this critical and high point of anticipation? Are my confidences misplaced?

I can’t believe it, but C-Span is actually on. My roommate has been watching it and as we listen a women is providing the details and paying respects to a recently deceased person. So why bring it up? Why does it matter?

It makes sense and is appropriate to spend time compiling a list of achievements for a person that has passed and summarize their life in front of a group of people. This is how we honor the person, yet it’s one of those things in life that doesn’t make sense. The person is dead. They can’t hear all of the great things you have to say about them. You didn’t say them in life, but now you can in death when it doesn’t matter to anyone else but yourself, for who are you benefiting?

I suppose the family may be consoled by being reminded of what they already knew, but overall you are only benefiting yourself by being the person who is “strong” and able to stand up and share witty stories with those who are weaker.

While an exception for self-righteous can be made for family members, everyone included the dead can benefit more if we share our heart-felt feelings in life.

Classes on investments or classes to improve your life for that matter are an interesting place to observe and meet people. Depending on the class, they are filled with a broad mix of people, from all walks of life with the common goal of bettering their financial picture or fixing a problem area in their lives. They vary in skill and age and personalities and most importantly their overall goals in terms of net-worth, lifestyle and career.

Like many classes these groups of people can be broken down into further sub-groups:

You start off with the clueless. These people are desperate, in need of immediate financial repair and will listen to anyone or anything with a solution. The often want a quick fix and want the quickest and easiest path to riches. Sadly they are uninformed and often end up losing more money because they took the easy way out instead of figuring out what would work for them.

Your next group of people are the dangerous amateurs. They’ve taken a course before, read a book, know some buzz words and are freely willing to dispense “knowledge” and advice about what you should do with your life. Sometimes they share how they are doing with you, but often just keep talking and spitting out information without letting you get a word in edge-wise lest you ask a question and figure out their naivete.

Another group consists of the fairly educated. They take classes to improve their knowledge and are willing to discuss theory with you without dispensing advice. They often have advisors of their own and take their newfound knowledge to that person to ask questions.

There is the know-it all that likes to talk about how great they are doing and yet is unwilling to share their “secrets” so as to avoid competition. They are their for self-gratification and validation. Tell them how smart they are and they will be your friend for life and yet rarely if every will open up and help you.

You also have the Sharks. These are either people planted in the audience to talk about how good the course is and how much it has helped them so you feel compelled to buy and achieve their success or they consist of “professionals” looking for new clients of their own. They claim to be in the class because the topic is of interest to them, bur really they are there to hand out business cards and drum up business.

Finally there is the King or Queen. This the instructor and often self-dubbed guru who is willing to let you into the secret life of the rich. They are there to show you the magic of how to become financially free and just like them. They often accidentally let information slip out about the fabulous vacations they have taken, the expensive cars and homes they have and often have a rags to riches story. They are amazing sales people and know how to take advantage of your fear of being poor and offer the panacea to solve all of your problems whether it be a $10,000 dollar advanced course, $5,000 dollar software tool that enables you to point and click your way to financial freedom with little or no thought or time, or the amazing book they just came out with. The often desperate people in the class fail to see that the guru’s real skill is sales and that their wealth is coming from your purchases and not from their amazing system they are altruistically giving to you.

America is the land of opportunity. The question is, who is being given the opportunity when you attend a class that is supposed to better your life? Who’s life is the class really benefiting?

Why do we let people like Al Sharpton dictate how we are supposed to feel and what needs to be done about it? I was never a big Imus fan. I think he’s very opinionated and usually I didn’t agree with his opinions. What did I do about it? I didn’t listen to his show. What a concept! If you find something on the radio that’s objectionable, then change the channel. Do the same with television or any other form of entertainment. If you don’t like rap music, then don’t listen to it and don’t buy it. That’s how you show your support or lack thereof. We have freedom of speech without actually having the freedom to speak.

Did anyone question Mr. Sharpton about his ethics before heeding his suggestion calling for Imus’ head on the chopping block? I don’t think so. If they did they would have realized what a headline grabbing, bandwagon jumping, loud mouth idealist he is. Remember the Tawana Brawley case? He was quick to jump to her rescue when she accused white men of raping her. But, he never apologized or made any restitution when the truth came out and it was learned she was lying. He was a major contributor in destroying the lives of innocent men and never answered to anyone about it. Yet, when he decides to rant and drag someone else through the mud, we just let him. What, exactly kind of Reverend is he? And what kind of Reverend doesn’t include forgiveness in his repertoire?

I’m ashamed I didn’t do more than I did. Maybe it’s time more people stand up against hypocrisy before all of our rights are gone.

I had a great conversation this weekend with my friend Andy about the state of music. He was telling me about his brother Ian’s job producing a weekly radio show on the BBC for Smooth Operations called the Bruce Dickenson Rock Show. He has been producing shows for the BBC for many years and has met many legends of rock. As the conversation progressed and we went over the many famous people Ian has met, we really started to think about music and where it is now and came to the conclusion that it just sucks!

To clarify, we were talking about mainstream music, the music for the masses. We weren’t putting ourselves up on a pedestal or having diverse and interesting music tastes but just referring to the current state of music. It all relates back to a similar post I wrote about America being a throwaway society. It reminded me of a question my mom asked me when I was in my teens and was listening to some metal loudly in my room. She asked me what the music of my generation would be? What would last? Surely no oldies station 50 years from now would be playing the pop music of today. Instead the music of her generation would endure. Classical radio stations would also continue to play the likes of Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven and Bach. The days of everlasting music are over.

While talking with my friend we realized that what was really troubling to us was not pop music’s entertainment value, but it’s lack of value of any other kind. Record companies continue to promote one hit wonders with advertising budgets that rival the entire economies of some poor nations. The evocative emotional music of years passed, the lyrics, the meaning, all gone because the attention span and appreciation for talent in American society is lost as well.

Record companies complain about the drop in CD sales and blame it on the iPod and other similar devices. Surely it must be all of the music piracy that is responsible for their downturn in sales and not the crap that they keep putting out. How about this? Could it be that the record companies aren’t putting out music that people are willing to pay for? Perhaps if the quality improved people would be willing to spend their hard earned money on an album instead of other items which they value more.

Music is produced to be heard and forgotten. I say in life you generally get back what you put in and if you are lucky sometimes a little more. Give me something memorable. Make me anticipate some really good music. Is it odd that my latest purchase was a B.B. King album and not an album from my generation? Is it odd that I’ve only bough a handful of CDs in the past few years and not because I downloaded the music illegally (which I haven’t)?

Andy considers himself a record company’s dream. He’s a person that will spend hours looking for great music and will spend large amounts of money on music if he can find something or a few things of value, and yet he rarely buys cds or listens to pop radio.

I’ll admit it’s fun to go out to a bar or club and hear Eminem, Jay-z and Beyoncé or God forbid Britney Spears and countless other copycats and no talents because I’m not paying attention them anyway. They just provide a good beat for the atmosphere…but when I’m home or in my car and want to listen to the vibes of our time, am I really going to listen to them? I don’t think so. Do I care who the next American Idol is? Surely not. They certainly aren’t my idol.

Maybe things will change. Until then I’d rather spend my money on other of real value.

That is all…

I consider myself an entrepreneur. Business is my passion. I went to a business school, read all the books one should read on business to be a successful and I am constantly analyzing those who I consider successful with the hope that I can learn from their success and ensure mine. I’m hungry for the knowledge of what it takes to succeed in life, and every once in a while I am surprised by a successful public figure and the decisions they make.

Donald Trump is no stranger to the limelight. He’s gone from a well known and respected businessman in real estate to a celebrity business and TV icon. I didn’t think it was such a big deal when he came out with the apprentice. Hell, he makes a lot of money from the show, so how can I blame him even if it is a bit cheesy. The Rosie O’Donnell thing wasn’t so bad even if it was a bit drawn. Frankly she annoys me too, so I can’t blame him. The extra media attention each received from the feud further solidfied their names in the minds of the American public. Now Mr. Trump is finding new fame with the WWE! This is too much. I can’t take him seriously. Donald Trump has officially jumped the shark! I’m done with all of his books and advice. Yeah he might be a billionaire, but he is certainly not who I aspire to be. Donald, you’re fired!

Maybe shaving his head if he loses isn’t such a bad thing. Everyone agrees that his hair is terrible. The networks are going to love this one, but I’m done with his antics.

All your problems are solved? You think I’m kidding right? Well I am not. Let me explain. Someone on the internet has found a way to make you rich! Can you believe it? Richer than you ever imagined! and the best part is it’s as easy as buying a cheap ebook and following the plan within. You can’t go wrong doing that can you?

I spend my days working a 9 ’til “whenever” job for an internet marketing company. The hours are long but the company is doing well and hell, I make a little money doing it which goes toward supporting my American lifestyle. In my spare time I run my own internet consulting company where I try to make even more money. Well obviously this is a lot of work, and like most people I’m looking for an easier way to get rich. There has to be one right?, the path to riches and a better life? Working for money is what I know how to do. Figuring out how to make my money work for me is my ultimate goal and something I am learning more about each day.

For the past two weeks there has been a lot of hype on the internet about the ultimate secret to success. I was intrigued to find out what this secret really was. How could I become rich and do it easily? They key is affiliate marketing on the internet. For those that don’t know what affiliate marketing is, the basic premise is that you earn commissions for promoting products and services for other companies. Some major players in the market include ClickBank.com, ShareASale.com, and LinkShare.com.

Seems like an easy business, one that anyone can do. I decided to sign up to various programs such as the ones mentioned above and take a stab. Now I can promote products such as Health Insurance,
Nutrition Products, Printer Ink, Fruit Baskets and even OxiClean! It’s all kind of crazy. If you click a link and buy a product I get paid. I don’t have any of the overhead of a large corporation. I like the sound of that and course everyone is doing being that it’s the latest craze. I need an edge.

After much fanfare and gossip [Pre-Launch Sales Video] about what the secret to internet marketing success was, last Tuesday Dayjob Killer came on the market. It seemed too good to be true and alas after a week of scrutiny, it appears that is the case.

The program was supposed to have tons of great advice on how to make it in the affiliate marketing world. Apparently it did not live up to the hype and now that the reviews are in, they don’t look good. Go figure. The secret must still be out there.

I know working a 9 to 5 is not the key to riches. I know I am making the business owner or major shareholders rich from my blood sweat and tears with each and every hour I put toward their dream and not mine. That’s fine. I accept that. Many people are discontent with their jobs and living situation and it makes sense that they are in search of something more.

So I find all this internet marketing stuff really interesting. Didn’t we learn from the .dot com crash? I guess no matter what happens, history is bound to repeat itself. Instead of spending hours of hard work designing a real business with real potential, people will still spend hard earned money on ebooks (which are the newest fad on the internet where everyone is a guru and can sell one) with the hope of getting rich quick. There is a new guru and product that they are pitching on the internet everyday. For the most part they are charlatans hawking products that are rehashes of other products that were being sold the week before. How long will all of this continue? What will the next big trend be?

I must admit, the guy pitching Dayjob Killer did a great job of hyping his product. Being the altruistic person he is, he decided to sell his product for cheap so that all of us could be rich. How nice of him. Didn’t anyone buying his product realize that if everyone uses his method it’s useless? Why would someone making a ton of money on the internet introduce his method of making money, the method that is putting food on the table for him and his family, and create competition for himself? Either he’s leaving something out that is his real key to success or he just decided to make a killing by selling his knowledge to the masses knowing that the gravy train has come to the end of the line.

I can only hope that as we move forward, we can continue to be an original and innovative society of thought leaders. Our success as a country and major world power depends on the core of entrepreneurial spirt that is slipping from our grasps. I just ask that we all think for ourselves for once instead of being taken in by the “gurus” who’s real method of making money is selling you broken promises and dreams.

As for my quest…where does all this leave me? Maybe I should just write an eBook of my own. I’m sure someone will buy it. After all, I’m a guru.

A Valentine’s Day rant is nothing new or uncommon. As a single male it would seem only natural that I would bash a holiday that wasn’t made for me, or at least isn’t for me now in the traditional sense. My reasons for criticizing this holiday are different than you may think.

Like many other Hallmark holidays, I feel Valentine’s Day is an excuse to do something you should already be doing. Other examples of such holidays include:

• President’s Day, a day to either remember and honor those who lead or currently lead our great country.
• Memorial Day, a day to honor those who bravely served and protected our freedoms and way of life.
• Christmas / X-Mas, a day to honor Christ and/or members of your family.

While it isn’t a day off from work, it is a day “on” in the sense that you behave differently than you normally would. At least that’s what we have been told we should do. Valentine’s day is especially unique because it primarily applies to men and what they do for the women in their lives to show affection. I guess it is a reflection of society’s attitude towards men and their inability to show affection on a regular basis. Perhaps not. This is just one man’s opinion.

Check off a few boxes on the “to-do” list for the day and you’re done that is if you remembered the date. You now have satisfied the requirements for the holiday and can smile contently knowing that you have done a great job. You should be proud, after all a lesser person would not have gone through the trouble you have gone through to show that you care or more accurately how truly great you are.

Men spend hundreds of dollars or more on flowers, chocolates, expensive “romantic” dinners and a myriad of other things to impress the one they love. Are they really impressing the people the ones they love or only succeeding at impressing themselves because they care so much? Maybe for some women this is enough, while I’m sure others hunger for something more, something original, something that shows some thought and effort and shows that the man in their lives understands them and truly cares about them.

It’s easier to be like everyone else. Its extraordinary to be original. Here’s another option. Wouldn’t it be better to take the money you spent, including the extra money spent on the inflated prices for flowers, chocolates and dinner and spread it out over the year doing things that really matter?

I attended a real estate conference where real estate mogul James Smith gave some interesting advice to the women in the audience. He said that if your man isn’t still buying you flowers or chocolates or buying you gifts just like he did when you first met and he wanted to get in your pants, start sending yourself some flowers from a secret admirer. He’ll get the message. If he doesn’t you’re better off finding someone else. After all why is it ok to stop showing your affection after you’ve won your prize so to speak? It may be human nature to move on to the next “task” once you have finished the previous one, but love is different. It makes more sense to devote your time, money and energy toward someone that is important in your life instead of someone you’ve only been dating for a few days, weeks or months. Maybe that’s why more than 50% of marriages end in divorce. We stop trying and the relationship goes cold.

Why do we need a day on the calendar to do the things we should be doing anyway? Ladies if your man only remembers to do something nice for you to show they care about you on Valentine’s Day you should strive for something more.

I am not saying that the responsibilities of a relationship rely on the man. I am saying that for this holiday it pays to stand out. Today let everyone important to you know that you truly care about them. Tomorrow do the same thing. And the next day, and the next. The results might surprise you.

I just flew to Chicago for work. As one should come to expect during winter travel, getting there was no small feat. Originally I was scheduled to fly on a direct flight from Boston to Chicago’s Midway Airport via a Delta partner Comair. It just seemed to good to be true that this trip would go without incident.

At around noon I received a polite and cheery automated call from Delta kindly letting me know that my flight had been canceled. “Fear Not Traveler! We’ll Still Get You There Somehow!” is pretty much what the message said. They had “protected” me by automatically re-booking my flight and routing me through Atlanta! As if I have nothing else to do in my life but fly the friendly skies…Naturally I called Delta immediately to discuss this unfortunate turn of events. Thankfully after much negotiation I was able to rebook my flight through New York’s JFK Airport, a much more sensible option. My only question was, if weather was an issue, what happens if my flight from New York gets canceled? I was told not to worry. Everything would be fine.

I arrived at the airport with time to spare for my new flight; the flight that made me leave work early, rush to pack and call a cab to get me there on time. Of course I would have been foolish to think everything would be fine. When I was within 10 feet of the self-service kiosk, my phone rings again. Oh great, I have been “protected”. My flight from JFK to Chicago has been canceled, but now I can go to New York’s La Guardia and fly to Chicago from there. I can take the shuttle from the Marine Terminal at La Guardia and proceed to the main terminal for my next flight. No big deal right? I go to check-in…”please see an agent”. Hmmm, I don’t have a good feeling about this. I see the agent who tells me that my flight from La Guardia has now been canceled, I’ve been re-routed through Atlanta again and alas my trip can proceed ahead! Oh wait a minute…there are some strange weather alerts in the system. This isn’t good news. Is there any way to get to Chicago? After many minutes of trying to find a solution, one is found. What is that solution? Fly United non-stop to Chicago’s O’Hare airport, a completely different airline in another terminal. Well that only makes sense. So I get booked on United and walk through the labyrinth that is Logan Airport to the next terminal. Finally I am saved. Or am I?

I approach the United ticket desk and find out that my reservation has been llost. How can this be? I must proceed to speak with the super experienced ticket person who finds me in the massive computer database that is United. “Here you go Mr. Brown. You are seated in the back of the plane in an aisle seat. Oh and by the way, your flight has been delayed. Oh you want to know how long? We don’t know. It’s weather related. Stay by the gate and wait for more information…”.

I walk towards security…my phone rings. “Mr. Brown. This is Delta Airlines. Your flight has been canceled, but don’t worry. We have protected you and put you on another flight…”. Are you kidding me? Why don’t I feel “protected”? And even if I did feel protected, are they “protecting” people so much that they need an automated system to take care of them?

Maybe I shouldn’t complain. After all, I only lost a day of work and spent over 9 hours getting to Chicago. That’s not so bad right? After all they were protecting ME…They were making sure I was okay. I should feel grateful. I was able to get to my hotel by 10pm CST.