Socrates and Dale Carnegie

My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher. ~Socrates

If there is anything people need to glean from all the various Internet quote sites it is that we are far better off in life when we don't take ourselves too seriously.

A little levity goes a long way.

People are caustic and it seems that so many of you are trying to prove it. Some highly respected, notable people are trying to be witty while insulting other people for their political views (i.e. let's bash the Trump supporters). Personal insult is never a good policy.

I prefer the wry sense of humor of the Greek philosopher and teacher, Socrates. He is the ancient equivalent of Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People).

It amazes me how so many people engage in political rhetoric with an all or nothing fervor. Every discussion escalates to an insult-filled, emotionally child-like tantrum rather than civil discourse and the free exchange of ideas. It would seem that we have all forgotten protocol and the art of winning friends and influencing people.

First, you cannot convert people to YOUR way of thinking via personal insult. Second, the art of persuasion works best when one engages in civil discussion rather than clubbing someone over the head with a Louisville Slugger. By all means, aim for the fences, Babe Ruth.

The Art of Subtlety is indeed lost in the arena of political discourse.

For all his faults, Donald Trump has been a successful real estate tycoon. He is rough and tumble, as the old saying goes. He doesn't try to be something he is not. He does know how to negotiate and he is willing to compromise. That is not the same as buying and selling favors-- no wonder politicians hate him.

A Trump presidency will be all about making money. If there is anything good that will come of it, it would be that buyer confidence will increase when people feel that the president wants America to prosper. If America's economy is strong, the Trumpster and family will make money-- and so will all of us. If the economy does not recover, things will be more of what we have had over the last eight years.

Will a real estate tycoon be a better president than a career politician or a "community organizer"? Just wait and see.

Is Trump a failure? Let me know when you make your first billion-- we'll talk more.

What if Hillary Clinton wins?

--listen to the sound of a flushing toilet-- that is what's left of the US economy.

 

We're At Our Best When...

We're at our best when we're climbing, thinking, planning, working– when we're on the road to something we want to bring about. ~Earl Nightingale

We are at our best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy– on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. 
~Earl Nightingale 

I learned a long time ago that I perform at my best when I have planned my day around a particular goal. But the same holds true for life goals.

Planning is important. You need to have direction in life. By that, I don't mean someone telling you what to do-- although the sheep are many and the shepherds are few. When I refer to direction in life, I mean FOCUS. You need to TAKE AIM.

Establishing goals is like the mariner who goes to sea with a compass heading and a destination in mind. The clearer the understanding of the path you will follow, the most timely and truer your course will be. It is not as simple as saying, "Go west, young man." Think of goals as a direction in life and think of working on the completion of those goals as a journey.

Earl Nightingale was telling us that we reach our full potential when we are working toward achieving our goals. We think, we plan, we move forward. Along the way, we are learning, growing, becoming stronger, wiser, and better equipped for future endeavors.

We are happy on the journey toward our goals because we SEE progress. We have a sense of fulfillment and we taste the reward for our effort. We appreciate those experiences because we feel that we've earned them.

I don't want to sound political, but, part of the problem with a welfare system is that people don't appreciate what they are given nearly as much as what they earn as a reward for their labor. It's just a fact of life. Give something away and it is often not valued. That's the difference between feelings of appreciation and feelings of entitlement.

I just gave a friend a couple of the books I have written and she thanked me. She is genuinely appreciative. If I gave them away to the world at large, few if any would even say thank you. It's human nature. We tend to value things that cost us time and money. We take for granted things that are free.

If you want to make the most of life and be your best, make daily goals and long-term goals. Then, work toward the completion of those goals. And remember, life is the journey, not the destination.

Success Starts with A Great Attitude

Great attitudes are not the result of success; success is the result of great attitudes. ~Earl Nightingale

Most people think that success gives people happiness and a positive attitude. They think that they, too, could be happy-- if only they had money. What they don't realize is that money doesn't buy happiness. At best, money buys convenience, but, happiness starts from the inside and works its way out from there.

Successful people realize that it was their positive attitude and their belief in themselves that made all the difference in their lives.

I was raised by parents who were cynical. I have mentioned it in two different books. It was not their fault, it was bred into them. The children of parents who survived the "Great Depression" were that way in most cases. My parents were no different than the rest of their generation.

Success comes from opportunity and opportunity starts with a positive attitude. According to Earl Nightingale, in his book "Lead the Field", if you want to become a success in life, you have to start with a positive mental attitude.

So what does a great attitude give you?

When you have a great attitude, people like being around you. When your attitude is positive and you are assertive, you make friends easily. Surround yourself with successful people and you will become successful, too. It is a simple concept to grasp if you push away the cynicism.

Successful people attract other successful people and that, in turn, attracts greater opportunity to be successful. So, if you want to be successful, you have to start thinking as if you already are successful. It is as simple as that.

You need to believe in yourself.
You need to establish long-term goals.
You need to break those goals into short-term interim goals.
You need to imagine yourself being the success you want to be.
You have to hunger and thirst for it... but, you MUST BELIEVE it can be done.

If you take all of this to heart, remember, happiness starts on the inside.

When you see success in the road ahead, you can rest assured that it is coming. It is attainable. If you can imagine it, you can make it happen.

It starts with a dream and a desire to make it real. You achieve it by believing that you can. Then, your determination and commitment to it takes you to the finish line.

Believe you can and you will.

Believe You Can and You Will

To succeed in life, you have to be convinced that you can achieve your goals.

First off, without clear goals there can be no clear results, so, it is essential that you start by making clear goals for yourself. Next, you want to establish a time table for your goals. Then, you want to create a plan of action in order to accomplish those goals.

When you set goals for yourself, you have to believe that you can complete them. If you don't believe they are attainable it's a waste of time. But, if you can imagine yourself completing those goals, keep that mental image and start moving.

Right now, we are in an election year. America is polarized. We have people at one extreme or the other when it comes to political candidates. That's because the people of this nation, America, are cynical. We have little reason to trust politicians and little reason to have faith in political outsiders, like Donald Trump.

Before "The Donald" decided to run for president he was a media darling. Once he threw his hat in the ring, people started to attack him at every opportunity. Why? Because he poses a threat to the status quo. The inside-the-beltway gang hate him-- he's not one of them.

People call him racist-- because he wants to stop the flow of illegal aliens crossing our southern border. They call him stupid because he has had failed business ventures. Thomas Edison failed innumerable times when he tried to invent the light bulb, yet, he eventually succeeded and then people called him a genius.

Donald Trump took 200 million dollars and turned it into over 3 billion dollars in profit (made from real estate investments). He wrote a book titled "The Art of the Deal" and has been a hawk in business negotiations-- hardly stupid.

Will Donald Trump make a good president?

In truth, it is hard to say. He is certainly not stupid. Is he really in it for the good of the country and the people? I believe he is because, ultimately, the business climate can improve, Americans can make more money, and Mr. Trump can make more money in the process.

Our government has been getting in the way for far too long. At a federal level, the government has grown way too big for its britches (that's breeches for you Language Scholars). In all seriousness, we need leaders who understand business, who know how to bring industry back home to America, who can help create tax incentives to do so. A nation that builds things is a nation that prospers.

Can Donald Trump do this? That remains to be seen. 

I can definitely tell you this: Hillary Clinton cannot. She has been a fan of socialism for decades. She believes in big government and big government is the problem.

As for me, I believe in America. I believe that people can be awakened to the real problems we now face like these:

Unemployment.
Underemployment.
Genuine Racism.
So-called "racism" that is really not.
A biased media that secretly embraces socialism and the nanny state.
Chemicals and artificial ingredients that are in almost everything we eat.
SODIUM, SUGAR, and other unhealthy things in commercially prepared foods.

In short, we are killing ourselves more with what we eat than all the guns, knives, and drunken drivers put together.

What can we do about it? 

Love your neighbor as yourself. Raise your children to believe in the power of dreams-- never stop dreaming. Celebrate America because we have hope for a better tomorrow. Don't celebrate diversity, celebrate UNITY. FROM MANY-- ONE.

E PLURIBUS UNUM...

It is a concept that Barack Obama and many others either have forgotten or never believed. We are one nation. We are one people. We have one hope for a future... that a united people can build a better America.

Let's Do it!

Innocence Lost

When I read about young kids questioning their gender identity and sexuality before the age of ten I must declare that innocence is lost.

This subject kept me awake for a while, last night, as I pondered this issue. I gazed out the sliding glass doors at the treeline behind the house and watched the twinkle of fireflies as they engaged in their courtship flights. 

I remember chasing fireflies and catching them, putting a few in a jar, complete with air holes, and thinking how cool it would be to fill it and make a lantern of "lightning bugs" to illuminate the patio. I must have been all of six, perhaps eight years old, living in Teaneck, New Jersey.

In the 1960s, most kids, like me, were innocent. Nobody heard of a child that age pondering their sexuality.

Back then, kids couldn't wait to grow up, to learn to drive, and to get a job and earn money. For me, school was fascinating because I learned things. The more I learned, the more I realized that there were so many things I didn't know and I wanted to learn as much as I could.

Back then, kids would run through the local woods and play. They were discoverers, adventurers. The world was full of wonder.

Today, over-protective parents don't allow their kids to go out and play in the woods. They hover over them. Half of all families are headed by single parents and kids are not raised with the same parental influences of my generation.

Many kids live in fear of growing up. They are terrified by the concept of living on their own and supporting themselves. They feign wisdom on social issues like gender identity and sexuality when, deep down, they are emotional children. They have no confidence, no assertiveness, and cannot handle any sort of constructive criticism.

Parents, you owe it to your kids to let them explore the world around them. Give them the freedom to make mistakes and learn by them. 

Kids have it tough enough already. If you are divorced, don't use them to manipulate the ex-spouse. 

Raise your kids with as much wisdom and positive thought as possible and give them the space to make their own decisions on small things so that when they are confronted by big decisions, they have a better chance of doing the right thing.

Get Happy - Ninja Mind Tricks

I wrote Get Happy, Write Away in order to help people figure out what they want to do-- what direction to take in life.

When people finally figure out what they want to do in life it is often fear, uncertainty, and doubt that stands in their way. So... I wrote my latest book, Ninja Mind Tricks, to solve that problem.

When you have figured out what you really want in life, and you want to make it happen, it is THEN that you need to establish goals and start planning for your future. Figuring out what you want to do is half the battle. From there, all you really need to do is start changing the way you think in order to make it happen.

You have been programmed to fail. Why? Because people love to hold other people back. Why? Because misery loves company. Why? Because it takes a little effort to be a winner and many people would rather sit on a couch, eat junk food, and be lazy rather than risk potential failure if they try to do something and fall flat on their face.

Cynicism is Everywhere

If you want to succeed in turning your dreams into realities, these two books will tell you how.

Get Happy, Write Away is a self-actualization guide, so to speak. It helps you figure out what your past dreams were and where your heart really lies.

Ninja Mind Tricks helps you overcome all the things that are keeping you from taking a chance and reaching for the stars.

Believing in yourself is a good start. Making a plan of action is your compass. Then, cast off fear, uncertainty, and doubt... there is a place in the sun just waiting for you.

YOUR TIME HAS COME.

Unleash the Ninja Warrior Within

I used to be high strung. I was always worried about losing my job or not being good enough. Then I was introduced to a martial art that came from the misty mountains of Japan's Iga province.

Learning martial arts is good for physical conditioning and self-protection, but the Way of the Ninja opened up doors for me that I never knew existed.

Of course, I learned how to protect myself, but it was the mental training of the Ninja that began in the dojo (martial arts training hall) and went a lot farther with me.

Being the avid reader and researcher that I was, I had to dive headlong into this new world of mental discipline. What began as a few simple relaxation techniques and breathing exercises coaxed me into wanting much more. I found out that ancient teachings of shinobi-no-mono, the Ninja, were in museums and libraries, and private collections in Japan.

I started digging...

Over the years, I have discovered the "Law of Attraction" and other teachings of what people call the "New Thought Movement." It just so happens, the Ninja have been using the Law of Attraction for centuries. But, the Ninja took it a lot farther than "The Secret" teachers take it.

What I have done is put together the teachings of the Ninja with modern business philosophy and positive thought of people like Earl Nightingale, Brian Tracy, W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill, Robert Collier, and other great teachers in more recent history. This book, Ninja Mind Tricks, will unlock your potential.

Imagine having confidence and the determination to accomplish almost anything. Cast off fear, uncertainty, and doubt. 

Become a Ninja Warrior at heart. See yourself in a whole new light. Reach your full potential.

Available at Amazon.com.