Actions Archives - Page 9 of 13

November 5, 2018August 29, 2019

Dying For Image #155.

Image Is Everything Is What We’re Instructed To Believe. It’s Simply Not True And We Need Not Give Up Everything In Order Obtain It.

All that truly matters is how we view ourselves and are we living up to that view. We needn’t worry how others view us but history has shown us that is a forced concern placed upon at every turn. We feel the need to show the external world how much better off we are then anyone else.

We’ll sometimes get locked into an image we simply can’t remove ourselves from without losing those around us that cling to that image. For the alcoholic or the drug user those closest to you will view you as that and in doing so make it so much harder for you to escape it. Sometimes death is the only way out from such a image.

Holding On To Old Images.

Health can take a hit while maintaining image. Jolly fat man with the poor diet. The skinny model with a diet on the opposite spectrum. The bodybuilder who over works there heart in order to obtain the biggest muscles. Is your youthful beauty declining in old age? Well we have plastic surgery and Botox injections for that. Many will go under the knife to maintain that image. Some might not wake up from it.

It’s so much worse now with the advent of social media. We create these images of ourselves online for the world to see but it’s really all just smoke and mirrors. Those who use those services are all culprits of it. The doting husband, the perfect family, the best body, the world travelers. Just the best possible image without any backstory.

The Lies We Tell Through Imagery.

I’ve been a purveyor of such lies myself. And in our quest to display our best possible image, we trash all the mediocre images of ourselves. Ones that we deem not good enough. Maybe that’s part of the problem, that action of throwing out our own images so often, might cause some self loathing. I’m no psychologist but it seems logical to me to assume if we look at an image of our self and constantly tell ourselves it isn’t good enough. We may run into some problems with how we perceive our own image down the road, psychologically speaking.

The Good Old Days Of Photography.

Not too long ago the pictures we took were the ones we were stuck with and we learned to be happy with the final product. Even if we didn’t look our best. Now we feel we must always up the ante in order to keep up with all the noise and content already out there. So we’ll take riskier photos, travel to exotic locales more for the photo op and less for the experience. Or, to show others you have better experiences than they do. It’s so addictive too.

Just last week a young couple perished attempting to convey there image of travel bloggers to the world. In the process of obtaining more content for there Instagram they fell from a cliff side while attempting to take a photo at a cliff edge in Yosemite.

This Is Not A One Off Thing.

Many have sacrificed everything for that elusive perfect image. It’s simply not worth it. Maybe you’ll get more followers but that should not be tied to self worth. Never tie image to that which might harm. Just enjoy life, make great memories through experiences. Just stay safe while doing it.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

October 30, 2018August 29, 2019

Personal Glory At The Expense Of Others #154.

Winning Is Not A Zero Sum Game. Others Don’t Have To Lose For You To Prosper And Achieve Personal Glory.

We often treat it that way. We’ll step on the toes of others to get ahead in business and work. When we treat it cut throat, throats get cut, damage gets done and we leave a wake of destruction on our path. You may get ahead but is the price worth it for that small slice of personal glory. We need to be the rising tide that lifts all boats. We can still get ahead and bring others with us.

Example Of This Within The Game Of Football

Over the weekend a brilliant example of personal glory over team, as well as team over personal accolades was on display on both sides of the field. As the Green Bay Packers faced the Los Angeles Rams. One player sacrificed the greater good of the team in the hopes of personal glory while a completely different player on the opposing side did the opposite, sacrificed personal glory for the team. I bet you can guess which team won.

With two minutes remaining in the game and the Rams up by two. The Packers we’re about to receive the ball on a kick off. The receiving player was instructed to down it in the end zone to put the game in the hands of their best player the Packers quarter back.

When the player catches the kick off two yards deep in his own end zone rather than down it he chose to take it on himself to run for personal glory. In that process he was tackled and fumbled deep within his territory. Turning the ball over.

Display Of Team Over Personal Glory.

Once the ball was in the possession of the opposing team. Arguably their best player had a chance to score one more touchdown. Essentially putting the game out of reach for the other team. But unpredictable things can happen. The kicker could miss the extra point. And the other team could drive down for the touchdown and two point conversion and tie the game.

So rather than take personal glory with a touchdown. the player allowed himself to be tackled in bounds effectively sealing the win. With a few more downs of the ball they ran out the clock and claimed victory.

Work Together To Achieve Bigger Goals Than Yourself.

Now there is no guarantee had that player not fumbled the Packers would drive the field and score a game winning field goal. But had the player thought of team and listened to his coaches. He would have given the team a chance.

Kick offs have some of the highest probabilities of turn overs. Put your team ahead of just you. Your team success is your success. Other’s successes can be yours as well. Help them achieve it while your tide continues to rise.

Update:

The team that put the team first, ended up going to the Superbowl that year.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

October 24, 2018August 29, 2019

An Out Of Balance Life #153.

Balance The Scales Of Life Or Be Relegated To One Where Areas Are Heavily Focused While Others Are Heavily Neglected.

Life, love, relationships, work, business, family all need some semblance of balance. And if you live a life dedicated to focus on all these things you must find a way to juggle your time between them. You’ll have to be the judge of what takes precedence. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. How you wish to spend it is up to you.

First Question Is What Are Your Goals?

If your main goal is to get ahead in business and you don’t care to have a family. Then you need not worry yourself with time dedicated to such endeavors and you can focus wholly on your ambitious pursuits. The Scales will remain out of balance for good reason, you chose it.

However if your goal is family you will have to find ways to focus on that as well as providing for them. However if you neglect family in pursuit of financial security for said family and you lose the family due to such neglect. What was the point in that pursuit?

Always make sure you are continuing to balance the scales otherwise you can lose more then you might gain. Be sure to communicate your desires with your partner as well as listening too and meeting your partners needs. Make sure everyone is working towards meeting each other’s bliss points.

If your spouse is more concerned about financial security but also wants quality time together make sure it’s communicated and understood that these two things can sometimes conflict with each other. What is your priority and what is your partners?

Find Your Balance.

All relationships need balance. If one person is carrying the weight of both individuals, it cannot be maintained indefinitely. And when the bond breaks its hard to mend. I recently read a great quote that relationships are like strings, once broken they can be mended but there remains a knot at the break. How many knots can be tied before a string becomes a worthless ball that has been wound too tight? Or the alternative two separate strings? Maintain balance and worry will be a foregone after thought.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

October 16, 2018August 29, 2019

Fighting Fire With Fire #152.

Sometimes It’s Just Crazy Enough To Work. Other Times You Just End Up With A Bigger Fire.

We use this fire method all the time, from flu shots to hair of the dog. We’ll use what causes the problem, to fix the problem. And just as insane as using dog hair to put in a wound of a dog bite. So are our many other remedies.

The Drinker.

Will use more alcohol in order to avoid the dreaded hangover but in the end will be left with a much worse one.

The Drug Addict.

A different drug to kick the habit of the other. Which often leads to a new addiction. Or worse yet they’ll need the lifesaving benefits of a drug in order to stop the overdose of another drug.

Flu Shot.

Those that worry of getting sick will use a mild dose of the flu in order to try to avoid getting the flu.

The Smoker.

Cigarette smokers might try to quit smoking with the aid of the same addictive substance taht got them hooked in the first place. Nicotine in different forms. Maybe they’ll use water vapor with the same chemicals maybe a patch or gum.

Debt.

We’ll attempt to pay off debt with more debt.

We’ll try to talk our way out of bad situations our mouth got us into. Which is more often than not the only way out of those situations but hopefully we just don’t start that fire in the first place.

In The Name Of Safety

Recently they passed a law in my home state that requires all construction companies to not release any silica into the air. Because silica is known carcingen. Silica dust is natural and usually fairly abundant everywhere on new construction sites. And in order to clean it up the state requires you to use a sweeping compound to sweep up this dust.

However on these sweeping compounds which are unnatural and carry a large warning label on the box that says this product may cause cancer.

Now those worker get the pleasure of interacting with two known carcinogens. Fire on fire in the name of “safety,” but probably more accurately in the name of profits.

So Why Is It We Use These Methods?

Well it’s because every so often they actual work. And just like a well fought forest fire, with perfect placement and timing you can stop the encroaching fire and all its impending destruction with more fire. In order to fight fire with fire you need to have a well coordinated plan of attack. You need to know the consequences of that action and you need to use it in the right place at the right time. Just remember a poorly placed uncontrolled fire will only expand your already burning one.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don't, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

October 4, 2018August 29, 2019

Robbing Another’s Trust #151.

Trust Is A Gift We Give To Those Who Earn It. It Technically Doesn’t Cost A Thing. So If We Give It Freely, How Can It Be Stolen From Us?

Betrayal of trust is one of the hardest things we must endure. It is so much harder to repair when lost or stolen then any material good. The thieves come in many forms.

They can be actual thieves that break in to your home, and steal your trust of having a safe home. It can be the break down of a vehicle that has never before let you down.

Body Betrayal.

This can also happen when your body breaks down. Medical ailments can shake the foundations of the once very trustworthy body you have claim to or a strong loved ones body failing.

Conned.

It can be a con artist that steals your trust in helpful strangers. It can come in the form of horribly selfish individuals that steal your trust in mankind. Most trust betrayals are exactly that, selfish acts.

Loved One’s Stealing.

However more often then anything else the thefts come from the ones we love most. Its the people and things who managed to get closet to us. Those we have given all access to our trust, that can rob us blind.

They usually have done more than enough to earn it. That’s why it’s so hard to recoup it when another destroys it. It comes in many different forms from loved ones as well.

A Cheating Spouse.

Will rob you of your trust in faithfulness.

A difficult child may rob you of your trust in having children.

One of the most insidious trust betrayals is trust in love. When you believe to have the love of another individual and they take that love away. That is probably the hardest to come back from. But it’s possible, not all people are the same and very few actually want to steal your trust.

I’ve been on both side of the coin. I’ve been the thief and the patsy. And let me tell you, every time trust plays a roll, you feel horrible no matter the side. Unless you are a true sociopath.

Repair Within.

Trust can be rebuilt, maybe not with the same individuals or the same things that you once trusted in. But there is hope.

Frustratingly there are no easy fixes, it takes time to repair the damages. The best we can do is to not give up. All humanity is not lost and others should be given a chance. Try to do things differently next time around.

Keep giving it to those who earn it. They just may have to work a little harder for it. And if they give up easily on that journey they would have done the same had you given them your trust earlier on.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

October 2, 2018August 29, 2019

Bidding Your Employer Farewell By Flipping The Bird To Them #149.

Over The Weekend Long Time Seahawk Great Earl Thomas Broke His Leg. And His Parting Gesture Was Flipping The Bird To The Team He Spent His Career With.

The sentiment is one I completely understand. Who hasn’t flipped the bird in utter frustration. Earl wanted the team to either extend his contract, release him from his old contract or trade him to a team that was willing to invest in him for the long term.

All of that came crumbling down over the weekend. When he was carted off the field. And in the heat of the moment when his dire situation was revealed. He chose to lash out.

In the fleeting moments of his career with the Seahawks the much beloved player let them know how much he hated them by flipping off his own sideline off. Possibly somewhat tarnishing his image in Seattle. But his frustration is understandable.

Who hasn’t been disgruntled at times with there employer? Which reached the point where you just want to tell them F you? But we refrain because we know better and it’s one of the best ways to burn bridges.

Everyone lost in this situation. Seahawks lost a valuable asset, Earl lost his contract potential, and other teams lost that wanted to trade for him.

Let This Be A Lesson That We Are Our Choices.

Don’t play the victim of your own decisions or cast them upon others. Earl chose to sign that contract. Earl chose to play in order to get paid. He chose to fulfill his obligation of a contract he was once grateful to be signing. In his choice to play Earls body was exposed to rigors of a violent sport and it was unable to hold up.

Smart Business Decisions.

The business knew he was susceptible to injury. Maybe even Earl knew too. And wanted that big pay out before getting injured. Which begs the question what if the shoe was on the other foot. Who would be taking from who in that situation? Could the Seahawk’s executives flip Earl off when he cost them millions?

The business made a great business decision to refrain from losing a lot of money. The Seahawks are a business, Earl is a business, and the NFL is a business. If they all work in tandem they all make money.

When one fails they all lose. For some that loss has a bigger magnitude then for others. Never the less we should be grateful when we get to do what we love to do. And we get paid copious amounts of money to do it.

Salary Breakdown Perspective.

Over his career Earl has made 55 million from the Seahawks. Let’s put that in perspective. The average worker makes around 60k a year. For them to save what Earl has made by his 29th year of life. It would take the average worker 916 years of saving every single penny. And never spending a dime of it. To get to that achievement.

On top of that he stands to make 8.5 million from his couch this season. The average worker that pays his salary through ticket sales and advertisement dollars would never get such luxuries. They might get disability pay while they can’t work. Which may be about two thirds there actual pay. Barely enough to ends meet.

Yet they are grateful for any sort of pay when they are unable to work. Most get nothing and have to find a way to make ends meet while injured.

Sure its a dangerous job the sport of football but so is the masonry work that built the stadiums players get to play in every week. And most of those employees are thankful to have that job. Not sure what Earl needs for financial security but I’m pretty sure he’s achieved it already.

Gratitude For The Opportunities.

Let’s just be grateful for what we have, it may all be lost tomorrow. And if we lose it, rather than acting like a petulant child that didn’t get our way. Let’s say thank you for the opportunity and use that failure to be better the next time around. Or learn to grow in new directions.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

September 25, 2018August 29, 2019

Remaining Ignorant #148.

Remaining Ignorant Is Bliss. Or Is It?

It’s a fact, the truth can sometimes be painful. And we will at times want to avoid it at all cost. The truth can sometimes paint an ugly grotesque picture of the world around us. Remaining ignorant insulates us for that. But with that same stroke of the brush it can create a beautifully enlightened image as well. It’s a far more valuable position to be in the know. And you will be in a better state to help others as well.

Ignorance Sometimes Feels So Safe

Like nothing can harm us there. Everything is blissful, like you’re riding a gum drop train on a rainbow to Idiotsville. While you and your fellow passengers admire the vacancy of realism around. All the while staying numb to the facts we left behind us in the real world.

We’re like new born babies, happily blind to our ignorance and content in not knowing. Not a care in the world. No cheating significant others live there, no neglectful parents, no war, no genocide, no famine, no environmental disasters approach us there, the list goes on and on.

And often times it’s far more fun to visit that land of make believe. But we cannot remain there forever. Growth only comes from when we are in the knowing. Sometimes we can achieve phenomenal new learning experiences just by digging deeper into our own long held beliefs.

Breaking Free From Ignorance.

I was fortunate enough to have such an experience. A child of special needs recently came into my life. A wonderful child who is non verbal autistic. All the information I was privy to before told me that the child may not advance much past a two year old mentality.

Only after doing research I became blown away to discover that most likely hiding behind an autistic facade. Is a child just like any other kid with the same mental capacities. And what is actually happening behind that facade is not necessarily a mental disorder. Its a brain body disconnect where the body does not obey what the mind tells it to do. These children are literally locked into a malfunction body while professionals give them little chance.

Therapy That Works.

What they need is not speech therapy but a way they can actually communicate and Somo’s RPM (rapid prompting method) has proven to work. With extensive training pointing to letters on a letterboard they were able to find their “voice.” I was enthralled by all the non verbal autistic authors who were considered “low functioning.” Who now communicate there high intelligence with the world at large.

If you want to dig deeper yourself read Ido Kedar’s “In Two World’s” or his blog. Check out videos by Carly Fleischmann. Or read Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay. All these people, once written off by society are major contributors to educating others about how truly valuable individuals with special needs can be.

True Bliss.

This is just a small sample of how my previous ignorance to a situation got in the way of understanding the plight of other individuals. Think of the enormous amount of information out there that we remain ignorant to. Let’s refuse to stay unintelligibly ignorant. Let’s learn, grow and always be looking for ways to help others. That’s where true bliss resides.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don't, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

September 19, 2018September 20, 2019

Believing Tap Water To Be Safe #147.

Is Tap Water Undermining Our Health?

This may seem like one of those water conspiracy theories. I assure you it is not. This is all information anyone can look up for themselves.

How could something so unassuming and generic as water ever compromise our health? Is it more than pure H2O that we’re ingesting? It’s only that basic building block of life that is coming out our faucets, not much else to it right?

Here’s where we are misguided. So much different particulates of matter and micro organism can easily be diffused into water that there is no real telling exactly what you are getting out of your taps every day.

Chlorine.

First off in order to kill off any deadly germs or micro organism in our water supply, our water must be treated with a dose of chlorine. Chlorine does have the benefit of killing off all those infectious diseases that hide out in our water but it comes at a price to our health. While it’s killing off all those infectious germs it also kills off the good beneficial bacteria that our body relies on to keep us healthy and our immune system strong.

Fluoride.

Next add to water a heaping helping of fluoride. All in the name of dentistry. How wonderful is this? Your teeth may be whiter, as your body decays. Type fluoride into any search engine and it will give you a whole slew of health ailments this heavy metal causes. Bone disease, thyroid conditions, neurological problems, birth defects. The list is pretty extensive.

Old Pipes.

On top of those problems we have leaching from old pipes. Old pipes that may contain lead as in the case with Flint Michigan. These two items alone are enough to begin to question, how is it we’re so trusting that the water coming from our faucet is safe to drink? But it’s the unknowns that are the true danger.

Drugs And Hormones

Modern municipal water treatment facilities, although successful at supplying us with potable water through our taps. Are unable to filter out hormones along with other trace amounts of all types of drugs. When individuals take any form of drug or when women takes birth control their body processes these medications through the liver and then expels the excess through excretion. Both in urine and feces.

These byproducts are then shipped through our trusty old pipes to water treatment centers. Treated and filtered and than sent right back to us in the form of tap water.

Now filled with all forms drugs and hormones, like estrogen, antibiotics, epilepsy drugs, antidepressants, diabetes drugs, heart medications. The list goes on and on. These are only trace amounts in each glass of water we indulge in. But trace amounts of any of these things should raise red flags. Over time these drugs can bio-accumulate within our bodies and cause serious damage while undermining our overall health.

How Do We Combat Such Issues?

Well I found the cheapest solution to be a in home water distiller. It distills a gallon of water over a few hours time and you know you are only drinking pure H2O nothing else. You can see inside the distiller after it has evaporated the water. All the impurities left behind, and it’s a lot.

If you feel distilled is lacking minerals and electrolytes you can add a half teaspoon of pink Himalayan sea salt to a gallon of distilled water. This should add those essential minerals and electrolytes back to your water and you’ll know the exact portion.

You can also invest in a reverse osmosis system. This system is simply a much more extensive filtration process which nearly returns water to it’s natural state. All in all just be cognizant of that fact that tap water can cause harm to you and your family. We need water to survive but we also don’t want it to be the cause of illness or our own mortality.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

September 8, 2018July 2, 2019

Why Not Attitude (Blowing It Scenario #146).

Decisions Made In The Absence Of A Why.

If I asked you why you would do something, maybe I gave you an irresponsible choice. And you responded with, “why not?” It would be a somewhat aggressive stance to take against finding your why.

One of the ways it’s the right choice is if you are potentially looking to find your why and asking yourself why not. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Scan your mind to find the answer why not to do some. In doing so you are separating the two, why, and not. First find the why, and if it leads you to a not, you will have the information needed to steer clear of any given task. But start with why, simply ending at why not is hardly an answer. Why not, can tend to be a diminishing stance that works on the negative, a diminutive argument that avoids the positive growth question of why. If you’re committing damaging acts all around you as well as within you, to your mind, body, spirit and to property as well as those around you and your carefree answer to it all is why not. You are aimless in your pursuits, not only aimless you are destructive. Like a driver asleep behind the wheel. It’s only a matter of time before you crash. Better hope that when you do, you don’t take anyone else down with you. Or better yet just wake up and start going the right direction.

There is only one positive side to why not, and that is if there are so many whys that you simply cannot find a reason not to. A friend ask to travel the world with them, your answer may be, “absolutely, why not.” In your heart you know the positives out way the negative but an answer may arise that leads you to why you cannot go. Possibly don’t have the finances for it, or don’t have the time for it. This is an example of you actively looking for a reason not to do something in this case you are operating in full use of the why not question to find your not. But if you find there’s a strong enough why, you will move heaven and earth just to get to it.

If you haven’t noticed yet I used over twenty whys in this article. That was by design, use the word often, allow it to be a guide, avoid its avoidance, Follow your why and you and the world around you will beat a path to straight to it.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

September 8, 2018July 2, 2019

Undervaluing Ourselves (Blowing It Scenario #145).

It’s High Time We All Come Together And Each And Everyone One Of Us Find Our True Worth And Charge The Correct Value Of That Worth.

Two articles came out this week that brought about just how disconnected we are with our proper value of our work. One of which was about the gig economy and it’s race to zero. How everyone around the world who uses the internet to sell their professional skills and services, skills most acquired through many years of hard work and dedication. All these freelancers and entrepreneurs are all now in a race to the bottom, speeding steadily toward giving away all their hard work for free. When we don’t control the paradigm the value is skewed. There is a story I once heard that Picasso was sitting at a café sketching on a cheap napkin when a lady witnessed he crumpled the napkin and shoved it into his pocket she than asked if she could have it. He replied, “Absolutely you can have it, for $20,000 dollars.” She says back to him, “but it only took you a few seconds to create.” His final response to the women is a telling symbol of knowing your value. He tells her, “No this took me a lifetime to create.” This is a one of the biggest lesson we can ever take about our value. We put so much hard work and effort into being able to create that work of art, some put their bodies through so much, why diminish its value?

Value is not only tied to the moment we create something new, that is simply the event. Most people don’t see the work that goes into creating, the education and learning of the process, the practice, and the many failures. All most people see is the final results and that is just the tip of the iceberg. When we get to a point of such mastery, we should not simply be relegated to charging five dollars for that work on a website that in turn takes 20 percent profits on your effort. We should only charge five dollars if we are complete novices and are using it as practice to get better. We should be creating our own domain where we control the paradigm. Where the perceived value we create is translated into intrinsic value to others. And when we all pay the correct price we all rise the tide together.

The second article that came out was about one of the best NFL running backs in the game holding out for a better long term contract from the team. He wants to protect is body for a better long term deal. And he should do that. Currently his company is putting a high short term price tag on him and trying to squeeze very last drop out of him before they release him and that is not fair. So he has exercised his right to put a higher value and in his eyes investing in his future is more important than the short term. This is a man who knows his value and is not backing down from it. Take a lesson from this. A great player on defense recently did this and another team saw his value and paid him his worth. The running backs team is controlling his paradigm and not allowing him to shop his skills on the open market and this lack of control is hurtful to true value. Just know your worth and except nothing less even if it requires you lose in the short term. Just be cognizant of the fact that others won’t always see that same value.