"Consumption. This is the new national pastime. F*** baseball, it's consumption, the only true, lasting American value that's left . . . buying things . . . People spending money they don't have on things they don't need . . . So they can max out their credit cards and spend the rest of their lives paying 18 percent interest on something that cost $12.50. And they didn't like it when they got it home anyway. Not too bright, folks, not too f*****' bright." ~ George Carlin
Remember when you got your first walkman? Or for the older generation, remember when you got your first transistor radio? What was available for your listening pleasure? AM stations that sounded like they came from outer space. But you did get better reception at night! Then the walkman gave us the availability to listen to "mix tapes", a collection of our absolute favorite 10 to 20 (only if you had the 120 minute maxell blank tape) songs. AND WE WERE HAPPY!!
Then CDs came out. Then computers. Then we burned CDs to listen in our CD Walkmans. Then some genius figured out, "Hey, since we've come all this way to make music recordings crystal clear and perfect, why don't we just compress the life out of it so we can fit hundreds of mediocre quality songs on a chip.....that way we get more of what we love." The fact is, we don't love it anymore.
Now songs are available a la carte, readily available to you at your fingertips. Thousands upon thousands of sub-standard, mediocre, uninspiring songs by artists and producers with little to no talent. And I don't blame them. There is no incentive to be better. Why work hard at your craft and come up with an album full of hits when you can "collaberate" with some other mediocre, uninspiring artist du jour for one controversial hit that everyone will download on iTunes. And the only reason most people will buy it is because its number one on the downloads list today, and it will add to the total quantity of songs possessed by that person. Because that's how we judge people; by the amount of songs they own. It isn't uncommon for the average teenager to have 2000 or more songs. With file sharing, many of these songs aren't even paid for. And if it's free, it's worth having on the iPod.
All that music...all that availability. Sometimes you have such a hard time deciding what to listen to, that you just give up and watch TV.
Aha!! TV!! From rabbit ears getting the 3 major networks, to cable TV and getting a few more, to satellite TV and getting thousands of shows. Thousands of shows!!!! What kind of shows can we possibly dream up? There are TV shows about TV SHOWS!!!!! Then came TIVO. You don't even have to be around for your show when it's shown. Now there's ON-DEMAND. Sounds powerful, doesn't it. Say it with me with your best echoey voice...."ON-DEMAND". It doesn't even matter when the show is scheduled!!! You get it when you want it!!
All that viewing...all that availability. Sometimes you have such a hard time deciding what to watch, that you just give up and read a little.
What...the newspaper? Remember that old-fashioned way of learning about goings on around the world? Magazines? Not available enough. The internet has killed newspapers nearly to extinction. Magazines and local newscasts are a relic of the past. Too slow, old news. Millions and millions of websites can get us the information overload that we crave in an instant! We can find out the score to the game, the weather forecast for the next 7 years, and we can find out how Britney Spears is doing....in an instant!
All those websites...all that availability. Sometimes you have such a hard time sifting through the mindless drivel, that you decide to do some INTERNET SHOPPING!!
This is the ultimate in availability. Anything you want, at anytime of the day. This is where the quote at the beginning comes into play. "People spending money they don't have on things they don't need". Again, availability of a credit card. It doesn't even seem like real money.....It's because IT ISN'T REAL MONEY!!! And do you really need it?
CONSUMPTION. AVAILABILITY. The two go hand-in-hand. I've talked about the people who live paycheck to paycheck before. The people who increase their lifestyle when they get a raise. World-Class Consumers. The typical American.
Here's where the big problem with our economy started. When these typical American comsumption artists were given the availability of leverage, a catastrophic chain of events was set into motion. It was decided that people had a "right" to own a home. You used to have to put some of your own money in it to qualify for it. You used to have to save and save and work a second job and work late to save that down payment to qualify. Equity...True equity...Real money....less leverage....less risk. Then it became everyone's "right" to own a home. People who couldn't afford to buy a home were now able to qualify...with little to no money down (true equity). Helping out those less fortunate with the "American Dream". Then, the average middle-class guy (who carries way too much debt and leverage) decides he's the next Donald Trump and wants to buy rentals!! WITH NO MONEY!! His home has "skyrocketed" in appraised value (false equity), so why not take that "free money" and leverage out a few more properties, with the hope we can rent them out and service them, then "flip" them when they are at the pinnacle of value!!!! Why not take some of this equity (false equity..not money) and dump all this personal debt I've accumulated over my lifetime into this house. After all, we're gonna sell it at the pinnacle and make a fortune! And why not buy some other stuff we don't need with the rest of the equity loan? No wonder the economy appeared to look so good. It was being propped up by a bunch of equity loan purchases!!
Typical American....if one house is good, four houses is better. If 1000 songs are good, 2000 songs are better. If 100 TV channels are good, 200 channels are better. News flash...you can't live in more than one house, you can't possibly listen to 2000 songs and you can't be interested in 200 TV channels.
SPENDING MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE ON THINGS YOU DON'T NEED. The reason is because it is all available to us. You don't even need real money. It's even advertised by VISA that it's easier than cash....really? And they're right! Cash takes longer now!!
Now it all comes crashing down. All the loan selling, refinancing and shuffling of the fake money has caught up to all of us. Now we wonder why 90 percent of the wealth in this country is owned by the top 10 percent. They have the cash to snap up the properties at auction and carve themselves a larger slice of the pie. All because the leverage was too available to the average guy.
I liked the days of the mix tape. I liked having to make time to watch a football game on TV. I liked looking at the box score in the newspaper the next day.
I also liked the days where people had to work hard to save money to buy the things they needed, not coveted. I liked the days when people used good old cash to buy things they could afford, where they didn't become slaves to the corporate masters of leverage.
I have 3000 songs in my iTunes library. I have a playlist of about 150 songs I really like. That's about 7 or 8 mix tapes worth. And that's good enough for me. I bet George Carlin would have agreed with me.
But you know what? I do feel safe knowing I have those other 2850 songs available to me, though.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Investing In Our Future....Actively
The best way to predict the future is to create it. - Peter Drucker
I have had excellent response to my "stimulus check" blog. My hope is that it inspired people, and many have responded that it has helped in desperate times. Like I had said, I hope my site is relevant, interesting and enjoyable.
Now, some people read into things a little too deep. Like the part I mentioned about a career change. I think people that know me understand where I'm coming from when I say I will not settle. Those of you that still may be confused thinking I'm an unemployed bum may need a little clarification. So...here's a little insight into good old Uncle B.
That just about covers the flybys.
I have a degree in Business and my field of study was corporate finance. I've been entrepreneurial since I helped start a futures and options investment company when I was 22 years old. This is me. I live by the creed....every single day. I seek opportunity-not security. I have succeeded....I have failed. But I have no regrets and I will continue to control my destiny.
There are those who just don't and won't get it. I don't blame them. Most people got used to living in a world where a job equalled security. NOT TODAY!! Not in this time of recession. We need to start calling this what it is...a depression. Dow Jones companies, Blue Chippers, the "recession-proof" companies are slashing jobs. Banks have no stability. Even old standbys like Home Depot cut 7000 jobs. People I know are just waiting for their pink slip, knowing the date when the cuts are coming and not knowing if their name will be on the list. Not knowing if they will be able to pay the mortgage or put food on the table. JOB does not equal security because jobs are disappearing, at an alarming rate. And it's not stopping. What happens when YOU get "downsized" or "let go" or "canned" or any other politically correct BS you want to add?
True security comes from knowing exactly what you are going to do and what opportunities you are going to seize. I know my future because I'm creating it. I can't say that for most folks out there. I have always provided for our family...and I always will. Auntie A is also an entrepreneur, experiencing great growth in her business venture, expanding on a carefully calculated plan and creating jobs in an economy that is cutting them. I'm very proud of her. She is not only creating opportunities for herself, but is creating opportunities for others. Now that's "job satisfaction". I'm working on a project that will possibly create 30-40 jobs in 3 years.
My wife and I are creating not just a living, but a life for ourselves...every single day. I'm very happy with the progress. We have the freedom to seize opportunities when they present themselves. We also saved for a rainy day, and sacrificed our house and cars to get into a streamlined position to make this happen.
I'm sure I have my critics. I've always been dismissed as too young, too inexperienced, undercapitalized. Ever since I can remember. Maybe the critics have their own insecurities. I've kinda always viewed those job advocate types as baby birds in the nest waiting for mamma bird to bring them the worm. Not us.....we find our own worms. And we don't wait for hawks to come kill the mamma bird.
My wife and I are entrepreneurs. We know our future because we create it. We always make money because we are always working, always thinking, always searching, always planning, always creating, always discovering, always looking for that next thing when we are doing the current thing. We don't put limits on ourselves or think anything is too big. I believe people like us for it.
For those who care to condemn, shame on you with your low expectations, little faith, clouded vision and lack of courage. Certainly not followers of the creed. My hope for those is that they find the confidence to seize opportunities in their own lives....and stop worrying about ours.
We are doing just fine.
I have had excellent response to my "stimulus check" blog. My hope is that it inspired people, and many have responded that it has helped in desperate times. Like I had said, I hope my site is relevant, interesting and enjoyable.
Now, some people read into things a little too deep. Like the part I mentioned about a career change. I think people that know me understand where I'm coming from when I say I will not settle. Those of you that still may be confused thinking I'm an unemployed bum may need a little clarification. So...here's a little insight into good old Uncle B.
The Entrepreneur's Creed:
I do not choose to be a common man.
It is my right to be uncommon-If I can.
I seek opportunity-not security.
I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humble and dulled by having the state look after me.
I want to take a calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole;
I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence;
the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.
I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout.
I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.
It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid;
to think and act for myself,
to enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly an say:
"This, with my god's help, I have done".
All this is what it means to be an entrepreneur.
~Unknown Author
That just about covers the flybys.
I have a degree in Business and my field of study was corporate finance. I've been entrepreneurial since I helped start a futures and options investment company when I was 22 years old. This is me. I live by the creed....every single day. I seek opportunity-not security. I have succeeded....I have failed. But I have no regrets and I will continue to control my destiny.
There are those who just don't and won't get it. I don't blame them. Most people got used to living in a world where a job equalled security. NOT TODAY!! Not in this time of recession. We need to start calling this what it is...a depression. Dow Jones companies, Blue Chippers, the "recession-proof" companies are slashing jobs. Banks have no stability. Even old standbys like Home Depot cut 7000 jobs. People I know are just waiting for their pink slip, knowing the date when the cuts are coming and not knowing if their name will be on the list. Not knowing if they will be able to pay the mortgage or put food on the table. JOB does not equal security because jobs are disappearing, at an alarming rate. And it's not stopping. What happens when YOU get "downsized" or "let go" or "canned" or any other politically correct BS you want to add?
True security comes from knowing exactly what you are going to do and what opportunities you are going to seize. I know my future because I'm creating it. I can't say that for most folks out there. I have always provided for our family...and I always will. Auntie A is also an entrepreneur, experiencing great growth in her business venture, expanding on a carefully calculated plan and creating jobs in an economy that is cutting them. I'm very proud of her. She is not only creating opportunities for herself, but is creating opportunities for others. Now that's "job satisfaction". I'm working on a project that will possibly create 30-40 jobs in 3 years.
My wife and I are creating not just a living, but a life for ourselves...every single day. I'm very happy with the progress. We have the freedom to seize opportunities when they present themselves. We also saved for a rainy day, and sacrificed our house and cars to get into a streamlined position to make this happen.
I'm sure I have my critics. I've always been dismissed as too young, too inexperienced, undercapitalized. Ever since I can remember. Maybe the critics have their own insecurities. I've kinda always viewed those job advocate types as baby birds in the nest waiting for mamma bird to bring them the worm. Not us.....we find our own worms. And we don't wait for hawks to come kill the mamma bird.
My wife and I are entrepreneurs. We know our future because we create it. We always make money because we are always working, always thinking, always searching, always planning, always creating, always discovering, always looking for that next thing when we are doing the current thing. We don't put limits on ourselves or think anything is too big. I believe people like us for it.
For those who care to condemn, shame on you with your low expectations, little faith, clouded vision and lack of courage. Certainly not followers of the creed. My hope for those is that they find the confidence to seize opportunities in their own lives....and stop worrying about ours.
We are doing just fine.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Our "Stimulus" Check
"Happiness depends on ourselves" -Aristotle
What a time in life to be alive and aware. It seems everywhere we turn we see the results of society's current situation. We see our country and our world through tinted shades. Bad thoughts lead to bad intentions, lead to bad decisions, lead to bad results, ending with a bad state of affairs. Most people feel it, or feel like they feel it, or feel like they are supposed to feel it. The result is general pessimism and unhappiness, approaching downright hopelessness.
And now we need someone to blame......
We are now a population waiting. Waiting for help, waiting for answers, waiting for someone to pose the questions because we don't even know what to ask. We wait for the end of the day to see what the market did. We wait for the news to come in on how many jobs are lost. We wait for answers to those questions we have for the economy and our government. We wait for the results on how others are and will affect our lives. We wait for our "stimulus" check.
Who is to blame?
The democrats? The republicans? The CEOs? The banks? The greedy corporations? The mortgage companies? The insurance companies? Your company? Your boss? The powers that be?
First of all, blame is such an empty word. It has little value, little flavor and little interest to me. As a verb, it is a debate amongst the hopeless. As a state of being, it is a worthless commodity carried by or delivered by the hopeless. I say why bother.
I am here to personally deliver your "stimulus" check. My hope is that reading this will help you realize how to let go of some burden and start feeling lighter and "stimulated". Now this "stimulus" check has no money (which you end up paying back on your tax returns, by the way), but is more of a "stimulus check", like a doctor's appointment. This will check how you stimulate the environment around you.
Notice I say stimulate as action performed, rather than how others stimulate you. Now, if you just can't let go of trying to blame, I'm OK with that. Let's just start in our own backyards. How have we contributed to our own mess? How have we purchased things we don't need with money we don't have? How have we coveted others lives and commodities? How have we waited for someone else to deliver our happiness?
Wait a minute....that might just be the one thing we are neglecting......happiness. Here we are, waiting. Hoping someone, something to come to our rescue. Just once...just once....when's it gonna be my time......my time is coming for sure.......something is just gonna turn around for me. All the while, the ultimate end, happiness, is a vague notion in most of our imaginations.
I see on a daily basis people trying to make a living that are not making a life. I see people performing similar tasks, and getting similar results. I see people run out of month before money. I see people being caught in their very own tornado. And its mostly based on a few decisions made a crucial times in their lives.
Rather than focus on all those things, I would rather talk about your "stimulus check". How can you be a light, rather than searching for the light? What can you do about your own situation, rather than worry about the concerns of others? When can you start? Where will you make the most impact? Why are you able? It's very simple.....happiness.
I asked my wife a couple weeks back, (who we will refer to as Auntie A, or decision maker), "what would be your ideal schedule if you could make it?" Most people would be taken aback when asked this, because they wouldn't take it very seriously. Auntie A knows me better than that. She shared with me some of the things that would be ideal. I simply said, "Let's do THOSE things." Why would we want to do anything else? Why should se settle?
I will not settle. I have recently made a career change. As of last week. I have things I want to do in my life that I've allowed my career to prevent. I worked among pessimism and chaos and turmoil and pain. I have neglected happiness, but I've always tried to be a light and not search for the light. Now I have the freedom to choose my path. Live my life while making a living. Work my ideal schedule and not have that schedule work me. Run an business and not have it run me.
Happiness is the ultimate end. It is a result of what you put into it. Nothing out there will MAKE us happy. We must contribute. All activities should result in happiness. There is no pursuit of happiness. There is just the result, and it is up to us. All paths should lead to it, but no paths lead from it.
Make decisions today that will help you live your life, not just make a living.
Use your "stimulus check" wisely!
What a time in life to be alive and aware. It seems everywhere we turn we see the results of society's current situation. We see our country and our world through tinted shades. Bad thoughts lead to bad intentions, lead to bad decisions, lead to bad results, ending with a bad state of affairs. Most people feel it, or feel like they feel it, or feel like they are supposed to feel it. The result is general pessimism and unhappiness, approaching downright hopelessness.
And now we need someone to blame......
We are now a population waiting. Waiting for help, waiting for answers, waiting for someone to pose the questions because we don't even know what to ask. We wait for the end of the day to see what the market did. We wait for the news to come in on how many jobs are lost. We wait for answers to those questions we have for the economy and our government. We wait for the results on how others are and will affect our lives. We wait for our "stimulus" check.
Who is to blame?
The democrats? The republicans? The CEOs? The banks? The greedy corporations? The mortgage companies? The insurance companies? Your company? Your boss? The powers that be?
First of all, blame is such an empty word. It has little value, little flavor and little interest to me. As a verb, it is a debate amongst the hopeless. As a state of being, it is a worthless commodity carried by or delivered by the hopeless. I say why bother.
I am here to personally deliver your "stimulus" check. My hope is that reading this will help you realize how to let go of some burden and start feeling lighter and "stimulated". Now this "stimulus" check has no money (which you end up paying back on your tax returns, by the way), but is more of a "stimulus check", like a doctor's appointment. This will check how you stimulate the environment around you.
Notice I say stimulate as action performed, rather than how others stimulate you. Now, if you just can't let go of trying to blame, I'm OK with that. Let's just start in our own backyards. How have we contributed to our own mess? How have we purchased things we don't need with money we don't have? How have we coveted others lives and commodities? How have we waited for someone else to deliver our happiness?
Wait a minute....that might just be the one thing we are neglecting......happiness. Here we are, waiting. Hoping someone, something to come to our rescue. Just once...just once....when's it gonna be my time......my time is coming for sure.......something is just gonna turn around for me. All the while, the ultimate end, happiness, is a vague notion in most of our imaginations.
I see on a daily basis people trying to make a living that are not making a life. I see people performing similar tasks, and getting similar results. I see people run out of month before money. I see people being caught in their very own tornado. And its mostly based on a few decisions made a crucial times in their lives.
Rather than focus on all those things, I would rather talk about your "stimulus check". How can you be a light, rather than searching for the light? What can you do about your own situation, rather than worry about the concerns of others? When can you start? Where will you make the most impact? Why are you able? It's very simple.....happiness.
I asked my wife a couple weeks back, (who we will refer to as Auntie A, or decision maker), "what would be your ideal schedule if you could make it?" Most people would be taken aback when asked this, because they wouldn't take it very seriously. Auntie A knows me better than that. She shared with me some of the things that would be ideal. I simply said, "Let's do THOSE things." Why would we want to do anything else? Why should se settle?
I will not settle. I have recently made a career change. As of last week. I have things I want to do in my life that I've allowed my career to prevent. I worked among pessimism and chaos and turmoil and pain. I have neglected happiness, but I've always tried to be a light and not search for the light. Now I have the freedom to choose my path. Live my life while making a living. Work my ideal schedule and not have that schedule work me. Run an business and not have it run me.
Happiness is the ultimate end. It is a result of what you put into it. Nothing out there will MAKE us happy. We must contribute. All activities should result in happiness. There is no pursuit of happiness. There is just the result, and it is up to us. All paths should lead to it, but no paths lead from it.
Make decisions today that will help you live your life, not just make a living.
Use your "stimulus check" wisely!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
In The Beginning..........
Hello all. My name is Uncle B....well, anyone who really knows me knows who I really am. This is the beginning of the upstart project known as Uncle B's Soapbox. Again, anyone who really knows me knows that I like to discuss topics, many topics. Some would think I get on my soapbox and dispense.
Uncle B's Soapbox will discuss a variety of topics, based mainly on what is going on in the world at that particular time. My hope is that people will see things with a fresher perspective, viewing topics from many different angles. It may even CHANGE LIVES!!! At the very least, I hope it is relevant, interesting and enjoyable.
In the meantime.......************** (this is where my catch phrase sign off will appear, once I get one)
Uncle B's Soapbox will discuss a variety of topics, based mainly on what is going on in the world at that particular time. My hope is that people will see things with a fresher perspective, viewing topics from many different angles. It may even CHANGE LIVES!!! At the very least, I hope it is relevant, interesting and enjoyable.
In the meantime.......************** (this is where my catch phrase sign off will appear, once I get one)
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