21st Century Thoughts

Certain things in life are extremely difficult to do but sound great at the start to some people. Examples include being friends with an ex, living with friends for the first time, or investing in a certain product or idea. As time goes on, the feeling may fade and turn into hatred. This is unfortunately very common in business and seems unavoidable as you grow too big due to differences in company direction. It is no secret that I: 1) Want to open up a couple businesses with a couple of my friends in different industries 2) Love the movie The Social Network Full disclaimer, it is very possible to do business with family and friends. It has happened this way for thousands of years and will continue to be the case until the end of time. This is a great concept and truly brings about a different level of relationship. But when you see Facebook and the issues they had (beyond the two main characters, all of his roommates left shortly after too), why take the risk? Money can corrupt any pe...

I love TED talks. They are the best thing on YouTube by far, and the material they talk about has such a wide range of interest for viewers. With multiple languages, the material never ends and that's a good thing.  One that I watched today was titled "Ask Your Crush out" by a young man explaining his story asking out a girl he had a crush on. The video was engaging but the message was clear: take risks. We tie our worth to values such as money, looks, or intelligence, all things that can end so soon. Why do we let that fear hold us back?  Many of my blogs pertain to this because this is something I needed to re-find in myself. The skill of embracing fear through courage needed to be in my life again. And when YouTube recommended it for me, the AI knew me better than myself.  Anyway, the speaker told the story of why he was scared to ask out his crush: his friends and his fear of rejection. So one day when walking home from school, he did it. He finally asked the question...

Shorter post today for the hump day wisdom. It boils down to this: if you are doing something for others because you are worried about them as a competitor, you lost. I remember watching the Last Dance on Netflix and Jordan emphasized this motto for how he lived and played the game of basketball. Worrying about others means you are chasing. The game is passing you by while you are worried about someone else. Pathetic. As a businessman, my focus is on improving what I can do to be successful and help others get there. I am not working to hold off others or to pass others; I am working to be a better version of myself the next day. Do not allow others to dictate your life. It means you're down 10 in the 4th quarter and the clock stops for no one.

I never understood the difference between the two words above nor thought of conflating the two. I knew cocky vs confident where one is just thinking you're the best vs knowing and projecting you being the best. But the difference between the two words struck me thinking about how successful individuals carry themselves every day. Mastering these two concepts can create opportunities out of "nothing." Let's look deeper below:     A. Confidence: Knowing you control the room while convincing others you do. I think an underrated                skill that I try to work on daily is convincing others you are the smartest person in the room. Think               of how much time is required between actually knowing everything vs convincing others you do.                Only one of these two things is achievable unless you are Stephen Hawking. Focus yo...

Janet Yellen (Fed Chair) announced yesterday that the US government was looking into taxing unrealized gains. Yes, you heard that correctly. Money that has not been realized or touched will be taxed on "ultra wealthy individuals." Like most things in government, this would be a disaster for middle class stock owners. Just last week CNBC published an article¹ that stated, "10% of Americans own 89% of all stocks in the United States." The market is already dominated by a select few firms and owners, and Yellen's move would only expand this gap. Imagine this scenario: Yellen announces that on a certain date that all unrealized gains will be taxed at 10% for individuals with gains over $1,000,000 or whatever figure she chooses. Days leading up to this, stock prices will fall and a fire-sale will pursue. Those who aren't being "taxed" will see their gains destroyed in a matter of minutes while the wealthy who just sold off will rebuy in at lower prices....

It has been a great run for Facebook. They have survived much longer than previous social media websites (think MySpace and AOL Messenger) and survived an onslaught of new competitors such as Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram (before they bought it). They have adapted their name, look, and feel to remain one of the most recognizable businesses in the world. Impressive and historic.  They announced this week that their name would be changing to encompass a new generation and company vision, something called the "meta-verse." We know nothing (yet) about it and no other news is leaking out of Palo Alto. Waiting time. Usually a company changing a name is a publicity stunt to 1) drum up struggling sales 2) a genuine change to adapt to a new business environment. Facebook is doing neither; rather it's damage control to the max. The company has been battered over the past few years from data-selling scandals to reports their products make teens more suicidal. It has not been a sm...

The world revolves around the United States. Bias aside, this is a fact. It does not mean that everyone follows us or believes in what we do, but their actions are dictated by us. This has been the case for 70 years since the end of World War II as our presence has continued to grow globally.  I often hear about how Americans "do not see other sides of the picture" or its all "fake patriotism" or "other countries are good too." Can these complaints be true? Absolutely, but is it our fault? Hardly. Watching videos in other languages explains this perfectly. Vlogs, politics, sports, and movies all have an American influence through the English language. English words are spoken with an American accent during the middle of what otherwise would be a sentence in Spanish, German, or Korean. These are "loan words" and they have become apart of every countries' vocabulary whether we like it or not. Another area is food, specifically chain stores such...

Would you give away $1? How about $100 or $1,000? Probably not and no one would. It's your money and there is a somewhat emotional bond to it. You earned it, obtained it, worked for it. It is yours now until you decide spend it.  That emotional bond is what holds back people from understanding true potential. The higher amount of money, the bigger bond that is created between the holder and the paper. But this doesn't apply to everyone, not even close. Certain people are what I believe is best as "desensitized to money." The amount of money does not trigger that emotional response like it does for the average person. Let's look at some groups of people who think this way. 1. Gamblers. Think of money as a risk/return probability rather than a gamble. It allows them to put $100k on the line and lose without self-harm and destruction. A must in this industry. 2. Politicians. Individuals who handle trillions (!) of dollars of money every year. They determine spending ...

How many of those educational pyramids have you ever seen in your life, especially in school? I feel like every single concept was taught using some sort of pyramid structure to tell you what the base was all the way up to the end goal at the top. From food to business management, that damn pyramid was there to lecture you on how much each level mattered.  What I always hated about this concept was that most structures are not built using this shape. Most do not get super thin at the top and instead maintain a wide base all the way up. In fact, I only know three pyramids in the world and all haven't been in use for thousands of years and are currently housing dead people. Enough on the shape, what I wanted to focus on was the concept behind the pyramid. The base was supposed to be the most important part and the top was the end goal or "success" part. I'm not arguing this; the concept does not change in your quest for achieving goals. The base or first steps are the m...

Motivational stories sell. Travel through any airport bookstore and the shelves are filled with the same garbage stories relating to "read this and your life will be amazing, promise! (just pay for my life first...) Does that mean that all books in this category are garbage? No, just 99% but SOME may give you advice and help if used the right way. But this isn't the point, they make money and people keep buying them so I can only be jealous I'm not doing the same. This raised the question for me of "what sells and when does it sell?" We all love the underdog story or the longshot success, but only when its been achieved and its been sustained. Those books would never sell if the success wasn't overwhelming and marketable. We also hate the early years when the failure occurs; when the going got tough, we don't want to hear it. We pretend it doesn't exist only to care deeply about it when the money and fame rolls in. Selective viewing. Failure can be gr...

I love the crowd that continually complains about Apple products having a 2 year window of working well. Everyone agrees that "after certain updates or 2 years, my phone breaks down." I would agree with them, and I feel that it has been that way for a decade now. But we keep buying, so who cares right? This brings up the concept of intentional and future success tying into current projects. In a perfect world, the ethical business man is a moral man. He treats everyone with respect, his service never changes for any client, payment is fair and just, and his products always work to the best of their guarantees. What a man! But this is the real world and that fairytale concept isn't real. Money is involved along with competition. Its about the profits, stupid. Disclaimer: all companies aren't ripping off consumers. The vast majority do a good job balancing profits and products regardless of the Twitter mob's opinions. Small businesses exist to support communities an...

Its the best night of the week for sports fans. Playoff baseball, NBA basketball, and NFL football all on a Thursday night. In addition, the NHL is starting real games and World Cup soccer games are also on nightly. Majestic, entertaining, and beautiful all in one; its perfect. There is one sport and person I wanted to focus on today and that's Tom Edward Brady. The Bucs play tonight which means we will see the best football player ever play one more time. I would say its coming to an end, but he may beat Father Time at this rate... Each time he plays, we hear it all: the wins, the rings, the drive, the age, and the diet. Wait, the diet? Yes, his food routine may be the most unique aspect to him which is saying something. For those who don't know, Tom Brady is 44 years old playing football like he's 25. In fact, he looks younger and quicker than ever and his play substantiates that. His outspoken secret? His TB12 diet. The casual sports fan probably has no idea what it is o...

My week long trip is over. Time as a concept is a weird thing. It is always the same speed yet can feel different depending on environment. The trip to Philadelphia and New York I just took to see some of my closest friends felt like it sped by going 150mph. Even the lead up and planning was quick. Yet, I have been out of college for 1.5 years now and it feels way longer. Why did my previous month fly by when the other 17 felt like a turtle's pace? No idea and not my focus today. I missed writing while I was away. Sure, no one may ever read these except me but I enjoy getting my thoughts out there either way. It also forces me to be authentic and improve getting personal thoughts into public messages to polish up my presentation and speaking vocabulary (I want to be a politician one day after all...).  During my trip, I worked remote each day and didn't sleep much, but well worth it for the time with friends. There was one point that I noticed right away, something my friend ca...

One way of putting it. Nothing more today than just me feeling excited. Tomorrow will be back to the usual, but I can not focus at all today knowing how fun my weekend will be. To old friends and new memories...

I am an avid Jeopardy fan. I watch daily, follow the winners, and love seeing how I could improve and expand my knowledge base. I feel that this show requires knowledge and quick-witted responses rather than "luck" like other game shows. No random ball drops, no random numbers, no commercial breaks every 2 questions, just knowledge and ability to decipher clues. I love it. During yesterday's episode, Matt Amodio won his 34th straight game, 2nd all time in the record books. He has total winnings of $1.4 million, 3rd all time. His run is incredible and puts him into the conversation of "GOAT players." This streak aside, the final question yesterday centered around "A man who lived during the Renaissance and who actions in 1503 influenced his most famous work 10 years later" (paraphrasing). The answer was Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher and diplomat who wrote one of the most famous books, The Prince . The novel focuses on political philosophy...

Yesterday was an exciting sports day. The MLB had four teams competing for wild card spots, there was NFL football on all day, and NBA preseason started showing new faces with new teams. For October 3rd, that kind of schedule is unheard of. But one game stood out among the others and it came late into the night. Sunday Night Football was between the Bucs and Pats with Tom Brady making his return home to New England. Emotional, exciting, electric, etc. all describe what was a defensive showdown with offensive flashes. Tom Brady got his team down the field to hit the 48 yard field goal. Mac Jones did the same but his kicker missed the 56 yarder in the rain. Tom Brady did just enough, like always, to win. He always does. And that scene yesterday got me thinking about the topic today. Yesterday was vintage "life" from my perspective. For 20+ years, Tom Brady has won by whatever means necessary. Deep passes, running game, defense, kickers making impossible kicks... it always has w...

Can anyone truly learn on their own? This question on the surface is nonsense as the answer is a resounding "Of course!" I have learned skills, languages, different viewpoints, and general knowledge on my own, and I do it daily. The opportunity in the 21st century to learn is easier than ever thanks to the internet and file sharing and social media connectivity. You name it, YouTube has a video for it. The question today is more what you are learning rather than how. Let me rephrase, the internet is a big place. It can be scary, overwhelming, beautiful, and downright mean at the same time. Knowing the internet is knowing everyone and everything; its impossible. So how do we learn? Access to trillions upon trillions of articles and videos is too much considering I just want to learn how to say "I love you" in Korean. And this is where the issues arise for us as learners. We use others' opinions on how to learn to find information that others wrote on platforms ot...