You Better Do That Before.......

I have often mentioned to friends and acquaintances of a mini-retirement plans of sailing around the world. Their response is always, “You better do that before you have kids!!” Of coarse at this point I ask my favorite question which is, “That an interesting perspective, what made you come to that conclusion?” I am sure you can only imagine the responses I get from people who are stuck in the Rat Race of life. Here are a few that make me laugh…..

Responses like:
1) You can’t just take your kids out of school!!
Haha – I think they will learn more w/ me on a boat sailing the world
2) Your kids will rebel because U R taking them away from their friends
Haha – They will make new friends & learn new languages & customs
3) You can’t just up and leave, they are playing _______
Haha – Oh yes I can watch me & send me an email on what I missed… oh yeah they will be playing __________ in Italy.

Who knows, you may find that you don’t need to be face to face as much as you think for you business to grow. It might just so happen that you meet clients or future partners who need your services on your vacations or mini-retirements. Interesting para-dime to try to escape work for work sake and end up getting more business through your global living lifestyle. The more you control where, when, and what you do for monetary compensation the more freedom you will find.

We all can’t wait to hear how the first one goes for you, but I do have a bit of a challenge for you and that is attempt to do one in the summer and one in the winter as well for the same period of time. This will force you to push your comfort zone a little more & it will force the family to become independent of the “school schedule” families are forced on. Look at it this way a month or two of home study where you as a successful business consultant in a foreign land are educating your own children & educating each other through experience, is much better then your kids learning below average lessons from below average achievers in their local schools (side note to any “haters” both my parents are retired teaches & they support this aforementioned comment).
We should be teaching our kids these automation systems from the beginning, so they can be free from the Rat Race Lifestyle.  All of the schooling systems around the world are teaching them to become worker bees in the collective. Think of the lessons you could pass on to them that you have learned that will be paramount in their development as a free thinker. Think of how different their lives will be because you took the time to teach them what traditional school won’t. That is how to be & live FREE!!

When Mentor's Appear

I was working 12-14 hours a day when my muse fell in my lap. The funny thing is that it took me over a year to see it and listen to someone who could help me make it happen. I had just read The 4 Hour Work Week back in 2008, and knew that my current path of work was too dependent on me. Actually after starting it took me 8 months to listen to someone who was part of the "New Rich" for me to break my old business thought processes and accept his mentor-ship. My suggestion is find someone that has done what you want to do and copy them. You don’t necessarily need to “Find Yoda” but you do need a mentor.

Dear Old Way of Thinking

Dear Brand X,

I’m sorry to have to write this in a letter.  I’ve tried to talk to you, but my please have gone unanswered.

There is no easy way to say this.

It’s over.

Please understand, it’s not you… it’s me.

Okay, maybe it is you.

I just don’t feel appreciated.  It seems our relationship is just all about YOU.  There was a time when I was fine with that, even embraced it.  We had some great times talking about you – like when we would laugh at that funny commercial you were in, or the time we were driving down the highway and saw your billboard.  That was hot!  My friends and I used to talk about that one a lot!

But I’ve changed.

I need more, and I want to pay less.......

And, well, you are stuck in the past.  We never really “talk”, you know?  My schedule is crazy and I just don’t have as much time as I once did to do the things you enjoy – like working, paying bills, watching TV and reading newspapers.  That’s okay once in a while, but I have new interests, too.  I know you don’t like how much time I spend on the web and in social networks, but it’s not just about you anymore.

I hate to hurt you, but I’ve met someone else…your archrival.

I didn’t plan for it to happen.  We met online in a social network and, at first, just chatted occasionally.  But then something happened…

We connected!  They told me about themselves and shared interesting information.  And they wanted to get to know ME!  It wasn’t all about them.  They listened; they cared; and they made me feel valued.  I’d be lying if I said it meant nothing.  They had me at “Hello. How can I help?”

With you I feel our relationship has always been one-sided and you only care about one thing…

What I can do for you.

What about me?  What about what I want?  What about being involved in the things I enjoy?

I defended you to all of my friends.  When they were talking trash about you, I tried to be loyal.  You weren’t even there to defend yourself, and I just felt used.

So this is goodbye.  I hope you understand.  I needed more from you than you were willing to give.

I hope we can still be friends.

Well, maybe not.

Xoxo,

Your former customer (or employee/partner whatever you feel is appropriate)

P.S.  This has nothing to do with your silence when I asked you if I looked fat in my new shirt.

Has Facebook Had it Day in the Sun?

So I found this old blog draft that I never posted back in 2011:

It's so funny because many of the people that work at these firms have very sort memories.  Mark Zuckerberg himself never thought anyone could ever compete with MySpace.  Everything has a cycle, except for Apple because that is a CULT (j/k... actually not really.... its a cult).  You would think that Sean Parker would have remembered his rise and fall as well with Napster.  Personally I think that it will go public and these founders if they are smart will be selling shares as fast as they can to get out an onto their next project.  The public will buy up these shares of a company that has no real profits to speak of (unless it becomes over run with adds but then everyone will leave anyway) and is extremely fickle client base could be off in a second so some new network.

Remember the new intelligence is what can you learn then Unlearn and then relearn something new.  10 year cycles and they are getting shorter.

Wow I guess I saw that coming.  I mean all Facebook is a place where everyone can blab to the world about all your opinions, and your kinda force fed it on your news stream by your "friends". The people blabbing think everyone in the world cares and all the readers are just trying to see if they are as cool as they think they are compared to everyone else.   I mean I do it to, it's kinda addicting, I even have a blog.  I must be super self absorbed thinking that anyone or everyone will want to know what I think about curtain things.   Actually quite the opposite. I try to depict my life in social media to attract like minded people and detour others. I mean just look at the last two blog post and you will see some people having an attraction or a strong dislike for the experience that is me. 

Women VS Men Who is BETTER?

What I have found is that men are like a square on a waffle and women are like the syrup.   My perspective comes from the side of working in partnership with people not as a boss or an employee.  I am completely unemployable, for many reasons, and I have never had a "JOB."  If you want to know the toughest boss to work for all you have to do is look in the mirror and you will see them.  You, of coarse are your own worse boss simply because you are, for the most part, too easy on yourself and allow yourself to get away with things you would never allow an employee to get away with at all.

Ok now that we have got that out of the way lets digress back to men are like a waffle squares and women are like syrup.  I think that makes gay co-workers the butter but that's a whole different very slippery topic and we need to say focused.   Ok, you are going to love this and it is going to make so much sense  after you read it you are going to want to jump through the screen into cyber space and find me to give me a big hug and kiss (or a pat on the butt depending on your gender or weather or not you like butter or not).  This is going to be enlightening insight, so pay attention.

MEN are like waffle squares because they are only good at doing one thing at a time and they can get overloaded very quickly.  WOMEN on the other hand are like syrup, because they can definitely sweeten things up but if you pour too much on it can get down right messy.  They can multi-task all over the place while staying on task and organized, getting all the squares to hold the highest amount syrup.  Keep in mind one must always be careful when applying syrup because it is aways easy to get carried away because who doesn't like nice hot warm syrup.    Well I will tell you who doesn't like that much syrup, your stomach and the waffle.  See eventually you will end up putting too much syrup on the plate and it will eventually give you one big soggy cold mess.

See the moral of the story is we all have specific things we are programmed to be good at by nature.  Give MEN one task at a time and don't overwhelm them.  Give women the freedom to multi-task and don't box them in.  Be careful not to pour to much on their plate, because it is never obvious that they are full, like it is with MEN as waffle squares.  You know when dealing with syrup, it is easy to make it even better with a little encouragement.  That's like putting the syrup in the microwave.  CAUTION the syrup needs to be allowed to release some steam here for its own good, and this steam could be misdirected and steam can burn you, but don't worry because the syrup can't control where the steam goes.  Now leaving the cap sealed will cause problems, big problems so don't be scared of getting burned by a little misdirected steam.  You see once it gets too hot the pressure will make it blow up and then you have ruined a perfectly good microwave just because you where scared to get a little steam burn.

Alright so lets remember the best waffles are made from scratch with big deep waffle squares and don't come prepackaged and frozen.  Ley-go-My-Ego?  You can have that cookie cutter, no square depth have-in, cold, stale, made for a toaster, dime a dozen waffle all to yourself, cause I would not be caught dead with one on my plate.  Yes it does take longer to make them from scratch, and hell you might burn a few, but I have got to tell you it is well worth it.  WARNING!!!! DON'T let me ever catch you buying the cheap fake syrup. Only, and I mean only, get the real maple syrup that comes in a nice glass container.  Yes it does cost more but all that other stuff is bad for you, and will end up giving you cancer or maybe some other disease that is even worse.  When looking for syrup size does not matter but Bigger is not always better, see above about dosage amounts.

HAPPY OFFICE SPACING!!
IaN KirK

The Power of Time, & Your Running Out of it Moment by Moment!

There is a great book that was published called Success For Teens.  It is so important that we do what King Solomon says and that is "Guard your Heart for it is the well spring of life."  In addition to that you might want to also keep an eye your kids.  Funny thing is that you may watch out for your  kids more then you watch out for yourself.  Remember to watch who you hang out with because you are always an average of the people you hang out around. You might want to invest in a Bose Head Set for your office!! Learn a different language or something, but block the negativity around you. Trust me I have been in that environment and no matter how strong you think you are eventually their ideals and mindsets will rub off on you and you will pass them on like a disease to the people you have influence over.
Remember internship and mentor-ships usually come free with priceless relationships, connections, and advice. That compared to 100K in debt for a piece of paper and no means to pay it off anytime soon should make it easy to point your kids in the right direction. Always look at ROI (return on investment) it is the best gage of weather you are going the right direction. Example of 4-8 years of time ending up -100K in debt is BAD….. or 4-8 years interning or developing a “muse” & saving or generating 2,500 per month makes you a millionaire which is GOOD. We all have the same amount of time. Time is our most valuable asset, and the one thing that we are all running out of and can’t by anymore of, so use it wisely. You can either choose to spend time, or invest your time, but again the choice is yours. Who you choose to spend your time with and who and what you invest your time in will drastically change the course of your life and the lives of those around you.

Overcoming Negativity & The Secrets of Super Achievers

A interactive talk about how our thoughts create our results in all aspects of our lives.  In this talk we will discuss where negativity comes from and how to overcome the effects.  We will take a look at characteristics of super achievers and analyze how they get the results that they get and why they get them consistently.  We will also go over three steps that you can take in order to take the steps you need to reach your own goals and start to climb the mountain of your dreams.

Don't You Wish It Was Recess

Nothing much has changed since the playground at recess.  If you got to be the captain, you got to pick who you wanted on your team.  You never worried about someone saying they didn't want to play because that would be just ridiculous.  You also didn't pick players based on any other criteria except to have the winning team.  If you did you would lose the game, and no one wants to be a loser.  Well some kids did and tried to pick using friendships or in order not to hurt anyones feelings, I think they all ended up being social workers, or something to that accord, who never help anyone and just keep avoiding the problems by shuffling the problems around.  Guess what, those kids never get elected to be a captain ever again.  Anyways I digress back to the point which is we need to play the game to win.  For those of you that feel bad for the ones who don't get pick till last, just think of the motivation they now have to get better.  The American workforce and business owners have a rude awakening coming there way in the upcoming  years with globalization.  Their current entitlement attitude is going to get them no where in this new economy of the 21st century.  In order for anyone to get more then they already have or attract the right people to their business or organization they must first become more then they want to attract.

How to Use Philosophy as a Personal Operating System: From Seneca to Musashi

How to Use Philosophy as a Personal Operating System: From Seneca to Musashi

I just got back from the Bay Area after doing a talk on Overcoming Negativity and the 3 Habits of Super Achievers. It was amazing to see people Wake Up to the idea that their "beliefs" and their speech is creating their circumstance. The next day I was at a Giant's game bending the rules and sitting in the "Club" section, and it was on a Sunday. I mention that it was on Sunday because many of my Rat Race friends wouldn't go with me because their J.O.B required them to be at work the next day at 9am. I stopped doing anything on Monday's just to protest what everyone else finds normal.

I really like the section above where Tim "danced" around the College topic. It was a very diplomatic response I must say, especially coming from Tim. In the spirit of #GraduationWeek I have been posting some fun facts on my Facebook page to see what some people's perspective's are on the topic. Its amazing, I really think some people are awaking to the idea that just getting a degree does not mean you are going to have a wonderful life. I hope we can get more young people to start doing Tim's Dream lining and stop just accepting advise from the previous "broke" generation. You ask college grads why they went to college and most answer because there parents would have "killed" them if they didn't go and get good grades. Go get that degree!! Maybe we should start an after school high school program that teaches Kids ROI (return on investment). At least then they could make an educated decision on weather or not to spend the next 4-6 years occurring debt. To lean lessons that will be obsolete by the time the graduate.

Even though Tim's book is a few years old it is way ahead of what college kids are learning in "Marketing" & "Business" Classes in our State schools. One of my old wakeboarding school students had me look over a final paper he was going to turn in as a senior project, and after reading two pages I told him to go down to the registers office and as for a FOUR YEAR REFUND!!!

One of the most important things you can do is described above by Tim. Pick your mentors and pick your friends because you will always be an average of the 5 people you spend the most time with in your life. That's why I am now hear on Tim's Blog, to meet others who want to live the life of their dreams, and who want to help others realize the same.

Enthusiasm a Cornerstone of Success

The other Corner Stone of the success pyramid is Enthusiasm.  Check out this picture of this kid coloring, he is going after it with some enthusiasm, and I bet he is going to get more color on the page then the person lethargically coloring next to him.  Come to think of it I don't believe I can think of one person that has ever been successful in life that was not enthusiastic of the pursuit.  They may have been outside the lines from time to time but they always got more "color" on the page, if you know what I mean.  Of coarse we where never taught that in our schooling system, nope, we where told to, "Stay within the lines, the lines are your friends."  NOW that is some major POVERTY programing.  Think about it, no one ever became successful staying with in the lines, those are the people that end up on Social INsecurity.

Sometimes I hear people ask someone how they are doing and the person responds, "Same ol', Same ol'" or you will hear, "Busy, been super Busy."  Stick a fork in them cause they are done!!  They might as well be dead because their enthusiasm is nonexistent.  There is no life, there is no enthusiasm and I defiantly don't want to be around anyone with that type of response who does not want to change their outcomes.  Just a little note between you and me, people that claim to be busy only do it to sound like they are important.  Don't tell them, or if you are one of these people don't tell me, but the fact of the matter is that everyone has 24 hours in a day, however some get done in a day what others take weeks or even years to do.  Why is that the broke people are the busiest.  I'm not talking poor, I'm talking BROKE.  You know their liabilities have them by the throat, and they continue to trade time for money and mortgage their future.  No wonder they have no enthusiasm the only thing they have to look forward to is another day of work to pay off things that they could never afford.

Today is May 20th 2011, and some think the world is going to end tomorrow.  I wonder how people would live today different if they knew that tomorrow was the last day.  Check out the people that think it is going to end and I believe you will see some levels of enthusiasm that boarder on "ENSANITY"  I guarantee that they would not talk like the above examples.

The Corner Stone of Industriousness

Looking at the corner stone of the pyramid of success you will find the word industriousness.  I recall the first time I read the word and thought to myself of conveyor belts and a line of factory workers.  Now of coarse I said to myself that's got to be the opposite of what I would perceive as a stepping stone to success.  Well as you might have guessed I had misunderstood what the word not only meant but also didn't comprehend the significants of its placement as a corner stone.  Industriousness as Coach Wooden understood it meant true work at your highest capacity; fully engaged, totally focused, and completely absorbed.
How many people do you know that can be defined as Industrious, by that definition.  Well I know the answer for me was NOT MANY and if someone knows where they hang out let me know because I would like to meet them.  I think about the people I often come in contact with including myself, and we are quite the opposite.  We are always looking for an easier way, a faster way, a way that does not require us to completely commit 100% or get uncomfortable.  That's no way to live, thats the definition of a loser, "Oh I will give it a try."  We need to remember what Yoda said in The Empire Strikes Back, "Do or do not, there is no try."
If we want to live the life of our dreams, we are going to have to pay a price and stop looking for it to go on sale.  One of those prices to pay is doing what others will not do, at a level of engaged focus, that others lack the discipline to maintain, to live how most will never live.  Isn't that the real reward of having Industriousness.  To know that no matter what you gave it all you had and when you reflect on your efforts you have no regrets.  I know this is something that I personally need to work on while I stop comparing my results to others.  The only one we need to compare ourselves to is the person who looked you in the mirror yesterday.  If we can say that we are better then we where yesterday and we did all we could do today to grow as much as we possibly could, we should rest easy at night knowing we made the most of our most valuable asset which we are all running out of, TIME.

Why 80% of the Workforce is Unengaged

Reading on a new friends blog, who is an accomplished business woman in Ohio, she wrote a post quoting the following research.

The Gallup organization and Blessing White, among others who measure employee engagement, estimate that fewer than 20% of employees in the U.S. are fully engaged. The remaining 80% are in varying stages of disengaged, from slight disengaged to highly disengaged. 

I feel that the work force is not engaged in their work is simply that its not their work.  Can you remember being a kid and asking, "Why do I need to know this?"  Of coarse you do because we all asked it almost everyday.  See this is the first sign of disengagement.  This happens simply because we have no interest in the material.  Now lets fast forward to an employee in the work place.  They have been told so many times not to ask, "Why am I doing this?" or "Why do I have to do this?"  They have stopped asking, shut down, and accepted that life is all about doing what you don't want to do in order to make a living.  That my friends is why our economy is broken.  Disengagement which starts in our educational system and continues far in to the workforce, teaches complacency, mediocrity, and unproductive mentalities.

Lets think about the corporate environment.  Let say you have a rising young star full of life and focused on the mission at hand.  Want to know what happens to this poor young sole upon meeting its complacent older teammates?  They begin to blend in because its much easier then to stand out.  You see in most corporate work environments the employees just work hard enough not to get fired, and the employer pays them just enough not to quit.  What a beautiful match made in heaven.......

The other issue is management.  If someone tells me they are a manager I tell them we can't be friends.  See I am not interested in knowing managers, because I know I will always be an average of the people I hang around and I defiantly don't want the management disease to infect my mindset.  You maybe asking yourself why be so brash.  Well I will tell you that there is a big difference between managers and leaders.  A manager tells people what to do, however a leader shows people want to do everyday, moment by moment.  You want to know why so many talented people in the workforce are not engaged in what they are doing?  Very simple, they feel managed not lead.  They don't have a since of ownership, and they feel disconnected to the mission statement or don't even know what that statement is at all.  If you want a wake up call go around to each person in your organization and ask them, "What is our mission statement?"  If you don't get one consistent answer, there's the problem.

Did you know that if you ask the average employee what would make them happier at work, the answer is not more money.  The majority of employees want to belong to something bigger then themselves.  They want to feel like they are contributing to something.  This is the main difference I see in many organizations.  Corporate management style aways focuses on strategy, tactics, evaluations, fear, and dis-empowerment.  Where as organizational leadership style aways focuses on developing a culture of self-development and empowerment.

Some Days Are Better Than Others

Have you ever have one of those dreams that re-prioritizes you life?  I mean one that rocks you to the point you wake up and hope that it was just a dream.  Or maybe, like my mom you "get a feeling" however I think men are immune to this experience because I personally have no idea what she is talking about, even though nine times out of ten she is right about her "feeling."  Sometimes people have a near death experience and it shows them that their prioritizes are not in line with their perceived life purpose, or it redefines it for them entirely.

Maybe you have seen it maybe you haven't but a movie came out a while back called, "Bucket List."  It was all about how would you live you life differently if you knew you only had a short time to live.  How would you treat those around you different, or would you change at all?  Where would you go what would you do that you have been putting off.  See I believe that most of the population is, "Waiting to arrive," instead of "Enjoying the journey."  Think about that for a second, and really ponder it in your own life.  Are we living & working for the end of the journey to arrive, or are we enjoying the process and involving others in our growth process. Do we look at obstacles & detours as added adventure & opportunity to experience all life has to offer, or as things we complain about to our companions.

This is why I have always loved to do things that scare me.  Lets take skydiving for example, it definatly re-prioritizes everything for you in a mater of a few seconds.  Come to think of it I have never met a skydiver that takes themselves too seriously.  Most of them enjoy all of life's experiences to the fullest, weather the situation is gummy or bright.  Take for example Patrick Henry Hughes who was faced with every physical obstetrical someone could face in life yet he and his father choose to focus on his talents and to show the world how to be a champion.

Does Good Come From the Loss of Evil

It is amazing to me to see what the worlds population's thoughts are on the "announced" death of Osama Bin Laden.  Most people don't realize is that 66 years ago on the same date 05/01 Hitler's was "announced" dead as well. Now I don't like to spend too much time occupying my mind with things I can't control, but does anyone else find this interesting.  I read through the Bible this year and there are a lot of references to numbers in the 66 books that make up the Bible.  I am sure there are a lot of more educated  people in the world that have already discovered this coincidence or maybe some would call it a conspiracy theory.


I don't claim to have all the answers but I do know that a common enemy does not create a common good.  So many people are celebrating at the "announced" death, makes me wonder if the human condition has been reduced to sitting around and waiting for someone else to fix their problems instead of becoming a solution themselves.  I believe we all have a choice each day to try to make the world a better place and it starts with each of us taking a proactive role.


Another thing I will bring up is to consider the fact that most things that are main stream are ment to program you to be poor and guide you away from prosperity.  With so many things going on in the world at once, we must remain focused on what our main goals are in life.  I personally believe that if each of us took the time to make someone else's day the world world be a much happier and healthier place, where we would not celebrate the death of anyone but the life that was inside of each of us just waiting to be uncovered.

Living in Fantasy Land

Once again I am fascinated with what the majority of people put their priorities on in life.  Lets take Twitter for example.  Right now the trending topics are a #RoyalWedding, the #NFLdraft, and something in regards to NASA's second to last mission.  As I type this Twitter is actually down because of all the activity.  With everything that goes on in the world everyday and all the new information that is gathered each day isn't it fantasizing that this is what the majority of people with a computer or a smart phone find a need to talk about or give an opinion on.

I see people get so excited to cheer on someone they don't even know, yet most are letting the game of life pass them by as they sit in the stands and watch others play.  Today I offered to help someone with their stalled business.  Funny thing is they where to tired from watching the #RoyalWedding to made any effort today to improve their own situation.  Lets take a minute to really think about this for a second.  I don't like being the bearer of bad news but most, if not all of you reading this where not invited to that wedding because the people getting married don't know you, don't care about you, and actually profit from your interest in them.  Maybe its time to reconsider our priorities and instead of wanting more we make an effort to become more.

If we took all the money people are going to spend on new NFL jersey's this year with the new up and coming super stars we might have been able to get the space shuttle off the ground on time.

I ran into a question someone was possing on Facebook and it was, "What do you do to make your presentations memorable?"   I would have to say the my subscription to Success Magazine has made my presentation skill go through the roof.  Knowing the stories of other super achievers and being able to relate their stories to the audience is the formula to captivating them and to get them to internalize what you are trying to convey to them.  I have also seen a steady diet of Success Magazine do the same for others.  I have seen it take a team member of mine from never wanting to speak in front of a room, to him speaking in front of 25,000 people.  I don't know if the common readers of Success or the public in general really grasp how powerful listening to the audio CD can be in there "idle" time, like working out with head phones on or driving in the car.  If you want to be the best you need to learn from the best.  Of coarse if you want more you need to become more - Jim Rohn -   I have found no better way in my own personal experience then to listen to the best of the best that Darren puts together every month on the CD inside Success Magazine.  Remember Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.  Make a habit of listening to something that will get you where you want to go, and do it today.

Ian Kirk

A Global Wealth Shift is Coming

When telecom deregulated it was an $80 billion dollar-a-year industry and many people made fortunes. Electricity is a $297 billion dollar industry; add in natural gas, and the industry size grows to $800 billion dollars annually. That’s why many experts, like Warren Buffett & Bill Gates, say that the deregulation of energy is the greatest transfer of wealth in our lifetimes. The only question is: are you going to participate? Imagine being involved in a business that when people pay their monthly gas bill or electric bill, you are able to share in the profits on them having a choice, and at the same time be able to create an incredible business for yourself. What better business could you be involved in?

Why You Face Challenges

A prosperous person is the ripened fruit of experience and wisdom.  They spread their influence everywhere they go, bringing joy to the hearts of others and purifying the world.  But that is a choice that comes from learning and growing from the challenges you face.

Never affirm that your circumstances or surroundings are against you, because then you are giving them the power to exist.  They are never against you, they are only your stepping-stones to achievement of any kind.  The challenges you encounter are what allow you to ripen, develop that experience and wisdom.  Every Test becomes a Testimony, if you focus on the end result not the how to.  And that’s what makes you prosperous!