The Profit Prophet

We all want to be more successful, or popular, or liked, or have a greater sense of belonging. As such there is a very robust self-help industry which includes seminars, webinars, books, tapes, videos…the list is endless? Why? Because deep down, we all want to feel important, and know we cannot do that by ourselves (hum, sounds like a quotation).. Nonetheless, I have posted what is now called life hacks that have been practiced by successful people for years. A lot of them have to do with ‘body language’ and Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.’ These small shifts in behavior or awareness will give you greater control of potentially important outcomes, from everyday situations to stressful job interviews. Of course, do not stop reading books on how to win friends and influence people, but at least this list gives you some sure fired tips to deploy now. 1. Primacy and recency: people most remember the first and last things to occur, and barely the ...

In these very uncertain times, when the stresses of work, family, the stock market, job security, marital bliss, and friends seems to be all out of order, I am reminded by what is really important from this story a friend of mine sent me a few years ago. I title it, "My life is a Mayonnaise Jar." I hope it brings as much wisdom to you as it did me. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar... Of cour...

There is a lot of talk about "job creators" and "redistribution of wealth" and fair taxation lately. No, I am not an expert on taxation, but I tend to be a good student of the human condition, and I know one thing for sure, that while we are all created equal, we are NOT all endowed with equal gifts. Some of it is just luck, and some is hard work, but however it has been gained, there are differences in all of us and trying to 'make' us equal through taxation is just counter-intuitive. I believe the story below makes the most sense. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this: The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay $1. The sixth would pay $3. The seventh would pay $7. The eighth would pay $12. The ninth would pay $18. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59. So, that's what they dec...