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I am up a little bit early today. Can't figure out if this is extra energy (as I've been taking care of myself a little better), or insomnia (as I still have had quite a bit on my mind), but never the less, I thought I will spend a bit of this time doing a blog.
As someone who studied and continuously tries to closely look at human behavior when trying to improve in my craft of being a motivator (although, I will say many aspects of it also naturally fascinate me), there's one particular "life truth" of many that I have learned, and particularly want to share today...
As you can see in the title, it says "Don't Trust 'Honesty'". What I mean by that is, don't trust anyone who is always blatantly working hard trying to convince you they're "honest"...
I'm not going to spend too much time discussing this, but being "honest" doesn't really take convincing. You either naturally are, or you aren't. Genuine honesty is a product of habitual applied good genuine behavior, not a product of practice and rehearsed actions.
Case in point, if somebody usually begins a sentence with... "Hey (your name), I'm totally gonna be honest with you..." or "To be honest..." or something to that regard, chances are, they are probably, naturally a liar. Why? Why would one have to tell (or try to convince) somebody that they are gonna be honest by preceding a statement with that phrase, unless they aren't honest in all, or even a lot of the time? They wouldn't. I know most of us at many points in our lives use this particular phrase to precede a statement, but you will observe, that most who do it the most often, are probably the most dishonest people you know.
If someone ever tells you... "I'm probably the most honest person you would ever know", my advice is... RUN!
What I learned in my short time so far on this Earth, is those who really are "honest" and have great intentions truly live it in their every day lives through good habits, mentality, attitude, and genuine desire to help your fellow man. If you continually have to try to convince others, by continually broadcasting it, then you come off as non genuine, counterproductive, and probably the opposite of what you're trying to portray.
These are just a few things I learned from reading a few books, and through general observations with interacting with people. Agree or not, it doesn't particularly matter, but feel free to debate me on this if it pleases you. Didn't want to make this blog too long... just wanted to get it out there.
#OBE
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
1/17/14
1/8/14
My Thoughts on Debt (and General Financial Management)
I don't know why I feel I have to write on this. Maybe, it's because we are a couple of weeks removed from the holiday season, and I had a deep conversation about credit card debt with one of my customers a few weeks back. It is something that I've always seemed sort of had some kind of a passion for. Ever since I was young, my parents have always told me I had a natural knack for not getting trouble with money, and whatever money I had (whether a small or a reasonable amount), I've always seem to do decent with it.
Whenever I see something I like, after some thought, more often than not, I would buy it. The key phrase there... "after some thought". About 90-95% of the time, everything I buy, is not an impulse decision. However, even if that's the case, that doesn't mean I won't get buyer's remorse in some of the things I buy. There will still be a lot of times when I thought about what I wanted to buy, I bought that said thing and I had a thought in my mind... "hmmm... is this all? was this really worth the money I paid for it?". Then I spend time justifying in my head that I made the right decision in spending the money, and get as much utility as I can out of the thing that I bought. And, because of that, it's good.
But, on the flip side, there are also often times, that I see something I like, and I don't end up getting it. Maybe it's because of the circumstances, or it's something else, and for some reason, I prevent myself from buying it. For example, I am a member of Costco, and I actually do most of my "necessity shopping" there. Just because Costco is a price club warehouse with a lot of desirable items (with discounted price), there are times when you would be more than tempted to buy a surplus of something (some of which you may not even need), and you have to try to convince yourself not to buy it. Call it a "buyer's conscience" if you will. I think some people who have this "buyer's conscience" and is in tuned with it, usually are okay when it comes to money matters.
As far as how I feel about debt. I said this publicly before, I think it's one of the worst things in the world, and could possibly be the bane of human existence. Frankly, debt sucks. The thought of owing someone, or some corporation money is probably one of the worst feelings I have as a human. In fact, sometimes, being a in debt almost feels almost like you are part of slavery, since you owe practically part of your existence to your debtor(s). As someone who's ran a few businesses, and taken a few risks in my time, I admittedly financed a few things off of debt. In fact, I probably had thousands of dollars in credit card debt whenever I financed my OBECorp projects. And believe me, it didn't feel good owing credit card companies money for a lot of months (luckily the credit card I had, had no interest for the first 12 months). Still, it was a wonder how I survived so long.
The only thing credit cards are really good for, is for building credit history. Which is why that despite that I hate debt, I still have 3 different credit cards. But, usually, when I put something on the card, I would pay off the balance by the statement, so therefore, I don't get into (much) debt, and the credit cards won't make too much money from me.
But that's actually my general thought on debt... it doesn't make sense to buy something, and pay more for it down the road than what it's actually worth, knowing that by the time you finish paying for it, it likely won't be worth half of what it was when you paid for it. When I bought the iPhone 5 when it came out in September 2012, I really wanted it. It was expensive as heck. But, I had to make sure I was able to afford it and able to pay for it in full. That's the mindset I have when it comes to a lot of things. Unless, I know I would be able to pay for something in a short amount of time, I wouldn't get it.
I suppose the only thing that this debt philosophy doesn't apply to, is investing in property. Unlike most material things, property can actually go up in value. So, as long as you do your due diligence, it's actually recommended that you borrow money to invest in property, so long as you think it's worth it. It is rare anyway, that one person or household will have 6 or 7 figures in a bank and pay for a house in full anyway, so you definitely need help from the banks.
Anyway, I just thought I'd briefly talk about this. I was tempted to get a little bit political and tie my commentary to what the United States is going through with their national debt, but steered clear. People would know how much I detest politics. However, I do have strong feelings about that as well, so I may talk about it in a future blog post, if I feel like it (or if there's demand for it).
Moral of the story: I know this is cliche, but regarding money, it's not what you make, it's what you keep. Do your due diligence when you buy something, and think hard to make sure it's worth it for you. And, in most cases, debt is the debbil, as it sucks owing people money.
#OBE
Whenever I see something I like, after some thought, more often than not, I would buy it. The key phrase there... "after some thought". About 90-95% of the time, everything I buy, is not an impulse decision. However, even if that's the case, that doesn't mean I won't get buyer's remorse in some of the things I buy. There will still be a lot of times when I thought about what I wanted to buy, I bought that said thing and I had a thought in my mind... "hmmm... is this all? was this really worth the money I paid for it?". Then I spend time justifying in my head that I made the right decision in spending the money, and get as much utility as I can out of the thing that I bought. And, because of that, it's good.
But, on the flip side, there are also often times, that I see something I like, and I don't end up getting it. Maybe it's because of the circumstances, or it's something else, and for some reason, I prevent myself from buying it. For example, I am a member of Costco, and I actually do most of my "necessity shopping" there. Just because Costco is a price club warehouse with a lot of desirable items (with discounted price), there are times when you would be more than tempted to buy a surplus of something (some of which you may not even need), and you have to try to convince yourself not to buy it. Call it a "buyer's conscience" if you will. I think some people who have this "buyer's conscience" and is in tuned with it, usually are okay when it comes to money matters.
As far as how I feel about debt. I said this publicly before, I think it's one of the worst things in the world, and could possibly be the bane of human existence. Frankly, debt sucks. The thought of owing someone, or some corporation money is probably one of the worst feelings I have as a human. In fact, sometimes, being a in debt almost feels almost like you are part of slavery, since you owe practically part of your existence to your debtor(s). As someone who's ran a few businesses, and taken a few risks in my time, I admittedly financed a few things off of debt. In fact, I probably had thousands of dollars in credit card debt whenever I financed my OBECorp projects. And believe me, it didn't feel good owing credit card companies money for a lot of months (luckily the credit card I had, had no interest for the first 12 months). Still, it was a wonder how I survived so long.
The only thing credit cards are really good for, is for building credit history. Which is why that despite that I hate debt, I still have 3 different credit cards. But, usually, when I put something on the card, I would pay off the balance by the statement, so therefore, I don't get into (much) debt, and the credit cards won't make too much money from me.
But that's actually my general thought on debt... it doesn't make sense to buy something, and pay more for it down the road than what it's actually worth, knowing that by the time you finish paying for it, it likely won't be worth half of what it was when you paid for it. When I bought the iPhone 5 when it came out in September 2012, I really wanted it. It was expensive as heck. But, I had to make sure I was able to afford it and able to pay for it in full. That's the mindset I have when it comes to a lot of things. Unless, I know I would be able to pay for something in a short amount of time, I wouldn't get it.
I suppose the only thing that this debt philosophy doesn't apply to, is investing in property. Unlike most material things, property can actually go up in value. So, as long as you do your due diligence, it's actually recommended that you borrow money to invest in property, so long as you think it's worth it. It is rare anyway, that one person or household will have 6 or 7 figures in a bank and pay for a house in full anyway, so you definitely need help from the banks.
Anyway, I just thought I'd briefly talk about this. I was tempted to get a little bit political and tie my commentary to what the United States is going through with their national debt, but steered clear. People would know how much I detest politics. However, I do have strong feelings about that as well, so I may talk about it in a future blog post, if I feel like it (or if there's demand for it).
Moral of the story: I know this is cliche, but regarding money, it's not what you make, it's what you keep. Do your due diligence when you buy something, and think hard to make sure it's worth it for you. And, in most cases, debt is the debbil, as it sucks owing people money.
#OBE
8/8/10
"Monumental" Advice from Ted Leonsis
In my previous blog posts, I have not been shy for my admiration for Ted Leonsis, owner of Monumental Sports and Entertainment (which controls the Washington DC pro sports hockey and basketball teams). He wrote a blog yesterday that I think everybody should read, especially if you're using social media, whether for , to connect with friends, associates, mentors, or even admirers. Check it out...
http://www.tedstake.com/2010/08/07/advice-to-sports-personalities
He addresses this to "sports personalities", but I truly believe a lot of the advice he mentions in this blog applies to everyone who uses social media. He gives obvious, but great advice to be authentic and genuine, to be transparent, and to be consistent "warts and all"... just to name a few. I went to a few business conferences and some businesses outsource their blogs to others and wonder why they aren't as trusted as Mr. Leonsis is.
But also, this article shows you how to "act as if" and how to treat your activity in social media as if you are a celebrity. This sort of continues to what I was saying in my post a few days ago... you never who may be watching or who can be looking for you. And if you do anything questionable in Facebook, then you have to re-evaluate yourself.
If you look at it, you have to act like your important, because once you do, that's how you'll be viewed. And ultimately, how you are viewed (and how you view yourself) determines how you will be respected by your peers, and by yourself. So what I'm saying is, even though you aren't under the public eye like say... Kobe Bryant, you have to watch yourself like you are. That might sound cliche, but there's a lot of truth to that if you think about it.
Before I have read this... I have been trying to apply most of what he said here in my pages. I don't set my Facebook or Twitter profiles to private, and keep them all public, because I want people to look me up and find me after seeing my work and/or seeing me talk. Therefore, I have to watch myself and carry myself in a way that is not detrimental to myself or my reputation. I can't be saying things like I desire to have sex with a certain girl, or post and argue something that make others who visit my page question my intellect.
The most notable thing that he mentioned here that I'm working on now is to be consistent and to blog and use these internet outlets everyday. As you can see during the past week, I've been working hard to do that.
So if you have the time... please read Ted's post. There are tons of social media "gurus" out there that claim to know how to use social media for business or for general use, and the information they'll give you is no where near as good as what you'll read in Ted's post, in my opinion. (Believe me, I've seen them, and I know). So, check out the post when you can. You won't be disappointed. Again, here's the link...
http://www.tedstake.com/2010/08/07/advice-to-sports-personalities/
D4P...PD!!!
-OBE
http://www.tedstake.com/2010/08/07/advice-to-sports-personalities
He addresses this to "sports personalities", but I truly believe a lot of the advice he mentions in this blog applies to everyone who uses social media. He gives obvious, but great advice to be authentic and genuine, to be transparent, and to be consistent "warts and all"... just to name a few. I went to a few business conferences and some businesses outsource their blogs to others and wonder why they aren't as trusted as Mr. Leonsis is.
But also, this article shows you how to "act as if" and how to treat your activity in social media as if you are a celebrity. This sort of continues to what I was saying in my post a few days ago... you never who may be watching or who can be looking for you. And if you do anything questionable in Facebook, then you have to re-evaluate yourself.
If you look at it, you have to act like your important, because once you do, that's how you'll be viewed. And ultimately, how you are viewed (and how you view yourself) determines how you will be respected by your peers, and by yourself. So what I'm saying is, even though you aren't under the public eye like say... Kobe Bryant, you have to watch yourself like you are. That might sound cliche, but there's a lot of truth to that if you think about it.
Before I have read this... I have been trying to apply most of what he said here in my pages. I don't set my Facebook or Twitter profiles to private, and keep them all public, because I want people to look me up and find me after seeing my work and/or seeing me talk. Therefore, I have to watch myself and carry myself in a way that is not detrimental to myself or my reputation. I can't be saying things like I desire to have sex with a certain girl, or post and argue something that make others who visit my page question my intellect.
The most notable thing that he mentioned here that I'm working on now is to be consistent and to blog and use these internet outlets everyday. As you can see during the past week, I've been working hard to do that.
So if you have the time... please read Ted's post. There are tons of social media "gurus" out there that claim to know how to use social media for business or for general use, and the information they'll give you is no where near as good as what you'll read in Ted's post, in my opinion. (Believe me, I've seen them, and I know). So, check out the post when you can. You won't be disappointed. Again, here's the link...
http://www.tedstake.com/2010/08/07/advice-to-sports-personalities/
D4P...PD!!!
-OBE
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