Should you trust your brain or your gut to make a decision?

And the answer is neither.  At least not all of the time.   Research has shown that their are times when it is best to trust your gut (intuition) and times when you would be better off trusting your head (logical).

Trust your gut (intuition) or some might also say your heart, when you are upbeat, happy or feeling positive.   Your gut feeling is really the answer that comes to you from the collective wisdom of your subconscious.   However be forewarned their are times when your intuition will lead you astray and may cause you to make a bad decision?

"Just because something feels right doesn't mean it is"

Trust you head (logical thinking) when you are experiencing a negative emotion.   When you are sad, mad, depressed and upset, trusting your heart or gut can cause you to make a very bad decision.  When in these negative states is the time to think logically.  We've probably all made bad decisions at times when we are upset that we later regretted?

"and just because it seems logical doesn't mean it is either"

So make a decision but remember this....if it isn't followed by some action then you haven't really made a decision.   It's just a consideration not a decision. 

Pssst....if you know someone going through tough times it just might a good idea to pass this article on to them.    That would be a logical decision that also would feel right?

"In my house I'm the boss!  My wife is just the decision maker"  (Woody Allan)

The best solution to every problem

"The best solution to every problem is opportunity"

Why is it that when you hit on a great truth that it so frequently turns out to be so simple and obvious when you reflect on it?    This one just knocked my socks off this morning.    Here's why...

First, we all will face problems whether we are talking individually, as a society or as a business.   Next the greatest rewards go those who can solve those problems.   So when you think about it, the best solution to every problem will be found by looking for the opportunity.   Within every problem or adversity lies the seed of an opportunity that once discovered will dwarf that problem.   (somewhere there is a quote similar to that)

Life abounds with people who layed their claim to fame and riches by solving a problem.   Zuckerman found a way to make it fun and easy to connect with friends and like minded people with Facebook.   He has been rewarded for solving the connection problem with billions of dollars of net worth.   For almost every human problem; obesity, fitness, dating, unemployment, money management,  transportation and travel....someone somewhere is sitting on a pile of great wealth because they looked for the opportunity that would solve that problem. 

Sometimes you can solve the problem without uncovering the opportunity.   This is what happens when you look for a solution that is hard and difficult.   It usually is just a short term solution.   For instance imagine that you want to lose weight and get fit.  Hard and difficult is going to the gym or jogging.   It works for a few but most do it for a while and then give up.   My gym has over 2,000 members and I can tell you I rarely see over 50 people there at any given time.  Now when someone comes up with a fun and easy solution, they are going to become mega rich!

Got a problem...lucky you!   Find the opportunity in the problem and you just might end up wealthy.   Haven't got a problem....borrow someone else's problem.   Problems are opportunities in disguise.   Lucky for me, I've got a few problems so I'm off on a treasure hunt for the opportunties within the problem.    So paws off my problems....go find your own!

When to persist and when to quit beating your head against the wall

Sometimes I get annoyed with the 'warrior' types and their endless chants of...never ever, ever give up!  Not only is it annoying but at times it is downright foolish.  

Persistance is a valued trait if applied with thought and reason.  Blind persistance can take you so far down the wrong road you may never find your way back.   Sometimes what we are doing,  just is never going to work and we need to make changes.   So this makes more sense to me...

"If at first you don't succeed.....try, try again.   If it still doesn't work....try different"

Its all about....

*Knowing what you want

*Knowing what you are getting

*Making changes until you get what you want or

*Finding a new want

It's not so much about giving up your dreams and more about being open to changing the path  to the dream or finding a dream better suited to you.  As Darwin said...it isn't the strongest that survive...it's the most flexible (and adapatable).

So I've given up on my dream of being the next Dali Lama and settling down with Lady GaGa...Dang!

Life was meant to be fun, easy and abundant, so quit beating your head against the wall.   It's stupid and its making a mess of the drywall. 

All you need to be happy is 3 simple things

Today I want to tell you about a guy named Epicurus. He was a Greek philospher who walked on the planet a couple thousand years ago. Epicurus was a very smart guy who also had a great fondness for food and wine (my kind of guy). His name lives on today in the word 'epicure', meaning someone who loves fine dining.

Epicurus greatest gift to us was his discovery of what it takes to make us happy. He determined that we need only 3 things and they are;

1. friends

By friends Epicurus was referring to; family (include spouse), friends and our community

2. freedom

Freedom refers to our leasure time or free time to do as we please.

3. an analyzed life

An analyzed life means taking the time to understand what makes us happy. And more especially what makes us happy in enduring ways.

"If work is so terrific why do they have to pay us to do it"

Epicurus reasoned that some things that bring us the thrill of happiness last a short time but cost us large amounts of pain and effort. He considered these a poor investment. Today we might interpret this to include material possessions and ego satisfactions. These ego satisfactions include; seeking wealth, power and social status.

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles" Doug Larson

A better investment in happiness are those things that bring us enduring happiness. These long lasting pleasures could be best described as heart pleasures. Heart pleasures are things like; love, friendship and service to others or a cause.

"They say money doesn't bring happiness...I'm not denying that. I just want the opportunity to find out for myself" unknown

A couple of thousand years later and I'm thinking Epicurus had this happiness thing nailed pretty good. Learning to savor the heart pleasures and don't be fooled by the quick thrill of ego satisfaction. Smart guy!

And there is one more thing!

Epicurus believed that while we should savour our pleasures, we should do it in moderation. Pigging out on food or drinking to excess will only lead to detrimental after affects (I'm thinking obesity and a hangover) just were not worth the investment.

I'm thinking Epicurs would be one guy to invite to my party!

Smile, the purpose of life is to do some good, have fun and learn something.

You'd be richer if you had more fun?

A friend sent me this picture just for laughs, but it got me thinking. When I first saw this picture, I thought to myself...I would stop for a refreshment at a place with a sign like that. Humor sells! Of course marketers have know that for a long time. That's the reason for all the funny commercials. Humor lowers our resistance and opens us up. It's hard to say no when you are laughing and having a good time.

I do think though that the serious folks (they prefer to be called professionals) don't fully appreciate what humor can do. For instance look at this sign and tell me....isn't it more effective than some typical boring government sign? And yet no government professional would consider such an amaterish sign. And yet, I'll be willing to wager you that NO one hit that bridge again after that sign went up?

And would you stop at a gardening store with a sign like this?

How about this liquor store?

Do you think this might be a fun place to work?

A friend was telling me about how his young drivers in his business sometimes had a bad attitude and it sure as heck wasn't good for business. He said to me, ok Mr Guru, tell how to use humor to solve the problem. So I made up these posters....

Message received and problem solved!

So I'm thinking of become a 'Business Humor Consultant'. I've already given myself the title of Guru so this isn't much of stretch. I wonder if I put my new title of a business card if anyone will believe it? There shouldn't be much competetion since I've never heard of a 'Business Humor Consultant' before. No wait....how about Business Humor Guru? That sounds like I can charge more. What do your think?

Psssst....if you ever come across a picture of a funny business sign I would be sooo happy if you would send it to me. I might even meet you at the bar in the first picture and buy you a refreshment!

The secret they REALLY don't want you to know?

"Boring people work twice as hard, make half as much and hardly have any fun at all"

So why would anyone chose a boring life?   Boring is no fun and yet so many accept it!   It's because there is a certain safetly in being boring.   To be boring is to conform to societies expectations for you.  In return you are given the safety of a wage.   It may not be a great wage but you won't starve by being boring.   You work hard and do as you are told and in return you are virtually guaranteed to survive.  Work harder than everyone else and you may even make a little more money than your peers.   You won't get rich (that's for the owners) but there is a satisfaction that you are making more than your buddies.

Society wants you to be boring.    Big business needs workers who are compliant, hard working and who will do it for minimal pay.   Governments want boring so that you will pay your taxes and not pay attention to what those on the top are doing with your money and freedoms.

"Boring is like an addictive drug, it seems harmless at first but before you know it you are hooked and can't get off the damn stuff"

Once the habit of boring is instilled in you it is really hard to kick.   Habits whether they  are good or bad for you are damn tough to break.  Of course if they told you that it was called boring you would reject the idea immediately.   So instead they tell you that what they are selling is called security.   You comply and your reward after 30 years of boring work is the golden retirement (maybe).

"Boring lulls you into compliance and then robs you of your life"

The big promise of security is that after all those years of compliance and hard work you will get to retire in your so called golden years.   You've seen the commercials....the fit handsome older couple walking on the beach, sipping the wine and living the dream.   Thirty years later maybe and maybe not!   They don't tell you that some companies go broke and poof there goes the pension fund.   Governments squander the monies that they were supposed to putting aside for your golden years. 

The Secret Antitode To Boring

There is a cure to boring and they don't want you to have it.   The cure can make your life rewarding and interesting.  It can open up your natural creative talents and lead you to places you never dreamed possible.   It will improve your relationships, make you richer and make every year golden (not just your retirement years).   It is so powerful that it can break the bonds of compliance and boredom instantly.    If the masses ever truly understood it then big business and governments would be in trouble.   This stuff removes your cloudy vision and opens up a whole new and wonderful world of possibilities.   And most important of all....it is free and there is a a never ending supply of the stuff.  Wow!

So how do they hide the cure from us?

They trivialize it, they marginialize it and they mock it.    They hide it plain sight and laugh at you behind your back because you don't recognize it when its been  right in front of you all of the time.  But secretly they fear its power because they know if you ever figure it out, all control over you is lost!  You will be free and you will never again be under their influence.

I know what you are thinking....

Damn you Guru quit dragging this out and tell me what the freaking cure is?   Ok, I will gladly share the truth with you but first you have to promise me that before you reject it, you will give the answer some time to soak into your being before you fall into their trap.  Remember you have been conditioned to trivializing it or marginalizing it?  

Good.    The cure to boredom is....FUN!   See I told you that you might feel the urge to dismiss it.  Remember they told you fun was trivial and not to take it serious.  And yet fun is the most serious thing in your life.   Why?   I'll tell you why fun is the most important thing in your life.   Why it is a life changer.  It's because....

"Energy flows to fun"



If you remember nothing else from this article remember this....energy flows to fun.  Energy is life force, without it everything stagnates and dies.   Boredom is lethal to energy.   You've seen yourself what happens to a bored person?    That's right they lay around and do nothing...no energy!   Boredom kills your creativity, stifles your potential and makes you comliant. 

Now that you know the cure what are you going to do about it?

You want loving relationships?    Put the fun (energy) back into it
You want to increase your income?    Find out how to have fun at what you do and problem solved.
You want spiritual satisfaction?   Mix in some fun in and just watch what happens
You want to  live in the moment?   Make it fun
You want to be truly creative?   Have some fun playing with ideas and thoughts
You want to be healthy and fit?    Add a generous portion of fun to your exercise and your diet
You want to eliminate hard and difficult from your life?    Yep, have more fun!
You want to inspire or heal a friend?    Show them how to have fun

I will say this again...the most important discovery to a happy rewarding life is.....FUN!    Isn't that beautiful?   Why?    Because energy flows to fun.    It's just that simple and wonderful.   Energy flows to fun.  Think about it and you can buy me a beer later....

And now you know why I always say...

Life was meant to be fun, easy and abundant!

Psssst....if you like this idea and would like to share it with your friends hit the f button below and you will make us both happy.   And I would love to hear your comments on it!

How to be the hero at your next networking session?

Have you ever been at one of those boring mixers that masquerades as a networking meeting?  The idea is  to meet and exchange connections to enhance your business success.   Your success depends a lot on your level of extroversion, instant likeability and a great 'elevator pitch'.  Typically people rush around trying to make as many connections as possible and exhanging business cards (many of which find their way into the waste basket when no one is wathcing).  

How to become the hero?

Here is my idea #1

Several years back I was attending some commercial real estate courses.   At the end of the last training day was the 'meet and greet social'.   This was to be a networking social.   I'd been to too many of those to get excited about it.  So to have some fun I persuaded those people that I knew to make up names for their tags.   So our group had names like;  Elvis, Madonna, Buddha, Ophra,   Jesus and Darth Vador. 

We had a blast and actually ended up making some real good connections.   What a great conversation starter to introduce yourself  like this....Hi my name is    Darth Vador and yours?

Another variation of the idea...

Suppose the attendees are told to come up with a name that in some way hinted at their line of business.   Here are some examples...

Spa owner......Serenity
Restaurant manager.....Delicious
Photographer......Snap Sizzle & Pop
Marketing......Inspire Desire
Real Estate....Homer
Banker....Johnny Cash
Well you get the idea and I'm sure that you could improve on my names.  

Bonus benefit....for those who tend to be introverted a good name can bring people to you.    I'm told introverted people tend to be more creative so maybe this will help level the field.