Success: It's your choice

Everything you do in life is a combination of past experiences, choices you make, hard work and preparation.  I am tired of all the people that believe things happen by luck or chance; or only to those that know the right people, have money, etc.  Success is something that is earned not given or guaranteed, and most certainly not forever.  Further, success is not a predetermined factor of something, nor is it defined the same from one person to another.  Success could mean making a lot of money, moving up at your job, providing a valuable service or product to society -- bettering human kind; helping out friends and family, meeting the right person "soul mate", living in the city and neighborhood you choose and want to live in, graduating college/grad school/phd; hell, it could be getting 10,000 Twitter followers, who knows!  Success could be anything, as a matter of fact one person's view of success may be anothers view of complete failure.  It all depends on how you view life and what you want out of it while you're here. 

The harsh reality of success is that you will, and should, fail; it's all about how you react to it, and how much tolerance you have for it.  Do you get depressed and beat yourself up? Or do you say, I failed this time, and I learned this and that, now I'm going to do this.  You can look at all of the ultra-successful people: Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, etc., and what you will find is that the amount of success they've had is directly related to the amount of their failures.  Elon Musk almost went broke when Tesla hit a rough spot a few years ago -- investing his last $100 million.  You can even look at the recent law upheld in Michigan that disallowed Tesla from selling its cars directly to consumers; do you think he will give up?  Or will he use it as a motivator to drive his and Tesla's success?  I believe it will be the latter.  If people stopped doing what they were passionate about and at every misstep or roadblock, we'd still be riding horses, living in a segregated society; there'd be no smartphone, social networks, or personal computers for that matter.  Look at the recent mishap with Virgin Galactic where a rocket plane exploded and killed the pilot.  Do you think this will halt Virgin's progress on this venture? Should it?  Absolutely not!  Richard Branson actually said,  "Space is hard but worth it.  We will preserver and move forward."  Virgin Galactic's CEO, George Whitesides, took it one step further by stating, "We owe it to the folks who were flying these vehicles, as well as those who have been working so hard on them, to understand this and move forward.  And that is what we'll do."  Could they have decided to stop everything and reevaluate their decision to bring space travel to the everyday (rich) consumer?  Yes, absolutely, however, they CHOSE not to; they CHOSE to move forward and learn from their mistakes and persevere.

That is the whole point.  It is the choice of the individual to succeed or give-up.  So you lost your job or went through a bad break-up, what you do next and how you react is up to you; it is your choice.  Which brings me to something else that is relative to choice, and that is experts are not born.  Michael Jordan did not come out of the womb crossing people over and dunking on them; he busted his ass day in and day out -- he earned being the best.  He chose to put in the work, accept failure, and was never satisfied with where he was at -- he remained hungry.  There are countless of individuals that reached the top by ignoring all the critics and just putting their heads down, focusing on mastering their desired skill.  

The real test is how many times can you accept failure before you say screw it, I'm going to give up or try something else.  How determined are you to get what you want out of life?  According to one of the greatest thought-leaders of our time on success, Napoleon Hill, most people will give up at or before the 3rd failure.  If you think about it, this truly holds ground when you think of the amount of people that have a job they can't stand, but are frozen in fear of what the other side looks like -- the unknown.  The numbers are actually staggering, as over 70% of Americans hate their jobs!  To me this is astounding, particularly since we spend over a third of our lives at work, and that third is of the most precious as that is when we are young and healthy enough to enjoy our lives and do things that actually mean something, make us happy, etc.

All this goes back to our mindsets: Do you believe in limitations?  Are you afraid to try something new?  Are you a leader or a follower? When approached with a challenge do you accept it graciously regardless of the potential of failure? Or do you runaway and accept that you will never be able to do it and would rather avert the potential of being seen as a failure?  The choice is yours!  I know what I would do!

Whew! I would say I apologize for the rant but I won't, as I feel very strongly about this; no matter what people may say or the outcome, the choice is yours whether or not to do something that you feel passionate about.

Hopefully this motivates someone, or at the very least gets others to think about their current situation, where they are at and what they want to do.  The purpose of every human beings life should be to reach their absolute potential -- not to mention it would be good for the world and the economy.

Remember, it's not how many times you get knocked down, all that matters is that you get up one more time.

Until next time.

Cheers,

ModernManTellsAll

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Business/Marketing/Lifestyle: Take risks...

I know, I know. This is contrary to what your (and my) mom taught you and probably tells you to this day, but I'm going to tell you -- take RISKS! Take risks in business, in marketing, in life, and everywhere in-between. I'm not saying do something completely stupid, and let's say, jump off a sheer cliff with out a parachute or safety apparatus, or drive 100mph down the 101. I'm saying take (calculated) risks, get out of your comfort zone, grow, learn, meet people, and do it while you can. Do it before getting out of bed to fast or walking to the bathroom unassisted becomes a risk. I am being a bit humorous here, but it's true, life moves fast and if you ask your grandparents, or parents for that matter, what they regret the most, more often than not it's the things they didn't do. So, the moral of this (blog) story is to take risks, assess the situation, do a thorough analysis -- is it worth it? What are the benefits? What are the costs and potential consequences? What is the likelihood of coming out on top? Whatever you do, don't become complacent -- keep moving forward, innovate, disrupt, become a better person, more informed, more educated -- be the best at what you do, and who you are.

Take risks in Business:

It is a known fact that we are now operating in a global economy -- competition is fierce, buyer behavior has changed, large corporations no longer have a dominant grip on the market, technology is affordable and accessible to all, I can go on and on. So how does a company (maybe yours) standout and capture a profitable share of the market? By taking risks! No longer is the "old way" of doing business a viable option. Businesses must step out of their comfort zone and become innovators and disruptors. Innovation does not have to be some radical, technological advancement, nor does it have to come with a significant amount of capital investments. It can be as simple as offering a product/service in a better more efficient way than the competition; or it can be a minor incremental innovation to an existing product/service. It can also be a change in company culture or something as simple as hiring an individual that does not necessarily have the same background as everyone else -- diversification. Taking risks in business should always be calculated and well thought out through thorough market research and quantitative and qualitative data analysis. A few companies that either are or have taken significant risks are: Tesla, Virgin, Zappos, Apple (Steve Jobs era), and Netflix; all of which have or are changing the way we think and interact in our day-to-day lives. The two major things that they all have in common are great leaders that believe in what they are doing and have entrenched a culture that curates this behavior. After all, consumers really have no idea what they want.

"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." ~ Henry Ford

Take risks in Marketing:

I have written about how to standout amongst the marketing clutter in the past, however, having just read the Fast Company article "This Company's Brilliantly Sassy Branding Strategy Makes Yours Look Sad And Boring" by Elizabeth Segran, I was inspired to write about the importance of taking risks, particularly in/with Marketing. The article goes into the branding strategy of a privately owned small business called, Manhattan Mini Storage (MMS), and how their messaging is pushing boundaries to the point where it can sometimes be seen as offensive to certain demographics. It is really a great read, and aspiring to a marketing guru such as myself.

The majority of brands (small and large) are afraid to take a chance and go with out of the box messaging to attract attention and capture market share. In reality, this strategy is ideal in today's super saturated and hyper digital world, where we (the consumer) are exposed to 1000s of messages/posts a day! So you offend some people that are not in your target demographic -- no big deal, as your target will appreciate your honesty and more often than not, will become even more loyal to your brand. After all, even the bad press will attract others in your target market that otherwise may not be aware of your product/service, like myself as I have never heard of MMS. This is especially true in today's polarized world. Take a stand for what you believe in and let people know what your brand is about, be honest, push some boundaries, shake things up, and most importantly, OWN IT.

Those of us in California know all about the Carl's Jr. commercials. They pretty much said, screw it, everyone else is pushing towards the health conscious movement, with conservative, family oriented content -- not Carl's Jr. They are going right for the 18 - 30 year old male demographic, with no shame -- head down and charging. Is it working? Can't say for sure, however, I would bet if it is working, it is solely due to the fact that they have committed to it and are owning it.

Take risks in Life:

The same principals for taking risks in business and marketing can be applied to life. Let's face it life is short! If you feel as if you need a change and are contemplating your decision, evaluate the positives and negatives, and if they weigh out -- do it! Yes, it can be overwhelming or scary at first, leaving your friends and family behind, etc. However, if you don't take that risk and go all in, chances are you'll regret it. If you don't believe me, ask your elders, I guarantee they will say go for it! There are countless articles out there, blogs, etc., that speak on this so I'm not going to elaborate further, but it is a fact. Risks in life can be anything as simple as going after the girl you want, telling someone how you really feel, getting a new pair of glasses, meeting new people, trying a new food to more risky: a career change (not an easy decision, believe me), furthering your education (best thing I've done), moving out of your hometown (not that bad), skydiving (on the agenda), starting your own business (stay tuned), having kids (maybe), etc. Bottom line is, when you make the decision to take the risk, go for it, jump in with both feet and give it all you got -- things have a way of working out as long as you commit to it. I'm not sure who says this (I could look it up but...), "You get out of life what you put into it."

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Cheers,

ModerManTellsAll

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Lifestyle: Manage your time...

This is an open letter to all the horrible time managers out there...please take the initiative and manage your time, because it affects all of us!

All right, this is going to brief but hopefully informative and reflective. How many of you out there have been victims of a horrible time manager, or are one? (show of hands) I see about half of the crowd has raised their hands (hahaha).

I get it, we all have a lot going on in today's hyper fast, ultra digital world. We have our physical life and well-being to attend to and our virtual life, which is slowly creeping up on the physical, but not there yet. So we may be late to a meeting, date, friends birthday, wedding, etc., but why?

If the reason is: There was a horrible accident. I got lost. I was on the phone with my mom (who lives in another state/country). I ran out of gas, not a good one but acceptable (unless it happens more than once), etc. You get the picture. There are some legitimate excuses, however, for the most part being late is a product of poor time management.

I know it may sound "parental" in a way, at least my mom says this all the time; "You should leave early enough to prepare for traffic and/or accidents," especially when leaving for an interview, important work meeting, pretty much anything business related as social situations are allowed some leeway by default.

What I have come to realize as my life has gotten busier and busier, and as I've grown into a responsible man (thanks mom), is the fact that my time is valuable as is everyone's. If the meeting is at noon be there at noon (at least) or even better get there 10-15 minutes early. If you say let's meet at 3pm and you can't get there at 3pm, let everyone else know, preferably at least 30 minutes or an hour before. After all, everyone is busy, whether they are busy being productive that is another story.

"Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late." ~ William Shakespeare

Technology is supposed to make our lives that much easier, not harder. There are tons of apps out there that can help you manage your time and tasks, set reminders, set alarms, workout timers, monitor traffic conditions, estimated time of travel, etc. All there to make you more efficient and productive. Let's not forget the countless ways to communicate: text, social media, email, a PHONE call, so let's try and use it people.

Side note: The new iPhone comes out today and iOS 8, both of which have applications to help with time management.

Salutations,

Nicholas

Career: Know where you're going

Know where you're going...

To know where you are going is one of the best pieces of advice any one can receive.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard this growing up, from my parents, teachers, mentors etc.  However, I can tell you it is about just as many times as I've ignored the advice, not necessarily on purpose but more from being naive and inexperienced in life.  I was always one of those people that knew what I did not want to do or where I did not want to go, but that only gets you so far.  At some point you will come to a crossroads in life and you'll have to decide where you are going and where you want to be.  And having a general idea can be extremely helpful.

Although knowing where we are going and where we want to be is a great piece of advice, most go through life without an understanding of what they want for themselves, and what their purpose is.  Many of us let life dictate our future and our plans even if it is truly not where we want to be and go.  Napoleon Hill would refer to this as "drifting".  According to Mr. Hill, nearly 98% of the human population are considered drifters and only 2% are considered non-drifters; therefore the chances are, you, me, and most people you know are drifting.  There are countless reasons for why this happens and Mr. Hill goes in to the details in his books, Outwitting the Devil and Think and Grow Rich, and he explains it much better than I, so if you're interested I'd recommend giving them both a read.  I will, however, tell you that the act of drifting and non-drifting, for that matter, are in full control of the individual.

I actually have been drifting for the majority of my life.  Yea, I always knew what I did not want to do and where I did not want to go, but I never actually knew where I was going and what I wanted to do - until now.  So how did I figure it out?  We'll, it really wasn't rocket science, but it did take a lot of hard work, ups-and-downs, successes and failures, and mental toughness.  I'll outline 3 main steps that changed my path, and pointed me in a direction where I am excited to be adventuring towards.

1. Determination

Determination is what it takes to get through much of everything in life, but it is even more important when breaking out of the drifting mode and into the non-drifter demographic, which is not easy.  As everyone knows, life will always throw you "curve-balls" and try to beat you down, but it is how you choose to react to these life challenges that dictate the outcome.  You can't let these challenges have a negative affect on you, after all, you have a goal and an idea of what you want out of life and where you are going, so keep at it.  Take all those challenges and negative experiences and learn from them, but don't let them set you back - stay on your path and keep moving forward.  Believe me, I have gone through many ups-and-downs from moving to LA without knowing a soul to my dad passing away to leaving a job, laid off, etc.  But, in the end all has led me to where I am now, and mentally I've never been in a better place.  Determination is the one thing that has kept me going through all of this, and I believe it is the most important if one wants to break the habit of drifting through life.  Without determination one would try things a couple of times, maybe even just once and then give up - staying stuck in the same place mentally and physically.   I know this for a fact as I've had this mentality in the past.  I had no clue as to where I wanted to go and how I was going to get there, I just went with the flow.  After all, determination is what made Thomas Edison fail over 10,000 times before he came about the phenomena of electricity, which many of us take for granted as if it has always been a part of this world and human life.

2. Never stop learning

It doesn't matter what it is, never stop learning.  You could be the president and CEO of the biggest and best company in the world - think Amazon, Apple, Google, etc.  And the minute you think you know it all and stop learning, you will lose that competitive advantage, your job, the company will lose market share, etc.   In today's world, the information age, knowledge can be acquired quite easily and educating yourself should be at the top of everyone's list.  While you journey to where you want to go, gather as much information as possible along the way, on as many subjects, as you never know what you'll need on your way and when you get there.   Furthermore, as you learn new subjects and expand your knowledge of topics you already knew a bit about, your path and destination will become clearer with each step.  Maybe you had a general idea of what you want to do, the industry you want to work in, where you want to live, but as you continue to learn - the knowledge you gain may help you hone in on an that exact position, industry, company, city, etc.   Soon your vision will become a reality.

3. Write things down (your plan, ideas, tasks, etc.)

I know it sounds cliché' but it's true, write things down.  We all have ideas and plans in our heads, whether it be personally or professionally, your business plan, marketing ideas, etc., it doesn't matter.  If you ask me, if you don't have it written down you have nothing.  Now, I am not saying that having ideas in your head is a lost cause, quite the contrary, those ideas are the seeds that will lead one out of drifting and into the 2% of non-drifters.  The problem is a lot of us have those ideas for a great business plan, new invention, ways to find that dream job, where we are going - you get the idea; however, the majority of us do not act or succeed in transitioning these ideas in our heads into a reality.  As a matter of fact, for the majority of us life ends up dictating our situation and before we know it time flashes bye and it's either "too late" or the passion for that idea has left or the idea never was expanded on.  I know for me personally, writing things down, making lists, setting goals, and dates to complete "X" by this date has enabled me to have a clear vision of my plan to where I want to be/go.  To be honest, I tell clients that I meet with, many of whom are small business owners and entrepreneurs, where the most common thing among them is they all have plans and ideas, however, it is almost always in their heads, to write things down.  Write that growth strategy down.  Write the marketing plan down, etc.  How do you know how you are going to get there without having it written down?  How do you plan on tracking your accomplishments?  What if you forget?  How can I help you if we don't have it written down in a business plan, marketing plan, growth strategy, etc.?  The same can be said for ones life and where they are going...how do you know exactly where you are going and how you are going to get there, if it's not written down?

I really do not know if these steps will help everyone, but what I do know is this is what has enabled me to move forward and finally find a path to where I want to go, not just where I didn't want to go.  Now everything I do moving forward will be one-step closer in the direction of where I am heading instead of to the right or left, or worse, backwards.  And that is a pretty good feeling.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Cheers,

ModernManTellsAll

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Business: Do you follow up?

The all important FOLLOW UP.

Throughout my career I have seen many missed opportunities and lost relationships by not initiating a follow up email or call/text.  On the other hand, I have landed sales, clients, and job opportunities by taking the initiative and following up.  If you think about it, it is such an easy thing to do yet many of us do not take the time to follow up with a potential client, sale, or job opportunity.  We usually will make excuses, like we're too busy or it is the other person's responsibility to take action, after all we did our job, right?  Well, I'm here to tell you to take the initiative and be the one to follow up, you won't be disappointed, as many times that client, associate, hiring manager, etc., is thinking the same thing, and is awaiting your follow up note or phone call.

To me following up is one of the most important business and life decisions one can make.  If you're a salesmen or entrepreneur or anyone for that matter, you must be proactive in all that you do, and be ready at all times to take advantage of opportunities as they come, because you never know when the next one will arise.  This is especially important in today's fast-paced modern world, where we are all connected every hour of the day, following up can make or break that sale or business opportunity.

I have been on both ends of this, as I have been a hiring manager, and have hired people based on the fact that the candidate took the initiative and sent a brief, thoughtful follow up email, stating there interest and thanking me for taking the time out of my busy day to meet with them.  I was more than likely contemplating hiring them anyway, but had gotten busy and put it off.  Further, I have been on the other side as a salesmen, entrepreneur, and independent business and marketing consultant, where I've met with potential clients where everything seemed to have gone well; they liked me and the service/product I was offering, but then a week goes by, and then another, and heard nothing back.  I would then fire a brief follow up note, text, or phone call only to find out the potential sale or client had gotten busy and forgot to schedule another meeting or purchase the product/service, but was still very interested.  That said, I have also followed up a week or two later only to find out they purchased the product/service from another company or went with someone else's services.  Could I have landed the sale/job?  Maybe, if I was proactive and followed up sooner and shown my interest in working with them.  Who knows, that other company or person might have done so in a timely manner and happened to be in the right place at the right time - after all, out of sight out of mind.  Granted, maybe the other company/person might have had a product/service that more matched the clients needs, and I wouldn't have made the sale anyway, these things do happen.

All of the above scenarios could possibly be true, but the moral of the story is, it doesn't hurt to follow up in a timely and thoughtful manner, regardless of the outcome.  After all, it is just good practice to take the initiative and be proactive in all that you do, as you never know what the other person/client is up to or thinking.  I coach all of my clients, personnel, business associates, family and friends to make sure they follow up.  You always want to leave a positive impression with all people that you meet, whether it is personally and professionally.  In today's world, everybody is busy, and even though a follow up takes only minutes, most people won't do it or forget to, and by you taking the initiative you will standout amongst the others, and who knows, land that client/job, or at the very least expand your network and something may come up down the road.  Do yourself and business a favor, and always follow up!

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Cheers,

ModernManTellsAll

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Relationships: Job hunting is a lot like dating

I'm sure many people have experienced the loss of a job or a breakup in a relationship, and if you really think about it the two are very similar.  I will be explaining this mainly from the male perspective, as that is all I know, being a male my entire life.  That is not say there are some similarities from the female perspective, however, I can't speak as an expert on such a subject (maybe some female commenters can elaborate).

OK, now that we have that out of the way let's get started.  Job hunting is a lot like dating in the sense that there are two sides to the story, coupled with the fact that there is rejection and mutual acceptance.  A job search can be agonizing for many, as can be dating, particularly in large cities where competition is fierce and viable options/positions are few and far between.  Furthermore, many of the job descriptions require qualifications that no real human can possibly have (10 years experience, MBA, know how to code a website, 7 feet tall, $20/hr, etc.), just as TV and movies cloud the judgement of the qualities/qualifications real men and women have.

In the dating world women are (typically) the final decision makers as are the hiring managers in the job world.   Have you ever gone on an interview and thought to yourself, I just knocked that out of the park; the conversation was balanced and flowing, etc.  You felt you were on the same page as the interviewer, you both were even having a few laughs sharing like experiences professionally and personally. All you had to do was wait for that phone call/email letting you know you got the job - only to have it never happen.  You follow up, "just to check in", and no response...?

This same phenomena happens in the dating world, particularly with men.  You went on a date or two with this smoking hot girl, the conversation was flowing, the two of you were laughing and having a great time, you have this in the bag no doubt.  As a (young) man, we always jump ahead and think we landed the perfect girl friend and the rest will be history.  Well, as we know this is not always the case.  We actually have no idea what the other person (the female) is thinking, or what other options/candidates the female has waiting in the wings.   It is a fact that a good looking woman gets hit on an average of 8 to 10 times a day, that's 70 times a week and over 3,000 attempts a year!  That is a lot of competition, therefore one must stand-out.

The same can be said for the high-value, highly sought after jobs.  As a hiring manager, I know from experience that just by posting a job ad on Craigslist will bring in over 100 resumes in a week.  So the question is, how do you stand-out from the competition? 

This is a tricky question, because as I stated earlier the decision power is in the hands of the female/hiring manager.  I guess the answer to both (as in life) would be to put your best foot forward at all times, keep growing professionally and personally, don't think ahead - stay present, learn from your mistakes, and don't stop searching until you have a definite answer.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Ciao,

ModernManTellsAll

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Lifestyle: So much to learn, so little time

I can remember growing up and not even thinking twice about how important it is to learn and be educated. My primary focus was on playing sports and enjoying time with friends - that was the most important thing.  Throughout grade school and high school I basically coasted along, going through the motions and getting mostly B's with a few C's and A's, mostly without much effort outside of the classroom.  This mind-set didn't change much, maybe even declined as I graduated high school and went to junior college at Harper and ECC.  I barley went to class and had no desire to learn anything new.  You could say I thought I knew it all as most teenagers assume - at least the males.  I pretty much spent most of the time partying with friends and enjoying life, without even a clue as to what I wanted to do.

Moving on to my decision to go to a four year college in 2000.  I felt I had to do something as I, and the majority of the people I was hanging with, really had no direction - and drifting through life.  So I had a self-realization, so to speak, and went through (mentally) what it is I really like to do, outside of playing sports.   I came up with two paths - both of which would enable me to move out of the mid-west and to the west.  It came down to culinary school and film/audio school.  Well, I chose to go to film/audio school at Columbia College Chicago.  This is where things started to change for me mentally, as the subject matter and teachers at Columbia were intriguing, engaging, and informative.  Although I had been more engaged than ever, I was still only giving about 75% effort towards learning, homework, and classroom participation.  This could be attributed to just growing up and realizing how the world actually works or just slow to adhere to authority.  Needless to say I graduated with a 3.0 average (not bad) and made the move to Los Angeles shortly after.

Not to lose sight of what this post is about, as it's not about me per-se but it gives a real life example to compare to; it's the fact that there is so much to learn and so little time.  The amount of information out there that we now have instant access to is mind-boggling to say the least.  This phenomena really hadn't occurred to me until recently.  Learning is actually addictive, and the personal growth one can achieve through this access to information can be exponential.  I say exponential meaning once your mind is trained to obtain and process information and you break through the misconception that you know everything and/or are content with who you are and what you know, the craving to learn overcomes and drives you.

Take for example my recent studies at Northeastern University where I obtained my MBA.  The amount of information and knowledge I gained just by dedicating myself to learning the material has been a life changer for me.  I like to describe it as a mental evolutionary leap.  It was the first time I actually gave 100% effort towards school or any learning for that matter.  Now, I can essentially talk business and economics with anyone, from Fortune 500 execs to Professors to regular people.  To be honest, it has gotten to the point where I'd rather sit down and read a book or watch an educational documentary, or a TEDTalk than some mindless television show or movie.  I've even contemplated going for a PHD, if it did not cost an absurd amount of money of course.

The point is, once you realize the importance of education and the value of being informed, the more you want to know and obtain, and the less time you want to waste on meaningless content - it's an addiction just like cigarettes or alcohol.  Further, the more educated one is the more freedom one has and the less chance one has of being controlled by fear.  Couple all that with the fact that life is short, even if you live to 90, that is only a blink of an eye in the broad scope of life on earth.

We are living in the information age, and now have access to everything and anything at the push of a button or by typing a few keywords in a Google search.  Many of the top universities are now offering their courses online to anyone interested, granted you will not get credit or a diploma; however you will gain the knowledge which can be applied to your daily life and career.

Learn as much as you can while you can - you will not regret it - and no one can ever take what you've learned away from you. You can lose material things, family and friends, but what knowledge you have that is yours (outside of a mental disease or injury).  In my opinion the most important thing to living is consuming information and growing as a man and as a human.  And then passing that education/knowledge down to others willing to listen and learn.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Cheers,

ModernManTellsAll

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