The Distraction Concierge

Posted on by
Reply

Just out of curiosity I did a little poking around the Internet to see what’s happening in the big world of cyberspace. To me it looks a lot like the mother ship coming over the horizon from the movie Independence Day. I’m going to offer my readers the link to what I consider to be a great article on the subject. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2009/10/why_the_internet_is_so_distrac.html

In my opinion it all started with the invention of the radio around 1900. Radio required a little of your attention because it needed electricity to operate and was a large and heavy receiver so one had to be nearby to hear it. Bottom line… you could not milk the cows and listen to the radio. There was nothing portable about it! The one shown here is a Crosley. It had 37 tubes and six speakers. It also was about five feet high and weighed 475 pounds.

TV came along some 50 years later and this was a communications device that required every bit of your attention. Before this amazing invention a kid had to play outside, run, climb trees, play baseball or ride bikes. After TV you had an excuse to avoid doing any of those things. You just couldn’t be doing other things and still engage with this new device, although my Grandmother found a way to sit in front of it with a big bowl of string beans and pull the strings off the beans while being entertained. She was the first multi-tasker I’d ever seen up to that point. Since the new TV was a device more suited to the living room, people started taking their food there from the kitchen or dining room. It was just more fun to eat and be entertained at the same time. Forget the family communication, the bonding discussion that blended the lives of the family members into each other’s realities. If the TV was on and working then it took first place.

Then a company named Swanson invented the TV Dinner. This was more than a new invention caused by a new invention. The arduous work of actually preparing the dinner was now relegated to some far off kitchen machine shop that offered you a passable dinner you could eat while watching any one of the three channels at your disposal. The three channels were ABC, NBC and CBS. It was not easy to choose a show without a little exercise because there was no such thing as a remote control. In my case Grandma was the remote control. She told me what channel to switch to and I got up and did it.

Eventually most folks had both the TV and the radio so it was possible to have both going at the same time. In my house the radio was on in the kitchen and the TV was on in the living room. Toss in the daily newspaper and the age of distraction was upon humanity. Magazines were right around the corner.

For the world of distraction to expand we needed the invention of transistors. In July of 1951, Bell Labs announced the invention of a working and efficient transistor. This has been said to be among the most important inventions not only of the 20th Century, but of all time due to the endless possibilities this early invention spawned. For sure this tiny device enabled that most important device of all – the transistor radio. While you can still buy a transistor at a good electronics store, today’s transistors are very small indeed. The computer I’m writing this with has 731 million of them. Each is only a few atoms wide. It is said by theoretical bio-physicists that in time we humans will use enough of them to challenge the capacity of the human brain. Imagine a robot with that kind of thinking power. Now that would be a distraction!

In early 1955 a tape recorder manufacturer in Japan had also decided to make small radios. In fact, they were going to devote their whole company to these commercial products. Tsushin Kogyo was close to manufacturing its first radios when it heard that an American company had beaten them to the punch. But they kept up the hard work; eventually producing a radio they named the TR-55. In the Spring of 1955, the Japanese company was poised to enter the US market. The only problem was that the company name was not easily pronounceable for Americans. They needed a new name. Ibuka and his partner Akio Morita thought and thought. First, they found a Latin word sonus meaning “sound.” That was a good start. At the time, bright young men were referred to as “sonny boys,” and that was a good image too. Combining the two concepts, they developed a new name: Sony. Yes, that is THE Sony and that is how it came about.

With that new name the world was introduced to a new distraction concierge via tiny portable radios, tape recording machines, record players, smaller and smaller TV sets and soon movie and film cameras. Alas, it was possible to have the TV going in the living room, a slide show being displayed in the family room, radios playing in the bedrooms and records being played in the basement. And let’s not forget that while all this was going on someone was very likely talking to someone else on another fascinating invention called the telephone. And all of this was in 1955!

Before long a company named Motorola invented a radio that could be installed in a car. Not only that, the unit eventually also contained a tape player! That story is interesting by itself but it did point drivers in the direction of another distraction… fiddling with the radio knobs while driving the car. In 1930 Galvin Manufacturing Corporation introduced the Motorola radio, one of the first commercially successful car radios. Company founder Paul V. Galvin created the brand name Motorola for the car radio—linking “motor” (for motorcar) with “ola” (which implied sound). Thus the Motorola brand meant sound in motion. And there we have another layer of distraction. But this was only the beginning.

Next came the 8 track. Not many of my readers are going to know what this means so here’s a photo of one of the famous machines that was about as close to a CD as you could get in those days. The 8 track utilized a standard ¼ inch magnetic tape in a continuous loop that allowed a user to instantly switch from one song to any of three others in living stereo at the push of a button. Due to improved technology of the day they could record 8 individual tracks on that small magnetic tape thus there were 4 stereo tracks all moving at one time. This machine took up a lot of room in your car but if you had one of these distraction units you had arrived! Of course the cassette replaced the 8 track and many cars on the road today still have operating cassette players in them.

As time marched on the number and creativity of distraction machines continued to evolve. With the invention of the CD in 1982, the first album released on this new plastic disc was Billy Joel’s 52nd Street, that reached the market alongside Sony’s CD player CDP-101 on October 1, 1982 in Japan. A distraction for sure but a very nice one as the sound was off the charts.

For a time we humans had about all the distraction we could handle. Then in the mid-1980s along came the Cell phone. This was to become a distraction like no other. The evolution of the cell phone is legendary but I’ll say it anyway – in America alone we have more active cell phones in service than there are people in the country. Globally 87% of the human population has one. That’s roughly six billion humans with a cell phone and they can all talk to each other. For a real distraction note that many of these phones are really small computers with a phone circuit built in and they can access the Internet. I have 4 of them in service myself with three carriers. Each one is justifiably working with a cost I do not mind paying considering the world of information delivered to the palm of my hand at the speed of light.

In summary, I’m a distraction junkie. As I write this blog entry I am looking at two 22inch monitors displaying my computer work in a half dozen simultaneously operating Microsoft Windows. On top of this stack sits another 22 inch Hi Def TV powered by a Motorola HDMI tuner/DVR unit fed by a cable that can carry 300+ digital channels. To my left sits a magnificent iMAC 24 inch ultra-Hi-Def computer with V6 series 2 powered monitors standing on each side of the machine. My fax unit made by Brother allows lightning fast double sided black on white copies, printed pages and faxes. And all of this is in an office with six book cases holding roughly 1,000 volumes covering a nice range of topics from A to Z. Next to the book cases are stacks of magazines. I’m drowning in data and yet I love it. As a writer, speaker, trainer and business consultant this data is the raw material of a working life. (Yes, some of us still use fax machines even now and in my case I have a dedicated phone line just for that purpose.)

Below the main computing desk sits an HP full color 5580 series photo printer / scanner. Add in my iPhone 4S powered by Sprint and my Motorola Droid Bionic Razr 4G/LTE powered by Verizon and you get the idea. But just in case you don’t we can chat about it on my Cisco designed Iris Video Phone with a 4.7 inch Hi Def full 30 Frames Per Second screen synced to keep the sound and the image in perfect union. This is an ACN miracle (www.willr.acnibo.com) widely distributed in over 23 countries worldwide. It’s like Skype meets Magic Jack on steroids.

Not to be outdated when I’m behind the wheel, my 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 4 door LTZ sports a satellite radio featuring GPS, XM, AM and FM radios as well as DVD movies, CD and MP3 music and an Aux input port that allows me to plug in my iPod. And all this through a Bose surround sound system that delivers the best sound I’ve ever heard. The built in Bluetooth speaks to my phones wirelessly over the surround sound system so I can talk to the windshield in perfect clarity with the push of a button on the steering wheel. In 1960 I had a CB radio in my car and thought that was a big deal. Today, as a HAM radio hobbyist I have radios that can communicate around the globe while I’m sitting at a red light. For that matter I have one radio that can communicate with the Space Station and the FCC license to do so. (AC6WB)

When I finally get to the coffee shop I can take in my iPad-2 64 gig that gets its updates from the iCloud over a WiFi system that is offered free in just about every café or book store in the country. My phones, my computer and my iPad are all seeing the same data at the same time. The phones and the iPad take photos and videos in 8 Megapixel or 1080 DPI clarity that I can post on the Internet right away. I have a Sony Bloggie in my bag just in case I need a bit more capacity and for even more I have a Sony ACHD video camera that delivers stunning video along with a half dozen other digital cameras to support my hobby. This content can be posted on the web within seconds of being recorded.

I love it. I love the screens, the data, and the instant magazines, books, web sites, videos, audio tracks, TV, Internet, voice command calls to my friends and family. Well, you probably get the point. I can ask my iPhone to talk to me and it does. A little lady lives in my iPhone and her name is Siri. I can dictate to either of my phones and they understand what I’m saying or asking for. It’s all pretty amazing. All these things communicate with my PC and my MAC and they both communicate with the World Wide Web. I’m drowning in a world of data and don’t know what to do with it. I just know that I love having more information available to me in one hour than the average person had available in an entire lifetime just 100 years ago.

The problem is that the final distraction is the largest of all. It spans all of humanity and allows anyone with access to the Internet to look into the past, into the universe, into the sub-microscopic world of atoms and into the future. With millions of web sites and billions of pages with trillions of words on them there really is no end to the distraction. Now add in the seven billion humans who want to talk to each other via blogs, social networking sites, video hosting sites and an endless list of other communication venues and we can see the world everywhere all at once all the time.

The bottom line is we live in a world of endless distractions. What we do with the power of all these tools makes the difference in what we can do with our lives and our careers. At some point we have to focus. We may be able to chew gum and type but can we think and write? Can we use the limitless data at our disposal for something other than mindless entertainment or senseless trivial communications about nothing?

I think we must limit the time waste all this distraction breeds and take control of the cause of the dummy down effect. And it doesn’t help to think that we’re not the only country afflicted with this problem; it’s universal and everywhere. Still, we have to do something about it. In my view it’s going to take a lot more than the MUTE button on the remote control or the fast forward button for the DVR. With just about every home equipped with a DVD or Blue Ray player, Flat screen 1080 DPI, 220Hz, LED TV, and some in 3-D with surround sound systems it’s not uncommon to find half a dozen remote controls sitting on the coffee table with a collective 300 + buttons to push. The good news is that each control has an OFF button.

We’re going to have to turn all the devices off now and then and re-learn to THINK. We need to start reading again in a quiet room like we did around the time TV was first invented. Distraction is just another form of entertainment but without a plot, a story line or an ending. Better to turn off everything and watch a good movie on that Cable TV setup. Better yet, sit in a forest and stare at the trees or sit on a beach and watch the sun come up. Take a walk along the top of a mountain trail without a cell phone, just a bottle of water and your senses.

The trick in my view and the point of this blog posting is to be where we are when we’re there without desire or regret. That’s happiness. Let’s give the distraction concierge a day off. Just don’t forget your car phone charger or business journal with that list of usernames and passwords.

Some reading tips:

• The Shallows, Nicholas Carr, Norton Publishing
• Driven to Distraction, Edward M. Hallowell, MD, Simon and Schuster
• The Thinking Life, P. M. Forni, St. Martin’s Press, NY
• Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson, Simon and Schuster

I’m Will Robertson and If you’d like to know more about my keynote speaking or consulting / PR / Team Building work you can check my web sites at www.psistrategies.com or www.willrobertson.us or www.willr.acnibo.com or contact me at prospeaker@cox.net or               call Cell Ph. 562-577-7000              Google Ph. 562-281-5560

To book me call 800-242-1900

That Little Voice

Posted on by
Reply

When I was a young boy I had a little voice in my head that would talk to me. The voice would tell me I could be superman if I just found an old sheet and tied it around my shoulders so I would then have a cape. The rest was pure fantasy but there I was – superman. All I had to do was pretend to leap tall buildings in a single bound, be more powerful than a locomotive and faster than a speeding bullet. Getting my friends to join in and be other good guys was a cinch. All I had to do was appear to be superman and they immediately wanted to also be a superhero and save the day with me.

Since we lived on a farm just south of Tennessee and with hundreds of acres and a dozen or so buildings to play in and around there was no shortage of stage settings. I remember we kids could dispose of an entire day in this subconscious driven bliss. We were happy with nothing more than an old sheet and our imaginations.  The chickens ran for their lives when we appeared and the cows simply stared at us as if to approve of our antics as long as it did not involve them. The dogs went along with anything that looked like fun. Life was good.

By the time I was in my teens I had acquired more experience. I was a lot more persuaded by the other teenagers I was hanging out with. By this time that little voice was advising me to look like them, act like them, dress like the kid on the TV screen and learn to play the guitar so I could look like Elvis. As a 15 year old I even had my photo taken with my guitar as part of a short story showcasing my accomplishments as a paper boy. I just had to look the part. What part, I had no idea but certainly not me … only a version of me easily recognizable due to some other high profile personality that my little voice said was more important than I was.

As the years went by I found myself listening to that little voice more and more. By the time I was in high school the ceaseless little voice was advising me to study science subjects because then I too could get lost in space. But my uncle had different ideas. He suggested that if I learned to play a musical instrument (a big brass horn called a baritone) that I would be rewarded with a toy Erector Set. This was the essential toy box for a mechanically inclined boy in those days. Filled with metal parts, screws and nuts, pulleys, wheels, gears and even a battery operated electric motor; I was in the construction business, at least in my head.

Then young adulthood came along and that little voice was there to again guide me, protect me, advise me and offer leadership on an unsolicited basis. I was 20-something now and unsure of everything except I felt I could do anything as I embarked on my life path. The little voice was somewhat supportive and encouraged me to try anything as the opportunity came along. Flying airplanes was my first adventure and I loved it. I still fly to this day. Then it was hiking, sailing, photography, all of which I’m still active in today.

But when it came to work and my career my little voice seemed to get quiet about focus, determination, taking chances, risks, etc. It was always warning me to take the “safe path.” By the time I was 25 the “safe path” was sales and I became good at it. First it was life insurance sales, then sales training, then marketing consulting and I still operate three such businesses in those disciplines today.

All are all active enterprises that all have one thing in common; they only pay me when I’m under contract. When the contract is complete the pay stops. The little voice says it’s okay because my experience is that I’m pretty good at getting another contract. It tells me not to worry. Even though my life is falling apart due to the economy’s merciless pressure which no one seems to have the courage to talk about, my little voice keeps telling me it’s only temporary and that everything is going to be okay.  

One day I woke up and had more bills on my desk than money in my bank account. I had fewer years in front of me than I had behind me. It was then that I wondered just how much of an alliance I should keep with that little voice. My concern was not that I couldn’t get more work. It was that the time required to do so then the time required to deliver and finally the time to do it all over again was getting me nowhere. Sure I felt good to be sitting in a conference room at the head of the table, smug in the knowledge that I was being paid well for my experience, advice, guidance, and leadership. But I also knew the end of the deal was coming and I’d have to repeat the process. I was getting tired of constantly going through this turnstile.  

After about four decades of listening to this little voice and realizing that I was going in circles to protect the importance of that little voice I decided to step out of my comfort zone and take a real risk. Why not simply look in a different direction and try something totally different than all the things that got me here but were not going to get me anywhere else?

There’s an old saying in Eastern philosophy that says “When the student is ready the teacher appears.” There’s something strange about a blessing being laid at your feet. That little voice will do everything it can to convince you that the blessing is a curse in disguise. That little voice will talk to you endlessly about how all the hype and hustle is just a scam designed to keep you from focusing on a real job, real success, real respect and real accomplishment.

The little voice is in a battle to be right, to protect its purpose and convince you to abandon your path to real success and instead go back to what got you here but to just work harder, faster and with more determination than ever. Forget that you have no real “plan B” and that your “Plan A” is crumbling in front of you. Forget that you’re selling your socks on E Bay just to pay your cellular bill. 

At what point do you finally realize that the little voice in your head is not your friend? I have come to a point where I no longer trust that little voice. It may have served me when I was 10 but it is now serving itself. That little voice has only one purpose; to be right. It is not interested in reality, only the accumulated conclusions in my subconscious mind that have been collected over my lifetime. It may have served me at one time, but not now.

The story here is that if any of us are ever going to get past the endless circle of debt, disappointment, lack of income and total lack of any sort of “job security” it cannot depend on that little voice in our heads that never shuts up and always wants to be right. What we need to do is shut down that little voice and replace it with the company of real successful men and women who all come together to help each other become winners.

Even the act of joining such a team will threaten that little voice to the point where you’ll find yourself in a battle to either follow the voice’s demands or ignore it and only listen to the voices of reason from very successful men and women who have accomplished what we say we want but can’t come to terms with. The idea that hard work will produce financial security is so foreign to many of us that we listen to that little voice working overtime to convince us that we are crazy to toss our hats in the ring with millionaires who endlessly reach out to us to help us get on the success train for the fifteen minutes it waits on the tracks of life in front of us. That little voice will scream to let it go; let it move on without us so we can be right about our powerful ability to overcome the worst economic crash since 1929 and proudly go down with the ship.

I, for one, have decided to slam shut the mouth of that little voice for good. From now on I’ll be the voice, and I’ll take my cues from the men and women who have far more important things to think about than chasing down the rent. I’m done listening to that little voice.

If you agree then I’ll see you in the winner’s circle. If not, I’ll make my contributions to the unemployment fund so others can get their 99 weeks of “support” while they hold out for a management position.

I’m Will Robertson and if you’d like to know more about my speaking, training or team building work go to www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com or www.willr.acndirect.com Phone is 562-577-7000 and EM is prospeaker@cox.net

Until my next blog I’m wishing all of us good health, great wealth, much happiness and the time to enjoy them all!

100 Horses

Posted on by
Reply

Try to imagine a herd of 100 horses standing in a field. 97 of them are content to be broken, put in harnesses and made to slave their whole lives. It can be argued that all 97 of them get to be in this nice field, plenty of growth to eat, shade trees in the warm weather, medical care when they need it and they have a barn when it rains and shoes when they need them. They’re happy. They all see each other not as a threat, but as buddies all sharing the same issues, problems, good times and bad. They are a community that supports the members of the community in a like-minded self-imposed reality that gives them a sense of security and comfort.

Then there are the 3 other horses. There they stand apart from the other 97. They are restless, strutting, shaking off the thoughts of any harness, ready, willing and wanting to run as fast as they can. They live to make their own reality, their own circumstances. They will go on to achieve greatness, glamorous accolades and stardom reserved for only a few out of a hundred. They will become Secretariat, Man o’War, Seabiscuit, Silver Charm, Northern Dancer, Smarty Jones and Ferdinand to name only a few of the world’s greatest.

Now imagine what a threat these three horses must seem to the other 97. For one of the 97 to leave their buddies, their lifestyle, their circumstances, good, bad or indifferent, is going to be a huge adjustment. In fact, it may be too much to ask of the other 97 but one thing is for sure… there are a few in that herd that have the courage to try. They only have to be sorted from the others, asked, encouraged, and supported.

How many of us say we want to be one of the 3? We say it but we don’t really believe it can happen. We don’t really know why it can’t happen; we just don’t think it can. That’s the reality of the 97 horses in the field, standing apart from the 3 restless spirits that only think of the possibilities, not the comfort of a predictable life with their buddies.

The three special horses on the other hand can’t tolerate standing there waiting for the next meal, hoping the next day of pulling a two ton wagon through mud won’t be as bad as this day was.

These three will become noticed, be given opportunity only because they applied their willingness to set their sights above the other 97 to step into the spotlight of achievement. They dream only of winning, not just watching the winners.

The trick to success at any time is to first believe in yourself. Without that basic requirement, someone could stack solid gold bars at your feet and you wouldn’t know what to do with them. You’d see them as a roadblock on your quest to get back into your comfort zone. There’s an old saying in Zen philosophy that when the student is ready the teacher appears. 97 of those horses won’t see the teacher. Their blinders prevent it.

Next you need to be able to react to real opportunity when it is presented to you, not analyze it to death while one race horse in a hundred stands there for a few moments waiting for you to get on and join him for the ride to victory.

Finally, you need to think like a thoroughbred. You need to be it, act it, do it and win like it. Then as the other 97 notice this you can eventually sort through them to find the few you want racing beside you.

Speaking for myself, what I do not want is to have a partner on the race track that holds me back, drags me down, tells me how comfy it was in the field with his buddies after a back breaking day pulling ploughs and wagons while humans whipped him to hurry up and work harder. What I do not want is one of the 97 asking over and over and over what the content is, where the savings are, why anybody would buy the product or service. I don’t want a racing partner so used to having blinders on he can’t see real opportunity around him and needs endless explanations before he arrives at my farm to learn more about being a race horse.   

If any of us wants to savor the winner’s circle and all the rewards that come with it, we only have to visualize being in it then find an opportunity that will get us there. Yes, we need to cover the bills, keep our attitude positive, stay around the other race horses and not get off the track! But mostly we have to see ourselves as we want to be, not as we are now.

It’s true that the grassy field looks nice compared to this race track, but it’s an illusion. There are no winner’s circles there. There are no splendid scarves of flowers waiting to be placed around my neck in front of millions of admirers with cameras blazing because I simply did what I was born to do; win races.

What is there looks to me like a life of mediocrity, boring repetition and zero job security. I see countless plaques on the wall, letters of appreciation, a file full of resumes and another full of pink slips. When those 97 horses can’t pull that wagon any longer the food gets worse, the medical care disappears; any attention of any kind becomes more of a charity rather than admiration and celebration. And when any of those 97 finally dies they will be remembered only as long as the others can recall the good old days.

In the meantime the 3 race horses will go down in history as the greatest horses of all time, to be remembered for as long as there are races for the few who aspire to participate. Their images will be painted and hung on walls for generations to see. Their names will be immortalized, and be added to record books for all to respect. Their images will be embroidered on hats, pennants, blankets and jackets. Multi-million dollar farms will be maintained for their comfort and security. They will be admired and celebrated their entire lives and revered long after that.

I think humanity is like this even in the richest country the world has ever known. Only 3% of all Americans end up financially independent by the time they want to take it easy. The other 97% are either poor and on welfare or living day to day with only one paycheck separating them from living in their own homes to living in a rented room, paying for it with unemployment or social security checks.

How do I know this? In the past five years I’ve witnessed it firsthand. 76,000,000 babies were born from 1946 to 1950 and very few of them are standing in the winner’s circle today. They say that history ignored is doomed to repeat itself. I believe it. The good news is that there’s room on the race track for those who want to compete and win. Very few people remember who came in second, while those that came in first are household words.

There are many of the 97 who will say that $X for an opportunity to be on the race track is more than they have, just to cite one example of how we think ourselves out of success. My question to them is this… if you knew you were holding the winning lottery ticket do you think you could find $X for a taxi ride to go claim the prize? Your answer determines whether you stick with the 97 or join the other three.

You can learn more about my team building, keynote speaking and consulting work at www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com or www.willr.acnrep.com and you can reach me at 562-577-7000 or at www.prospeaker.com

Multiple Streams of Income

Posted on by
Reply

I have a dear friend who has told me more than once that the key to keeping the financial boat upright is to create and maintain multiple streams of income. In this economy that’s advice I can relate to. What are the realities of the average wage earner these days?

Most will say that when it comes right down to it they are wage slaves. That means working for a wage and giving up the time it takes to accomplish that work. Some people love it but is there a future in it these days? From my perspective I’m part of a group of people that likes having my own options. Furthermore, a lot of my readers and those I work with in my sales, speaking, training, and consulting focus are facing some hard choices in this so-called “recovered” economic recession. This is the same recession that was supposed to have ended two years ago. I’m not seeing it.  

I have many friends in various stages of life from mid-20s to mid-60s and everything in between. My more mature friends are talking about what they call “exit strategies.” I’m asking what that means and the replies I’m getting come down to this… what happens when I’m just too tired, too old and over qualified to keep going? Where’s the money going to come from? Social Security? That won’t come close to supporting a person these days when living in the USA. Savings? Perhaps, if you have enough savings. In reality very few people have any savings left after this past five years of economic whiplash, and for those who do the interest on that nest egg is right around zero to one percent. So what are the options?

If you’re just turning 20 or 30 something you may be under the illusion that a life of good health and opportunity will always be there for you as long as you get up, dress up, and show up. But if you take a good look at the reality there are very few career jobs that cuddle up to you and see you into the golden years of retirement. The average person born in the later years of the “baby boom” held 10.8 jobs from age 18 to age 42. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. So when you walk into that office or other place of business just be aware of what you’re trading for what you’re getting. You’re trading your time and you can’t get it back. And you can probably forget about company loyalty. Every corporation in the world will happily show you the door and never look back if they need to downsize. Your job means absolutely nothing to them. We need to get clear about that fact.

To be fair, there are jobs that do provide some modicum of what we call “security.” But they’re state or federal jobs that are set up to keep you locked down on the pay scale for a lifetime in exchange for that security. For the rest of us there are only two options short of winning the lottery or discovering that some distant relative left us a few million dollars.

Option one is to be an entrepreneur. Option two is to be a network business person. In either case being self-employed is a huge step forward in self security. If anyone knows of other options I’m open to some education on the topic. So, let’s look at being an entrepreneur. This a route for many brave souls with absolute focus and determination. My hat is off to them. I have been there and loved it. In fact I still oversee a marketing consulting firm that I started in 1985 and have no regrets.

An entrepreneur is a person who starts a business either by accident or on purpose that blossoms into jobs for the community and sometimes nice rewards for the founder / owners if they can handle the requirements. The U.S. Small Business Association gives this set of reasons why over 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years.

  • Lack of experience
  • Not enough money
  • Poor location
  • Poor inventory management
  • Over investment in fixed assets
  • Poor credit arrangements
  • Personal use of business funds
  • Unexpected growth
  • Competition
  • Low sales
  • Lack of customer service
  • Lack of training for staff

To be an entrepreneur you have to contend with a wide array of demands on you and your ability. But if you can do it you can join the ranks of the few business leaders who depend on their own instincts and resources. The short list includes products or services that have to be created, packaged, shelved and shipped. Then you have to deal with service to the buyers, distributors, customers and referrals. Next are inventory and the management that requires. Liabilities are seldom discussed in the early stages of business plan creation but sooner or later somebody somewhere is going to say your product or service did not live up to expectations. No big deal for the true entrepreneur.

Others will steal your idea, your brand, your packaging, even your reputation when you achieve success. Can you afford to defend your patents or copyrights? And what about staffing? You’ll be required to interview, hire, train, compensate, track and terminate all within the confines of the laws of the state where you are located. That will bring up a host of Human Resource issues that are going to require time, attention, money, dedication, patience and perseverance. Not to worry – the entrepreneur can handle all of this and a lot more. That’s what they do and the world needs them.

Now let’s look at what is commonly called “Network Marketing.” This is a very effective self-employment system of team building, training, supporting and acknowledging performance. This is also what every sales manager has to contend with every day of his or her working life, regardless of the company, if success and a good steady income are the goals. Such jobs are available from a variety of sources. Network marketing is one of the fastest growing business segments in the world, not just in the U.S.A.

Some of the more prominent names are easily recognized. Below is a list of the top 25 network marketing firms in the U.S.A. as of June, 2011. The right hand column shows Google Page Rank, Alexa Rank and Google Trends metrics. Each company shown is linked to their web site. Lastly, if the company is publicly traded, (and seven of The Top 25 are), you will see their year in business shown in light blue, and linked to MarketWatch for a real time stock quote and other financial information.

Company Time In Business GPR – AR   -  GT
  1. Amway 1959 – 52 Years 6 -    5,143  – 2.02
  2. Herbalife 1980 – 31 Years 6 -  18,570  – 2.16
  3. ACN 1993 – 18 Years 6 -  22,114  – 1.14
  4. Nu Skin 1984 – 27 Years 5 -    9,493  – 0.19
  5. USANA 1992 – 19 Years 5 -  14,145  - 0.44
  6. Pre-Paid Legal 1972 – 39 Years 5 -  14,624  - 0.04
  7. Forever Living 1978 – 33 Years 5 -   22,649 – 0.40
  8. 4Life 1998 – 13 Years 5 -   36,438 – 0.13
  9. Tahitian Noni 1997 – 14 Years 5 -   37,014 – 0.14
10. Arbonne 1980 – 31 Years 5 -   43,147 – 0.67
11. Advocare 1993 – 18 Years 5 -   51,862 – 0.13
12. Shaklee 1957 – 54 Years 5 -   72,333 - 0.21
13. GNLD 1958 – 53 Years 5 -   97,295 – 0.07
14. Juice Plus (NSA) 1970 - 41 Years 5 – 126,511 – 0.24
15. Sunrider 1982 – 29 Years 5 – 174,309 – 0.08
16. Nikken 1975 – 36 Years 4 -   21,098 – 0.29
17. 5LINX 2001 – 10 Years 4 -   44,371 – 0.05
18. Freelife 1995 – 16 Years 4 -   53,164 - 0.03
19. Nature’s Sunshine 1972 – 39 Years 4 -   60,245 - 0.01
20. Mannatech 1996 – 15 Years 4 -   75,884 – 0.16
21. AmeriPlan 1992 – 19 Years 4 – 113,789 – 0.11
22. Neways 1994 – 17 Years 4 – 134,739 – 0.16
23. Reliv 1988 – 23 Years 4 – 165,761 – 0.08
24. Unicity 2001 – 10 Years 3 -   67.023 – 0.10
25. Synergy WorldWide 1999 – 12 Years 3 – 104,335 – 0.01

 In my view one has to take network marketing very seriously. These are serious companies with excellent track records and all the advantages of a focused, caring team of dedicated professionals who make it their business to see you succeed in spite of your doubts, fears and even your pre-conceived notions of what a “job” is really all about.  

Simply put, when you find a product or service you can truly believe in, you ARE an entrepreneur and you’ll recruit others to share in your belief. However, one of the biggest misconceptions about network marketing is that nothing actually gets sold. That’s just not true. Of course something gets sold. It seems to me the biggest critics of network marketing are the folks who really don’t understand what it is all about, or do not have a background in sales. In my experience, there are some people who think that getting a steady paycheck is a perk of a “real job.” In fact, the opposite seems to be true. See this exert from the online edition of US News as written by Mortimer B Zuckerman and posted Feb. 11, 2011:

There is no life in our jobs market. The recession “officially ended” in June 2009, but the Great Jobs Recession continues apace. Not since the government began to measure the business cycle has a deep recession been marked by such high levels of unemployment and underemployment, and followed by such anemic job growth. More jobs were lost in the recession of 2007-09 than in the previous four recessions combined—and this time it is an agonizingly slow business to replace them. Of the 8.8 million jobs lost during the downturn, roughly 900,000 were recovered in 2010, and many of these were temporary census positions. Since last June, employers have added a net of only about 284,000 jobs.

So much for “real jobs.” Network marketing is about making a decision. Actually, it’s more like un-choosing everything except what makes the most sense for a sales-minded person. Entrepreneurs have to do the same thing. To be sure, network marketing is a sales based job and there’s no escaping that point. If you are not sales oriented, or have no sales background then network marketing is probably not for you. In addition you have to be a bit “risk-adverse.” Products and services do need to get sold by you and others. Without that there is no job, no marketing and no future. Nothing happens until somebody sells something.

I’ll wrap up this blog by stating that I have made a decision. I’m already an entrepreneur and happy about it. I’ve been self-employed for the past 25 years and would not change a thing. Even so, I’m hedging my bets and throwing my hat in the ring with a company specializing in telecom and energy options for businesses and individuals. My past 20 years have been in the wireless industry as a consultant, speaker, trainer and product developer. I’ve trained and motivated thousands who now work as entrepreneurs with network marketing firms. After doing a little research I find that this company also has an impressive track record, mature, serious-about-success team members, focused and determined leaders and all with an array of products and services that just about every adult in the United States is already paying for. The company is called ACN and is number three in the list of the top 25 network marketing companies in business for 10 years or longer.

I’m happy about this decision and will add this activity to my current business interests. This is a real job and with people who are concerned about my success. This is a far cry from the corporations I’ve worked with in the past that hit the eject button when it suited them. They’re showing me that they want me to succeed because we all succeed together or we fail together. Strange how similar that sounds to the rest of corporate America. In summary, being self-employed is a smart decision.

Stay tuned… I’ll share my network marketing experiences in this blog as I continue to pursue my speaking and consulting opportunities. By the way… if YOU are thinking that perhaps I’m onto something then call me. I have room on my sales team for a few entrepreneurs who want to own and operate their own business without the hassle of inventing a product or service to sell.

 

You can learn more about my speaking, training and consulting work at these web sites: www.willrobertson.us  www.psistrategies.com  www.willr.acndirect.com or call me at 562-577-7000 or EM to prospeaker@cox.net

Until next blog I’m Will Robertson wishing us all HUGE SUCCESS!

Heavy Black Stuff – How George Did It

Posted on by
Reply

Have you ever heard of a man named George Hearst? Most people have no idea who this man was or what he did that is so memorable.  Not a problem, because this blog is going to reveal the story and the even more amazing story that preceded George, as well as what happened after George struck it rich.

The story begins on September 3, 1820 when George was born of a Scottish origin near Sullivan, Missouri, to William and Elizabeth Collins Hurst. George was the oldest of three children. Two years later, his sister Martha was born and later a younger brother Philip arrived, who was unfortunately crippled from birth. From a young age, George worked on the family farm and received very little formal schooling.

Though George was said to have had a lifelong interest in books, he had only rudimentary reading abilities. However, even without a formal education, George was no dummy, as the world would soon see. When George was 26, his father died owing some $10,000 to his creditors – a huge sum in 1846. George immediately took on the responsibility for caring for his mother, younger sister, and brother.

 Before long, George improved on the farm’s profitability, opened a small store and leased a couple of prospective lead mines.  The oldest economic endeavor in Missouri, lead had been mined in the area since 1715. George had been interested in the mines since he was a child and once he acquired the rights to the lead mines, he began to studying the mining business in earnest. His mines prospered, producing both lead and copper and within two years he was able to pay off his father’s debt.

 As a man, George was remembered as “almost illiterate” and having a taste for poker, bourbon and tobacco. His manner and dress were often described as rough, disheveled, and crude, as he appeared in dirty and wrinkled clothes at board and miners’ meetings alike. In addition to his many mining activities, George had been continuously acquiring land in the west, especially in California, and also substantial ranching and livestock interests. Keep in mind that buying vacant land at that time was a risk in itself as there were not many ways to extract a return on the investment other than grazing rights for cattle ranchers.

 He had been in California since 1850, working unsuccessfully as a worker miner and then as a storekeeper. In 1859 George got wind of a possible lead mine called the Comstock mine in Virginia City, Nevada. He acquired an interest in what was described as a promising gold and lead mine for $3,000. He then went back to California to raise the money, then returned with his friends and started digging.

 It’s interesting to note that the name Comstock comes from Henry Thomas Paige Comstock. He has been credited with the discovery of the Comstock mine, but it is an honor to which he was not entitled. The credit of discovering a small amount of gold and some “heavy black stuff” in Nevada belongs to two other men who did find gold, but not that much of it. The grand discovery had been made several hours before Comstock even knew of it. Toward the evening on the day the “find” was made, Comstock came to where the two men were at work. They were taking out gold by the pound and decomposed black ore they thought to be lead, by the hundreds of pounds. Comstock saw the gold and realized that a great strike had been made. He at once declared that he had a claim upon the ground.

By this time George and friends were doing the real work. Working against the approach of winter, they discovered that very little gold was embedded in the “heavy black stuff” they thought to be lead ore. Even though it was difficult to judge the value of the minerals, they managed in two months to dig out 38 tons of ore, load it onto mules, and literally walk it over the mountain passes to a smelter in San Francisco. They had no idea what the ore would produce. They were expecting lead to be the principle product with a little gold to pay the expenses, they waited for days to hear from the smelter. When the news finally got to George it turned out that his gold and lead ore had just produced a profit of more than $90,000. But this was not gold or lead. The gleaming white bars of pure silver bullion were paraded through the streets to a bank, where they were stacked in window. The heavy black stuff was oxidized silver. It was nearly 100% pure silver, not lead ore as was thought by the original owners of the mine.

 With just a little more experience and hard work, they would have realized that this mine was about to become one of the richest silver mines ever discovered. Although Mr. Comstock was not a discoverer of the silver or any other products of the mine, he was one of the original locators of the mine so he did have a minor interest in it. He later sold his minor interest for $10,000. With this he opened a store in Carson City, but knowing nothing of business, having no education, and being unable to keep the books, he was soon out of money. After losing all the property he possessed in Nevada, Mr. Comstock went to Idaho and Montana, where he prospected for some years without success. In September, 1870, while encamped near Bozeman, Montana, he committed suicide with his gun.

 In the meantime George bought out the remaining rights to the newly discovered silver mine and went on to acquire vast riches because of it. With his money he then bought up large parcels of California land including 240,000 acres that is now called San Simeon. About this time George married and the two had only one child. Their boy and his mother toured Europe extensively while George preferred to focus on his holdings. The experiences of Europe impacted the boy in a big way as can be seen in the magnificent home he later built.

And here is where the story starts to get more familiar to the rest of us. William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863, in San Francisco, California, as the only child of George Hearst, and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. In 1887, at age 23 he became “Proprietor” of the San Francisco Examiner which his father had accepted as payment for a gambling debt. George felt that after his son was asked to leave Harvard more than once, he needed a project, so giving him the newspaper was meant to keep his son busy and out of trouble. In 1903, Mr. W. R. Hearst married Millicent Wilson in New York City. The couple had five sons together during their marriage:

During his lifetime William took the little San Francisco newspaper and expanded the company with sensational headlines and graphic images – new to the public at that time. At his peak he owned 28 major newspapers and 18 magazines, along with several radio stations and movie companies. He literally decided the outcome of presidential elections. The Great Depression weakened his financial position and by 1940 he had lost personal control of his vast communications empire. However, he never lost complete control due to his many friends and even some enemies who cared enough for him to come to his aid in his time of need. W. R. Hearst died in the home of his companion, Marion Davies, in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Aug. 14, 1951, at the age of 88.

The rest, as they say, is history. His national chain of newspapers and periodicals grew to include the Chicago Examiner, Boston American, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar. His life inspired the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane.  Today, the Hearst publishing empire is still run by his children due to the generosity of his lifelong Mistress (together 1915-1951), actress Marion Davies. In his will he had left controlling interest of the vast Hearst publishing empire to her but she gave it all back to the estate for the princely sum of one dollar, thus allowing his children to continue his legacy.

The lesson here is that one man’s “heavy black stuff” is another man’s fortune. Knowledge, experience, willingness and determination allowed George to become a very rich person at a time when there were very few rich people. That led to handing his only son a newspaper won on a bet. That became the story we know today framed by the famous Hearst Castle located on the very land George bought over a hundred years ago. That home took 28 years to build and features 165 rooms. It is said that the home was never actually finished. Thousands go to see the famed castle and witness firsthand what William Randolph Hearst created for all of us to enjoy.

Until next blog, I’m Will Robertson wishing you great success!

You can learn more about my motivational and keynote speaking, MC, training and coaching work at www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com or you can E Mail me at prospeaker@cox.net or call 562-577-7000.

We Are Not Our Circumstances!

Posted on by
Reply

How many times have you woke up thinking that your main challenge today is getting the bills paid, finding time to get the car serviced, fixing something in the house, tending to the pets, visiting a friend in need or in the hospital, and taking care of some disturbing mail from this past week? And that’s just for openers!

Who does not have issues? Who does not have problems? Check this out from the first of the famous Vacation series of Chevy Chase movies…

Cousin Eddie: Hey Clark, you look like you could use a cold one.

Clark: Now you’re talking!

[Eddie hands Clark his opened beer he'd been drinking, gets a fresh one for himself]

Clark: So, this is the old homestead, eh?

Cousin Eddie: Yeah. I don’t know for how much longer, though. The bank’s been after me like flies on a rib roast.

Ellen: Gee Cath look’s like you really got your hands full.

Catherine: Oh, it’s not so bad. Eddie says after the baby comes, I can quit one of my night jobs.

How many times have any of us felt this was OUR story? Not all the time but even some of the time is too much. As we know Cousin Eddie was holding out for a management position for over 7 years but it’s all a choice. What I mean here is that we can choose to buy into our circumstances and thus adopt the victim role or we can admit that while our circumstances may not be attractive, they’re only temporary and we need to stand up and do something to change them.

That’s the point of this blog. We are NOT our circumstances! There are abundant stories to illustrate this such as the story of a poor Mexican immigrant. If ever there was a man who could so easily have bought into his circumstances, it was Alfredo.  Twenty years ago, he hopped a border fence from Mexico into the United States and became a migrant farmworker.

Today, he is a neurosurgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University, and a researcher who is looking for a breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer. His remarkable journey began in a tiny farming community, 60 miles south of the U.S. border. Quinones-Hinojosa was born there, and by age 5, he was working at his father’s gas station. His grandmother was a village healer and a midwife. But in the mid-1970s, Mexico’s economy collapsed, and his father could no longer keep food on the table for the family. Quinones-Hinojosa continued his schooling and became a teacher by the time he was 18, but he, too, was unable to provide for his family. So he made the decision — like so many relatives before him — to head north.

When he arrived in the United States as an illegal migrant farm worker in 1987, he was 19 years old. He could not speak a word of English and had less than $5 in his pocket. He also had a desire to make something more of himself. Quinones-Hinojosa picked cotton, tomatoes and cantaloupes, and lived in the fields in a broken-down camper he bought for $300. When his cousin told him he would be a farmworker for the rest of his life, he realized it was time to move on. He signed up for English classes at a community college, where a teacher encouraged him to attend the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley on a scholarship, Quinones-Hinojosa developed a passion for the scientific method. He went on to Harvard Medical School, where he eventually delivered the commencement speech. It is also during this time that he received his U.S. citizenship.

Today, this is the result of a man who did NOT buy into his circumstances. He is a world-renown and highly respected medical professional with all the accolades and wealth and job security that comes with having reached for, and achieved his dreams. You and I can achieve our life ambitions as he did. We simply have to do it.

Alfredo teaches us all that we are not our circumstances; unless we choose to be. One might argue that he was given everything and that he paid nothing to earn it. Really? Anyone can be anything they want anytime by simply realizing that their circumstances are not the limiting factor in their choice of a future. Payment for results starts with a mental commitment, not just a checkbook.

No matter what your challenges for today or tomorrow or for the next five years, do something. Move off dead center. Make a choice. Get on a path to something better, something that matches your passion and talents. After all, what’s the alternative? To stay stuck in a pool of despair and mediocrity?

To learn more about the fascinating story of Dr. Hinojosa see the following:

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/dome/0609/top_story.cfm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/quinones-hinojosa.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Quinones-Hinojosa

Until next blog, I’m Will Robertson wishing you GREAT SUCCESS!

To learn more about my motivational or educational work as a Keynote Speaker / Business Coach – Consultant see www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com

Call 562-577-7000 or EM me at prospeaker@cox.net

Self-Talk: The Internal Critic

Posted on by
Reply

All of us have a little voice in our head that never shuts up. It reminds us of what we can or can’t do and why, then backs it up with vivid images of past failures for added proof. That voice lives in a part of the brain’s memory banks called the subconscious mind.

According to the majority of mind experts the human mind is divided into two parts; the part that is aware of everything going on around us and the part that stores our conclusions about those experiences. The conscious mind sees, hears, feels, tastes, smells and in general, experiences places, circumstances, events and people all at the same time. This is why when you smell a great meal being prepared it can bring back memories of a pleasant time at Grandma’s house or even an unpleasant time at Uncle Joe’s house.

The conscious part of our mind is only about 10% of the whole mind with the other 90% making up the storage banks where all our conclusions get placed for permanent storage and later recall. This is the crux of a huge reality that is a voice that communicates to us 24 hours a day to keep us in our place. That voice reports to us about our accomplishments or lack of them on a consistent basis. Try to think of your subconscious mind as a library of journals where all your conclusions about you and your past experiences are written down and stored. All these books add up to WHO you are and are not.

While this system has evolved to keep us alive (memories of a wild animal trying to track you down for lunch, for example, reminds you to avoid them in the first place), it also serves to keep us from reaching beyond our recorded self-imposed limits. This system of subconscious record keeping has its good points and not so good points. The good points include the fact that we can choose to only conclude positive, uplifting, supportive results about who and how we are. The not so good points include the fact that we also conclude any and all self-decided failures, disappointments, and accidents, bad judgments, along with the guilt, blame, fear, angst, and self-damnation that come from just being human!

One concerning fact of this internal record-keeping is that the sum total of our stored internal conclusions about ourselves can never be erased. We go to the grave with those internal conclusions. But all is not lost… we can overwrite the bad or limiting conclusions with better, more positive, supportive and uplifting conclusions over time. This is done with the use of what are called “affirmations.”

An affirmation is a short, precise statement that we can repeat over and over to ourselves from something as simple as a post-it note on the dash of the vehicle, on the mirror where we get ready in the morning, even on the computer monitor frame so we can see it all day every day. The more we read and accept this positive note about who and how we are, the more we overwrite the already stored internal negative conclusions about our past. Why do this at all? Because over time we are all faced with challenges dealing with the big life issues we all deal with every day — health, money, relationships, career, and community (and there may be others).

In effect, those with health issues struggle with solutions when that internal critic says it can’t be fixed. Those with relationship issues struggle with harmony when that internal critic says you have to be right at all costs. Those with money issues will continue to live paycheck to paycheck with the credit cards maxed out because that internal critic says this is the way it’s always been and besides the economy is bad so we’re justified in continuing to paint ourselves into an economic corner with nowhere to turn when cash is needed. And those with career issues will listen to their internal critic explain that a better job, more opportunity, even the possibility to pursue one’s passion, is just not in the stars. All the past records in the subconscious become the life map that shows us where we’ve been and where we’re going as well as where we’re NOT going.

So how important is this topic? Well, how much do you want to change any aspect of your life in the five areas that consume so much of our time? Health, Money, Relationships, Career or Community are the biggies for most of us. If at any time we want our results to be different then we have to not only commit to changing our behavior in those areas, we also need to re-write the subconscious speed bumps, the brick walls, and even the “you can never have that” messaging that comes from that little voice in our heads called the “internal critic.”

You can start the new version of YOU by doing a little research about affirmations. Try these links for more detail:

http://www.vitalaffirmations.com/

http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_00000a.htm

In summary, we become what we think about all day long. If we want a preview of coming attractions all we have to do is examine our day-to-day thoughts. If we don’t like the previews we’re certainly not going to like the life results that are headed our way. We can take control of our future by taking control of our internal self-talk. All that’s required is a willingness to make a few changes about how we regard ourselves. A higher self-esteem is only an affirmation away!

Until next blog – I’m Will Robertson and you can learn more about my Keynote Speaking or Business Coaching / Consulting at: www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com

Want to contact me? E Mail is Prospeaker@cox.net or call 562-577-7000

ADD – Myth or Reality?

Posted on by
Reply

According to the HealthCenter.Info site 3 to 5 percent of kids have attention deficit disorder. In my experience I’m surprised it’s not more like 40 to 60 percent. The article goes on to suggest that there may be an adult carryover of up to 70% of those kids who will later display what we now call Adult Deficit Disorder (ADD).

What’s going on? What could possibly have a grown man or woman not able to focus on a single event at one time? I think the answer is not that hard to come up with. To start with if you are self-employed you have plenty to keep you turning your head all day long. From computer work to errands, taking care of kids, the pets, the neighbors, talking with friends, family and even doing work for the church or community, there are endless OTHER things to pay attention to.

So maybe not being focused is not your fault after all. Or is it? We adults can choose anytime we want. I think the real challenge is un-choosing. Like the character Curley said in the hilarious film, City Slickers – “Do you know what the secret of life is? And with one finger held up for Mitch to see he says “One thing, just ONE thing!”

Good advice Curley! I’m going to add to that… just one thing at a time. And time is the same for everyone so there’s a lot of un-choosing that needs to be done. Most of us like to keep our options open. Right. And what are those options?

If you’ve ever created one of those “to do” lists to help you organize your day then you know what an exercise in vanity that can be. If you had to add the time requirement to each thing on that list you’d need 18 hours to get them all done on a good day. Most of us over schedule and then blame the busy nature of our lives to explain why certain tasks did not get accomplished. So we get to hide behind the curtain of victimization and not take responsibility for our inability or unwillingness to just un-choose some of the to do items on the list, or in our lives.

Personally I’ve never been able to finish a single list that I’ve created in the past twenty years. Hmmmm – does that sound like a pattern? I think so. So, here’s the best advice I’ve heard all year long…. The secret to life is just one thing. Get good at that and let everything else be a side bar to that one thing. This can apply to relationships, money, health, career, community and relax time.

Okay – I feel much better about the rest of my day. Now let’s see, vacuum the carpet, go to the grocery store, post office, get gas, do the laundry, lunch with buddy Mike, devote two hours plus 90 minutes of driving for my volunteer project, mail out ten speaking packages to prospective event managers, edit my two last videos, pay some bills, go by the office supply store, stop by Home Depot to see what it will take to fix a small home repair issue for an elderly acquaintance, and get a nice 5 X 7 frame so I can finally hang a photo of my adopted kids on the dining room wall. Yeah, I can do that by 4 pm. Opps, gotta plan dinner as I love to be the cook in my house and of course there are the five boxes of slides I discovered in storage last week that must be seen as soon as possible. It’s okay because what I don’t get done today I can add to my list for tomorrow.

Now, where is that remote control for the TV?

If you’d like to know more about my motivational Keynote Speaking or Business Consulting / Coaching go to www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com and if you want to contact me use Prospeaker@cox.net or you can call 562-577-7000

The Home Office is Good

Posted on by
Reply

As I sit here in my residence I’m enjoying my cockpit of an office and I notice I’m surrounded with the stuff I love. In front of me sits a 22 inch monitor and an identical one to my right. So I have a nice patch of LCD real estate upon which to run multiple applications with Internet access on one and my E Mail on the other. In between those windows MS Word is allowing me to write this post while a small calendar peaks out to the right of this document for easy reference. Above these two monitors sits another 22 inch Hi Def TV with a cable feed (sound is turned off) flashing CNN developments just in case I need to notice anything that may have some remote relation to me earning my living. I really think the TV thing is more about one more screen flashing colorful and interesting content at me. I feel like a big shot with three of these 22 inch screens all facing me.

But that’s not all. To my left is a table, just close enough to rest my left arm on as I type on a keyboard that sits on a sliding tray to add to the compactness of the “flight deck.” And on that table sits a beautiful 24 inch Hi Def iMac with a few multi-terabyte drives hooked up to it for doing video editing, complete with KRK system V6 speakers coupled to an audio preamp for sound. I just love the four screens all offering me something to look at, do, be distracted by or prod me into doing some real work.

Next come the printers. Just gotta have them! Under my keyboard tray sits a four-time rebuilt HP Laser Jet 4 that passed its 20th birthday sometime last year. But they don’t make ‘em like that anymore and for about $100 I get over 6,000 printed sheets with zero defects all the time, every time. It is the only piece of equipment I have that still requires a parallel cable and that alone dictated my selection of a mother board as this was a rock solid requirement. Plus, it just does fit the shelf built in to accommodate it in this little corner computing desk made for this very reason. It gives a whole new meaning to the “corner office.” To the right of that 27 pound Sherman Printer sits my pride and joy – the ultra-cool Darth Vader black turbo fan dual core tower of power running XP from the last century and obeying my every command. Why not upgrade? There is no upgrade for XP. XP finally got stable following the three thousand, six hundred updates over the past fifteen years and I’m not going to fix something that is not broke! Besides, most of my antique devices, drives, USB busses, and clip on cameras won’t tolerate any such changes to their cyber environment.

The six-ink full color photo printer sits to my left within easy reach and yet another black-only laser printer from Dell sits on the left of the all-knowing Lion-powered dual core iMac. This is because I gave up on trying to get the iMac to use the HP tank that is on the network and dug the old Dell out of storage and forced life back into its tired, dusty wires. It does me proud! Another zero defect product from the college kid in Texas.

Toss in a few additional office necessities such as a real phone that is attached to a wire that disappears into the wall and a calculator on my desk and you get the picture. The real phone is more of a pacifier that keeps me feeling comfortable because who knows when my cell phone will simply drop my call? Besides, I have a couple of those toll free numbers and I understand I need a long distance carrier in order to make them work so there is my reason for this throw back to antiquity. Now if I could just get rid of the $30 per month bill.

As if this were not enough I have a 49 square foot book case to my immediate right that stands about seven feet tall and seven feet wide. It must be necessary because I can’t find a single spot to put a business card on any of the shelves. Just not enough space, darn it. But I do feel good about having a few hundred books a reach away even though every one of them is also available on the Internet that is only inches from my nose.

I’m not sure but I think it’s the heft of a real book, the thump it makes when I put it on the table and the instant data from simply opening it. I may not know what I’m looking at but they are too alluring to let go of. So the book case stays. Never knowing for sure what book may be necessary on any given day I have a nice selection of computer software how-to books, a few on the vast subject of cosmology, a nice collection of flight training manuals and what book case is complete without a collection of cook books on the bottom shelf? Then there are my business journals from ten years back in case I need to recall someone’s name from a meeting somewhere for some reason I no longer remember. Real comfort is aided with my volume titled The Illustrated Directory of Guitars. No office is complete without it.

And there we have it. One very comfortable little at home working environment that invites me to take the Capitan’s chair, go through the check list and fire up the dozen or so machines to start my day. The home office is good.

Now where are my glasses and my coffee and my cell phone and my file titled “to do today?”

Thinking about a motivational or Keynote Speaker for your next event? You can learn about my work at www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com and if you want to contact me you can use Prospeaker@cox.net or call 562-577-7000. I’m Will Robertson wishing you GREAT SUCCESS!

Ahhh, Sunday Mornings

Posted on by
Reply

Sunday mornings are a time to relax, get your business or personal journal and a pen nearby, have a warm cup of coffee or tea with a little fresh fruit and your local Sunday newspaper. It helps if the sky is a tad overcast with  a light sprinkling of rain on the patio and a little peace and quiet.

I like the time for reflection, how my past week went, what I want to plan for the coming week, and I like to do a mental checkilist of communications with my dear freinds and loving children, being sure not to forget a single call even it it is to leave a recorded message to let someone know I am thinking of them.

Sunday’s seem to be a day where I can cast aside my concerns, worries, angst, or overthinking otherwise simple resolutions to even less important considerations. Sunday is a time to write, to create, celebrate the success of other creative souls who are being showcased in the Calendar Section of the Times; perhaps even take an interest in what got them to this point. Mostly, Sunday morning is a time to listen to the quiet, enjoy the view outside the windows, wear my robe until noon and get ready to entertain a few invited friends to join me for the football games. This is where the laughter, blue jeans and tee shirts, funky sports shoes and just being ourselves is all that is expected. If I’m lucky my dear Sandy and perhaps a few other ladies will be there to help us guys feel at home and even entertained with snack sandwiches on football shaped trays, and join in the commentary of the festivities that an afternoon of football on a flat screen can provide.

Sunday mornings are for me a tiny vacation from the other days. This is a day when I don’t have to shave, don’t have to go to a store, and don’t have to meet a deadline. It’s a day for me to just be where I am, when I’m there, without desire or regrets.

If you’re thinking about a motivational Keynote Speaker for your next meeting, convention, or event learn more about my work at www.willrobertson.us or www.psistrategies.com

If you want to contact me try Prospeaker@cox.net or call 562-577-7000. In the meantime I’m Will Robertson wishing you GREAT SUCCESS!