Taking personal responsibility for our own mess.

I talk to a lot people everyday and ask many questions about how they feel concerning the economic crisis affecting our country. This is what I hear: Life sucks, the government is corrupt, they don't care about us, life is not fair, and the list goes on.

So far I have not heard anyone saying: You know, we have to take some of the responsibility for this mess. I have been spending way beyond my revenues or resources, creating debt (the 800 pound gorilla sitting on your shoulders and causing a tremendous amount of fear and stress).

Marriages are breaking up due to the arguments caused by the lack of money to pay the bills. We have failed to save for a "rainy day" and now we blame anyone but ourselves. Of course, there are circumstances out of our control. So, let's stop worrying about things we can't change and concentrate on how we can get out of this crisis. The Chinese language has a symbol with dual meaning: one way spells crisis and the other one opportunity.

The way I see it, this is a wake-up call. We need to change our spending habits, we have become a nation of spenders with instant gratification. If the trinket doesn't love you back, don't buy it. If you already have it, sell it and save the money.

If unemployed, take advantage of this opportunity, go back to school and learn another skill, change careers, get another job in another industry, move to another city. When you are at the bottom of the pit, you have no place to go but up.

Surround yourself with people who see life as a painting canvass, creating their own destiny. Stay away from toxic people, even if they are relatives.

If you are employed and the money is not enough, you have two choices: Create more revenue, cut costs or do both. You can't print money. If you tell me that jobs are hard to find, then explain to me how immigrants have two and sometimes 3 jobs.

Start a think tank with other people to find out what people need and provide it. I always said that you can knock out the competition if: You provide 110 % service to your customer, love what your do, have fun doing it and expect a reasonable profit--because without a profit you can not stay in business. This you can apply to any business. Think out of the box-- something blue, something new. I have a friend who started a business cleaning windows and toilets for small commercial companies and he is doing rather well. He now has three employees. I forgot to tell you that he used to be a Project manager for a computer company.

Above all, be kind to yourself and others. You are not your job. Trust me, there is a way out. But we have to start with ourselves.

Will my life be better because of Mr. Obama

I am fascinated by the belief of some of people that the new administration has all the answers concerning the present condition of our country. I hear comments from young people thinking that the President and his administration will change their lives for the better. Maybe yes, maybe not.

What I do know is that every morning I have to get up, kick myself on the behind and attempt to do the best I can with my life. The minute that allow myself into believing that someone is going to make it better for me, I have become a co-dependent.

There is certain permeating nagging belief that we are done, that we can't lift ourselves up and that we have seen the best of this country. I disagree, it is up to each one of us to undertake the task of rebuilding this country from the bottom up. We need to start by taking personal responsibility for some of the problems - like borrowing money to buy trinkets which lose value the minute we exit the store, like borrowing money to buy a house we can't afford. It seems to me that this new generation lives from paycheck to paycheck and not saving any money for a "rainy day". I am told that the average couple doesn't have an emergency fund of any kind and if they do, it might be a month or so. The government can print money, we can't.

People ask, "Where is the stimulus money going?" and I say, Where is it coming from?
If we keep spending and borrowing from other countries, eventually we will go bankrupt. Or are we there already?

I may suggest that every morning we get up and ask ourselves this question. "What can I do today to help my country to get back on track? We can't have our President do it by himself. Agree?

Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia who?? That's what I said to the Neurologist when she diagnosed this illness. MG is a chronic neuromuscular, autoimmune disorder that causes varying degrees of weakness involving the voluntary muscles of the body. Most commonly affects the muscles controlling eye movements, eyelids, chewing, swallowing, coughing and facial expression. Muscles that control breathing and movements of the arms and legs may also be affected. At present, the cause of myasthenia gravis is unknown, and there is no cure. I borrowed this information from the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, Inc.

I was diagnosed in 2005 when my right eyelid became "droopy" or lazy. For some people this is the first indication. In march of 2008 I developed weakness of the neck, to the point that sometimes during the day I had to support my head with a thumb under my chin. I have had blurry vision, double vision, droopy eyelids (both, but at different times) and neck weakness. Other folks have some of these problems and more. I am happy to say that that as of this time, I am almost back to "normal".

Here is what I am trying to say: If you have some of these symptoms, find a Neurologist familiar with Myasthenia Gravis. It might not be this, but check it anyway. After your doctor confirms this disorder, follow the treatment and find a MG support group. Finding a support group of people who are experiencing this disorder is extremely helpful. The more you know about this disorder and know like-minded people the easier will be.

I live in the Carolinas and found a support group and the local Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation. This has made all the difference in the world.

Here is the good news. There is LIFE after MG. You will learn to live with it and manage it. If I can be of any help to you, please let me know. speakfive@gmail.com

Are seminars worthless?

A couple of weeks ago I went to my hometown (Chicago area) to attend a three-day conference on the exciting subject of how to be filthy rich buying and selling Real Estate. I couldn't refuse the invitation from my son, after all, it wouldn't cost me anything, other than the ticket to fly to Midway Airport in Chicago.

There were successful mentors and practitioners of Real Estate giving presentations on how to make money with Real Estate. There were subjects like: How to make money with pre-foreclosures, how to flip properties, how to rehab properties, how to assign contracts and a myriad of proven strategies. Every presentation invariably was followed with an invitation to attend a future seminar costing from $ 495 to $ 12,000.

Don't get me wrong, these folks are selling what they know best. Strategies that have provided them with very handsome profits. But here is what I have observed time and time again. The apprentice's failure to make a profit with the new acquired knowledge. Why is that? I am sounding like a famous person from 60 minutes.

I think the problem is that we humans attempt to achieve different results with the same thinking process. That's insanity. Before attempting to learn new strategies we should take a seminar to teach us how to think and create a new thought process. We need a mental shift. To "see" new possibilities and believe that they are possible. Jonathan Livingston Seagull said: "To be there, you have to believe that you have arrived." This sounds like a lot of psycho-babble, but that's how successful people have achieved their visions.

Better yet, finding a mentor who can help and guide us to modify the negative and harmful messages in our mind. Only then, we should undertake any new strategy with the firm conviction that it will be a tremendous success.

The silent enemy in your business

I have a weakness for soup and bread. So am I always looking for restaurants offering fresh soup and bread. I have found a few in my area and sometimes I travel far if I know that the trip will bring a great experience.

Today I stopped at a restaurant that I have visited many times. To my surprise I noticed that very few cars were in the parking lot, even though it was only a little past lunch time. I almost turned around, but having my tasting buds urging me to sample the soup I got out of the car and went in.

I asked what the soup of the days was. No answer. So I went to the soup kettle and read the little sign indicating that the choice of the day was: Vegetable soup. I asked for a cup and paid for it. The soup seemed to be the same quality as before, but I also noticed that the employee's demeanor was not very friendly. He never said hello or thank you.

I also noticed that I was the only customer in the restaurant. There were three employees involved in an animated conversation about sports. On my way out I also noticed that nobody said "Please come back or thank you".

As I sat in my car I could not help but to think that maybe the reason that this restaurant is on its way down is because the employees are contributing to its demise.

So now the business has two enemies: the employees (inside) and me (outside). I have talked extensively about this problem in my previous marketing seminars. Do you think that I would go back? Would I recommend this place? Most likely I will tell my friends and my enemies about the poor quality of this place. NO, I am not vindictive. But I go out of my way to promote business with friendly ambiance and it is only fair that I would do the opposite.

Do you have a business? And if so, do you train your employees? Do you have a manual showing how to greet customers and how to handle situations where the customer is not satisfied?

I can say today is a sad day. One less place to have soup and bread.