Kiss of Truth

I marvel at the ignorant stupidity of that intelligent species called mankind. There seems a duality in every corner of the reality of the human condition. We have recorded history and enjoy the wisdom of hindsight, yet we ignore our hard-learned lessons and repeat every mistake; we tend to know what is right, yet we do not always choose it; we can put on a military uniform, enter into combat, kill dozens of other humans, destroying their homes and families, then come home in that same day, stroke the cat, display the gentleness of sensitive understanding to our loved ones, and get on our knees and pray, believing we have done God’s work. We can justify any behavior, yet some actions are punished while others commit the same crimes and are not. We profess happiness in a mal-contented existence. And, for every “composer” in the world, there is a “decomposer”. No, I do not excuse myself. I am guilty by association, yet remain obligated by unspoken forces to participate in the fabric of society. To tear this cloth, attack the status quo relentlessly, or divorce myself entirely – even if it may be ultimately correct in the scheme of the cosmos – is a sin, punishable by such terms as “crazy”, “lunatic”, “outcast”, whacko”, or “recluse”. I am continually amazed, yet never shocked and surprised. I ride the last car of the coaster, resisting the g-forces, trying each day not to practice hypocrisy, and I watch… speaking only now and again.

March 19th, 2009 | Tags: balance, business, change, destructive, econodude, economy, fear, frustrated, future, giving, hope, ignorance, intelligence, invest, love, nation, prayer, success, technology, thought, unemployed, unemployment, war | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Goal Setting, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development | Leave a comment

As unemployment rates rise to levels not seen in decades and our nation faces one of the worst economic disasters in its history, one new company pledges to finance the rescue and creation of thousands of jobs across the country. “The EconoDude.com mission is one of hope and integrity for everyone,” says EconoDude founder, Kurt Turrell. “We cannot rely completely on government or a stimulus package to fix our economy and get people back to work.” According to Turrell, it is the responsibility of every person to help. “I heard this news story about a school in Maine that had to cut several jobs due to lack of funds. Everyone on the staff of the school donated one day’s wage and they rescued those cut jobs,” adds Mr. Turrell. Turrell modeled EconoDude with that philanthropic cause at its heart.

March 6th, 2009 | Tags: business, communication, econodude, economic crisis, economy, hope, integrity, jobs, nation, plan, responsibility, success, unemployment | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Goal Setting, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development | Comments (5)

Unemployment rates in the nation are above 7.6%! That is the highest since the early 70’s. That means that nearly eight out of every 100 people are out of work. That is an astounding number! Each and every day there are more reports of layoffs from the biggest – and seemingly most secure and solid – companies in the United States. And the number of unemployed continues to grow at an alarming pace. And like all accidents and life-changing events, it is not real until it happens to you! It is unwise to believe a layoff cannot happen to you. Be prepared by being proactive in making yourself more valuable to your employer; consider these ten ways to increase the likelihood of keeping your job:

February 9th, 2009 | Tags: challenge, change, education, Flexibility, giving, goals, idea, interests, job loss, job security, keeing your job, keep your job, Motivation, nation, plan, protection, respect, responsibility, success, thought, unemployed, unemployment, value | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Goal Setting, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development | Leave a comment

Self-honesty is the starting point of all success and abundance. One of the most assured failures I know of is dishonesty. We commonly think of New Year’s Resolutions in terms of weight loss goals, quitting smoking, a better relationship, and so on. In my opinion, you increase your chances of successful resolutions if you toss out what seems to be your obvious needs, and commit yourself (by yourself!) to an annual evaluation – a personal interest survey – and then a goal setting workshop. It is more useful to understand WHY you want changes before resolving WHAT to change. The truth and honesty of your underlying motivation – your real interest or reason why – determines the strength of a resolution and the chances of enjoying success and avoiding a failed resolution.

January 7th, 2009 | Tags: challenge, change, environment, goals, interests, Motivation, New Year, New Year's Resolution, New Year's Resolutions, plan, productive, success | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Goal Setting, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development | Leave a comment

I have been “unemployed” (hey, I still work very hard!) for months and so our family faces the holidays with absolutely no funds. Many millions have recently lost a job, or remain unemployed. Many millions have faced or are facing home foreclosure. Businesses are suffering or failing. The stock market has plummeted. Our economic status is depressing at best. We all know the score. It may indeed be an unusual holiday season for millions of Americans. In spite of our hardships, with some effort we can seek to have a successful holiday season. Here are a few suggestions.

December 3rd, 2008 | Tags: business, Christmas, depression, economic crash, economic hardship, economy, ful holiday, giving, hard times, Holiday Season, holidays, hope, love, success, tough times | Category: Flexibility, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Uncategorized | Comments (2)

For the thirty-plus years of my adult life I have watched, read, and learned – albeit somewhat passively – about our national and world economy, the politics of big business, the exclusive world of money, and how it all fits together to affect each of us. But a few days ago, while watching more economic bad news on the television, my teen looked at me with an inquisitive voice and said: “I don’t understand…if all this is based on confidence, perception of value, and speculation…why are we in this mess and how does it all fit together? Can’t we just print more money?” Oh boy, thought I, where do I start? Explaining the complicated components of the economy – in fact the world of money – and why we are in a recession and our economy is failing is not such a simple task.

November 24th, 2008 | Tags: business, confidence, economy, environment, fear, foundation, greed, hope, ignorance, money, nation, perception, politics, recession, responsibility, success, thought, value | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development | Comments (1)

A recent Google search on the word robotics’ returned close to 5 million websites with that word. There are camps, workshops, and entire scholastic and vocational curriculum in the realm of robotics. The time that many people will own robots on a domestic and business level is quickly approaching. And, just as with computers, cellular devices, and all other electronic technology, the expense will begin high and reduce rapidly. Yes, the robotics age will be here soon and will affect us all in profound ways.

November 19th, 2008 | Tags: business, future, idea, integrity, intelligence, invest, risk, robotics, success, technology | Category: Goal Setting, Research and Development | Comments (1)

Personally, I have been laid off from my work, unemployment funds are running out and not sufficient to start with, my family is in danger of financial ruin and foreclosure, and my business plans (please see www.turrell-enterprises.com) seem to be without immediate possibility. Times are indeed difficult and stressful. Even so, I cannot quit or panic for too long. I must adjust my goals, keep researching and developing the pathway to those goals, take consistent daily actions, and work at remaining flexible. The sun eventually comes back out!

November 13th, 2008 | Tags: business, challenge, change, demand, economy, Flexibility, goals, hard times, hope, job loss, luck, plan, prayer, recession, success, thought | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Goal Setting, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development | Leave a comment

Since the day that Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1960 games in Rome, ProtectionDude has been a big fan of boxing. Aside from the entertainment value and the will-against-will allure of pugilism, there are many lessons to be learned from the sport. There is fitness conditioning, mental preparation and emotional strength; there is the business side of the professional; there is the hard-learned skill and physical toughness; there is proactive action and there is…PROTECTION! In fact, the last thing spoken to the fighter before the first-round bell rings is: “…protect yourself at all times.”

November 5th, 2008 | Tags: balance, business, Emotions, love, protection, success, value | Category: Mental Preparation, Motivation | Leave a comment