I was looking over some meeting notes I had taken several weeks ago and came across something I jotted randomly in the middle of my meeting notes – and YES I was paying attention to the meeting as well. What I wrote down was of no other value than to excite our thought process towards thinking outside of the box and showing that non-linear thinking can be of more value than our normal thought process. So with that stated, here’s what I wrote down….
“How do you catch a fish?” – notes dated July 14th, 2009
HOLY SH!T! Mind blowing, right!? Thought provoking, edgy stuff here. J
Give yourself a minute and think about it… how do YOU catch a fish? Or.. HOW do you catch a fish? (Symantec difference but important none the less)
Let’s break this down a bit so you can understand my thought process. This is far beyond fish and fishing, but this is the vehicle I am using to convey this easily. Really, it’s an explanation of how we apply ourselves to our own actions.
How do you catch a fish? For me, I’m not a fisher, I just don’t have the patience for it. Many of us don’t have time to fish – or the patience. I personally go to the grocery store and talk with my local fish monger – “pick me a winner”. Ta-da, fish caught! Perch - $18.99/pound…YIKES!!!
Perch happens to be an abundant fish in Lake Erie. I could catch on my own as my parents have a fantastic boat which I would easily navigate to a prime fishing spot. However, it’s easier and less time consuming to go buy my fish. BUT, it’s also expensive.
For me, to buy fish I save time and frustration and minimize the risk that I will not catch any fish – or worse, sink my parents boat. However, at the price if $18.99/pound for something locally caught, I am getting screwed.
On the contrary, I could use my parents boat and catch so many fish I have enough to give to friends and family or even sell some back to the grocery store I usually buy fish at. There could be a gold-mine in me doing my own fishing. But in my mind I only see the difficult task and time consumption linked to fishing.
The bigger picture here is how we apply our own abilities and how we go out of our way to take the path of least resistance which may be more costly, less productive, or even more difficult then what we had assumed it to be.
But what about for yourself or your business? How do YOU catch that fish (customer)? Maybe you spend money at tradeshows. Maybe you pay marketing firms to give you somewhat-warm lead lists. Maybe you spend hours on the internet searching for potential customers based on keywords. These are all ways to catch a fish and none of them are wrong. Depending on your business these avenues may be the best way or easiest way to catch that fish. Quality may suffer or your customer conversion rate may diminish.
All too often the door-to-door (business to business, B2B) salesman approach is badmouthed; seems like a lot of hard work for minimal results, is inconvenient, or some people feel plain uncomfortable doing it. However, there’s nothing like sitting and listening to someone’s problems and letting them buy your product. Customers often tell you what they need - they solve their own problems and here you are to provide them that solution.
There are many ways to catch a fish. Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and catch your own fish. Often the relationships you make fishing yourself are stronger than the relationship between you and your fish monger (who’s just looking to make a sale) or marketing firm selling you those leads. There is opportunity for risk takers, big opportunities.
No great reward has ever come without an-equally-as-great risk. A lot of the time when someone tells you you’re wrong (unless it’s math or science, fact based) you are indeed on the right path. Nothing great ever came without resistance. Don’t let “no” or “I don’t think so” stop you.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Happy Birthday to Myself...
Happy 29th to me tomorrow (August 3rd, 1980). Yeaahhhh.....
I'm at a point in life where I am confused, like many of us. Are we where we want to be? Did we do the things we swore we'd do and have completed by now? Are we complete? Self-fulfilled?
I think we all ask these questions of ourselves from time to time. It's natural. It's our own built in self-check mechanism. Self-pity and disappointment can be great motivators of action.
In the same token, if we were complete in our quests then what would we do? Part of life is taking time to get these things done. Life's no video game with cheat codes that hurry us on our way to the next level... we have to live and experience life for ourselves.
Enjoy the appetizers of life and not just the main courses. It goes a long way into a mans (or womans) character to use our experiences to forge relationships, slow down the often fast pace of life, and create new visions of what life can really be. Just when we think we know it all we learn something new that opens our eyes to just how little we really know and understand.
Enjoy your birthday, it's a milestone. Enjoy that the good Lord, some higher power, aliens, or karma has allowed you to even have another birthday (whichever you believe in, if anything at all). Enjoy that you're alive and experience all it has to offer.
Now, get off your computer and go enjoy something!
Today's reference...watch the movie "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey. It's freaking hilarious and at the same time there's an underling inspiration.
I'm at a point in life where I am confused, like many of us. Are we where we want to be? Did we do the things we swore we'd do and have completed by now? Are we complete? Self-fulfilled?
I think we all ask these questions of ourselves from time to time. It's natural. It's our own built in self-check mechanism. Self-pity and disappointment can be great motivators of action.
In the same token, if we were complete in our quests then what would we do? Part of life is taking time to get these things done. Life's no video game with cheat codes that hurry us on our way to the next level... we have to live and experience life for ourselves.
Enjoy the appetizers of life and not just the main courses. It goes a long way into a mans (or womans) character to use our experiences to forge relationships, slow down the often fast pace of life, and create new visions of what life can really be. Just when we think we know it all we learn something new that opens our eyes to just how little we really know and understand.
Enjoy your birthday, it's a milestone. Enjoy that the good Lord, some higher power, aliens, or karma has allowed you to even have another birthday (whichever you believe in, if anything at all). Enjoy that you're alive and experience all it has to offer.
Now, get off your computer and go enjoy something!
Today's reference...watch the movie "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey. It's freaking hilarious and at the same time there's an underling inspiration.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Get it in
This weeks blog is short, sweet, and just a piece for us to think about as summer roll out and we're all another season older.
I'm tired of hearing people complain about their age relative to whatever activity it is they're complaining about. You're only as old as you feel and act. Age is indeed just a number. This isn't to say grandma should buy a Bowflex and start circuit training - do things within your mindset and physical capabilities.
Too many complain about going back to school because they're too old. Really? Maybe they're just too set in their ways and need an excuse.
Too many complain about being too old to find love. Rest assured sitting on your couch and telling everyone at work you can't find it isn't going to help you out any. You're not too old, you're too set in your ways.
Too old to play basketball? Maybe out of shape, but there are leagues all over your city with different age brackets and levels of competition, just gotta go find them.
Here we are, a few days into summer and some of us are still acting like it's winter and we can't get off our butts to enjoy things. Let's go make some new friends, try some new foods, and be active. Let's stop worrying about what time it is and how we need those hours of beauty sleep (though some of do indeed need beauty sleep, self included). Enjoy what we have while it's here. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow so let's live a little, do things we're affraid of, and make the best of our time. Remember, you only have 100 years. And the earth being several billion years old, we are all just specs of sand on the beach that we call time.
I'm tired of hearing people complain about their age relative to whatever activity it is they're complaining about. You're only as old as you feel and act. Age is indeed just a number. This isn't to say grandma should buy a Bowflex and start circuit training - do things within your mindset and physical capabilities.
Too many complain about going back to school because they're too old. Really? Maybe they're just too set in their ways and need an excuse.
Too many complain about being too old to find love. Rest assured sitting on your couch and telling everyone at work you can't find it isn't going to help you out any. You're not too old, you're too set in your ways.
Too old to play basketball? Maybe out of shape, but there are leagues all over your city with different age brackets and levels of competition, just gotta go find them.
Here we are, a few days into summer and some of us are still acting like it's winter and we can't get off our butts to enjoy things. Let's go make some new friends, try some new foods, and be active. Let's stop worrying about what time it is and how we need those hours of beauty sleep (though some of do indeed need beauty sleep, self included). Enjoy what we have while it's here. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow so let's live a little, do things we're affraid of, and make the best of our time. Remember, you only have 100 years. And the earth being several billion years old, we are all just specs of sand on the beach that we call time.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
100 Years on Earth
I titled this blog around a subject I frequently like to direct peoples mindset towards or at least make them think about for 5 minutes of their lives. The concept is simple, “If you have 100 years to live, what do you do with that time?”
The answers seem simple right? If this were a test it would be an easy A+ right? …go to school, get a job, get married, have some kids, retire on a boat…. But your answers are certainly more relative and abundant than that right? These examples are all the things your parents told you to do or society tells you are the right things to do with your life. They are certainly not wrong by any means, there’s much truth in this agenda. But do we need 100 years to do that? No…maybe 35 or 40 of them at best.
Many of us have already achieved these goals and at a relatively early age, less the retirement to a boat goal. So now you’re 30 years old and are waiting to retire followed by waiting to die at 100 years old. If you’re reading this you’re probably sick from thinking that this is quite literally the just of your life. Fear not, on the surface it would seem so, but you have so much more in you to develop and exploit….self included.
We’ve all read about, saw on Nancy Grace, or watched movies that show an abusive relationship. The woman (or even a man if it’s verbal/mental abuse – wussie!) loves this guy but then one day things go awry and the man decides his argument is no longer any good so he resorts to hitting the woman to get his point across (I said NO more Ramen noodles woman!). The woman loves her man so she can’t leave. Thus a vicious paradox of beatings and love. Eventually, in the end of the movie the woman either leaves ot kills the husband and in both cases the result is the same – she has escaped with her life to carry out the way she wishes. My point here is many of us need to either break up with the agenda and grind we’ve been stuck in or stick with it but find another way to live a fuller life.
We’re on this planet to live our lives out and pass the buck to the next. 100 years is a long time considering some of us are only 25, 30, 40 percent of the way there. It takes approximately 4-years to graduate from a University (if you’re like me 5-1/2 but in my defense I have two degrees). If you work at McDonalds forever and make little income school seems so far off and out of reality. It costs too much money or you don’t have the time. The fact is that sacrificing those 4 years of hard earned low income is difficult because we all have bills, but for those of us who can tighten the belt the pay off by comparison is incredible. My point here is don’t ever think you’re ‘stuck’ in some situation and can’t go get what you want or deserve.
Let me make my own reference here. I have gone to school and got my degrees, got a great job which I love (some days more than others), I’ve gotten married, and right now just a shade too selfish for kids but eventually that will happen as well. If we’re counting off the checklist from above, I’ve completed all items but the retirement part….I’m 28. 28% of my way to 100 years old.
The human race is living longer lives each year that passes so 100 is not unlikely but not a given. To get to 100 years you need to live a rich, fulfilling life that your heart beats for and your lungs refresh themselves with.
Learn how to play an instrument, that’ll take 6-7 years to get good at. Go back to school to be a doctor, you wanted to when you were a kid anyways – there’s another 7 years of your time. Start the business you always wanted to, take out that loan and fail miserably – but you’ll never know until your try and you have a few decades to pay that loan off.
Learn as much as you can and teach it to others along the way – this is the easiest to do and cheapest for that matter. Watch others make mistakes and learn from them then teach your kids. Watch the Discovery Channel and learn how to work with sheet metal to make something great like artwork (something that can outlive your 100 years).
We all want to leave a legacy and become history that kids and scholars read about but few of can ever achieve this. There is only one Caesar Augustus, one Bill Gates, one Jesus, or one Nelson Mandela to write about. We can’t all be written about but we can strive for excellence in our lives. To many of us are “too tired”, “stressed”, or “put down” to be great, but all of us have this potential we just need to go get it.
I believe we should strive to be the best that we can be. You can’t fail. Are you trying to be the best you can be or have you thrown in the towel and lost sight of what your heart wants to do and knows you can if you just tried? So, my question is, what do you do with your 100 years? You don’t have to answer on this blog but at least give it a thought. You’ll be surprised how much better your life can be if you free yourself from the regiment of everyday and complacency.
The answers seem simple right? If this were a test it would be an easy A+ right? …go to school, get a job, get married, have some kids, retire on a boat…. But your answers are certainly more relative and abundant than that right? These examples are all the things your parents told you to do or society tells you are the right things to do with your life. They are certainly not wrong by any means, there’s much truth in this agenda. But do we need 100 years to do that? No…maybe 35 or 40 of them at best.
Many of us have already achieved these goals and at a relatively early age, less the retirement to a boat goal. So now you’re 30 years old and are waiting to retire followed by waiting to die at 100 years old. If you’re reading this you’re probably sick from thinking that this is quite literally the just of your life. Fear not, on the surface it would seem so, but you have so much more in you to develop and exploit….self included.
We’ve all read about, saw on Nancy Grace, or watched movies that show an abusive relationship. The woman (or even a man if it’s verbal/mental abuse – wussie!) loves this guy but then one day things go awry and the man decides his argument is no longer any good so he resorts to hitting the woman to get his point across (I said NO more Ramen noodles woman!). The woman loves her man so she can’t leave. Thus a vicious paradox of beatings and love. Eventually, in the end of the movie the woman either leaves ot kills the husband and in both cases the result is the same – she has escaped with her life to carry out the way she wishes. My point here is many of us need to either break up with the agenda and grind we’ve been stuck in or stick with it but find another way to live a fuller life.
We’re on this planet to live our lives out and pass the buck to the next. 100 years is a long time considering some of us are only 25, 30, 40 percent of the way there. It takes approximately 4-years to graduate from a University (if you’re like me 5-1/2 but in my defense I have two degrees). If you work at McDonalds forever and make little income school seems so far off and out of reality. It costs too much money or you don’t have the time. The fact is that sacrificing those 4 years of hard earned low income is difficult because we all have bills, but for those of us who can tighten the belt the pay off by comparison is incredible. My point here is don’t ever think you’re ‘stuck’ in some situation and can’t go get what you want or deserve.
Let me make my own reference here. I have gone to school and got my degrees, got a great job which I love (some days more than others), I’ve gotten married, and right now just a shade too selfish for kids but eventually that will happen as well. If we’re counting off the checklist from above, I’ve completed all items but the retirement part….I’m 28. 28% of my way to 100 years old.
The human race is living longer lives each year that passes so 100 is not unlikely but not a given. To get to 100 years you need to live a rich, fulfilling life that your heart beats for and your lungs refresh themselves with.
Learn how to play an instrument, that’ll take 6-7 years to get good at. Go back to school to be a doctor, you wanted to when you were a kid anyways – there’s another 7 years of your time. Start the business you always wanted to, take out that loan and fail miserably – but you’ll never know until your try and you have a few decades to pay that loan off.
Learn as much as you can and teach it to others along the way – this is the easiest to do and cheapest for that matter. Watch others make mistakes and learn from them then teach your kids. Watch the Discovery Channel and learn how to work with sheet metal to make something great like artwork (something that can outlive your 100 years).
We all want to leave a legacy and become history that kids and scholars read about but few of can ever achieve this. There is only one Caesar Augustus, one Bill Gates, one Jesus, or one Nelson Mandela to write about. We can’t all be written about but we can strive for excellence in our lives. To many of us are “too tired”, “stressed”, or “put down” to be great, but all of us have this potential we just need to go get it.
I believe we should strive to be the best that we can be. You can’t fail. Are you trying to be the best you can be or have you thrown in the towel and lost sight of what your heart wants to do and knows you can if you just tried? So, my question is, what do you do with your 100 years? You don’t have to answer on this blog but at least give it a thought. You’ll be surprised how much better your life can be if you free yourself from the regiment of everyday and complacency.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Pieces of Minds (STUDENT OF LIFE)
What's good people?! :)
I'd like to welcome those of your reading this and those who may have back tracked here to day one to get the gest of what this blog is about along with some personal information of the creater, myself, Eric Confer. (Was that third person or a narrators address of myself?)
The creation of this blog is for the purpose of discussion with no boundries (though a few rules). Please don't discuss peoples race or religion directly unless it is statistic based, globally impacting, or something they would discuss on the news, and please no flame wars - for those not familiar with a flame war, it's when people argue without a point or bringing any facts to the table, just to argue, a pissing contest so to speak. I do not mind swearing or cursing as I feel it adds emotion or spice to the conversation at hand, however, like any emotion or spice please use it in moderation.
Lastly, I will let this blog run itself along with a little direction and a few topics here and there. Let's discuss the things you're not allowed to talk about at work or have trouble verbally addressing and need a moment to craft your argument. After all, no lawyer does a day trial, they get a chance to review arguments and prepare answers that lead to questions that they are already prapared to answer.
If you have a topic, send it my way along with a slight description of why you want it posted.
As for me, I like to consider myself a successful man of business (success is desribed in many ways, but to me it's about making things happen that need to happen, connecting the dots. Making others successful is also a big part of the equation).
Married to Angela (you can guess the last name) and have no kids... she's the reason I live and literally the best part of me.
If you only read this far, I am a Student of Life (that's my trademark, BTW). Learning from a school will only take you so far. Learning from experience helps as long as it doesn't cost you more than you can afford. learning from others is invaluable and costs you nothing but time and understanding. Learning from a book is fantastic if you can realize and draw from it. BUT learning from all these avenues is the most valuable. I encoruage each and everyone of you to be a student in life. My favorite question to ask someone through discussion is (and will be our first blog topic)...If you have 100 years to live...what do you do with them? Work a job and wait to die, live and love life but miss things like education and the arts... I try to learn from everything and everyone and value all inputs, though some better than others, all inputs make me better. My motto is to be the best YOU that YOU can be and accept nothing less. At the end of the day it's just you. At the end of your life it's you and the maker. You only get one shot at this thing we call life. What do you do with 100 years?
For all my Milts, you know who you are. I am a PROUD graduate (1999) of thee Milton Hershey School. If you're not sure who or what the Milton Hershey School is please Google it. It is the finest educational institution in the world, barr none (Ivy League Schools included). The man himslef, Mr. Milton hershey (founded the Hershey's Company, maybe you've heard of it) was not only a great candy maker, but a philanthropist for the ages. In 2009, this year, we are celebrating our 100 year anniversary.
I am also a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University (Nittany Lions, GO STATE! 2005) with my first degree in International Business and my second degree in Marketing, both 4 year B of S degrees. Currently, someday, sometime, working on my Masters MBA.
My passions are economics and all things business relation. I love investing and trading, not too bad at it but I could always make more :) Huge fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Vikings, there's a story, but don't ask unles you have time to give away that you will never get back. I also love anything auto sports, love to wrench on cars and make things go faster and hit the twistys harder. I own aq, don't laugh, 1980 240sx (S13) fastback that I have modified with an S14 SR20DET Blacktop motorset with turbo and huge FMIC (front mount intercooler). She's got an issue with her wiring harness and hasn't run for quite some time (no time for me to figure it out and that brings me to another point, I suck at electrical wiring). I also own an Lincoln LS with a V8 which is my beater, rear wheel drive and slightly modified with a few goodies - no rims yet though, that's last on the list...enough about me for now, we can ge tto know each later as thi ball of yarn unravels.
If you don't have a Google account yet, get one so you don't have to make "anon" posts all the time. MAN-UP and post what you feel and don't be scared to get a few replies or even be wrong at times with your name at the bottom. Also, isn't it better to get credit for posting something awesome? Sign up and get some love! As for now, it's on....now go get, get, get it!!!!
A Student of Life (and hopefully a teacher of it to someone),
Eric Confer
(some of my dearest know me as Tree, but you gotta earn those stripes soldier)
I'd like to welcome those of your reading this and those who may have back tracked here to day one to get the gest of what this blog is about along with some personal information of the creater, myself, Eric Confer. (Was that third person or a narrators address of myself?)
The creation of this blog is for the purpose of discussion with no boundries (though a few rules). Please don't discuss peoples race or religion directly unless it is statistic based, globally impacting, or something they would discuss on the news, and please no flame wars - for those not familiar with a flame war, it's when people argue without a point or bringing any facts to the table, just to argue, a pissing contest so to speak. I do not mind swearing or cursing as I feel it adds emotion or spice to the conversation at hand, however, like any emotion or spice please use it in moderation.
Lastly, I will let this blog run itself along with a little direction and a few topics here and there. Let's discuss the things you're not allowed to talk about at work or have trouble verbally addressing and need a moment to craft your argument. After all, no lawyer does a day trial, they get a chance to review arguments and prepare answers that lead to questions that they are already prapared to answer.
If you have a topic, send it my way along with a slight description of why you want it posted.
As for me, I like to consider myself a successful man of business (success is desribed in many ways, but to me it's about making things happen that need to happen, connecting the dots. Making others successful is also a big part of the equation).
Married to Angela (you can guess the last name) and have no kids... she's the reason I live and literally the best part of me.
If you only read this far, I am a Student of Life (that's my trademark, BTW). Learning from a school will only take you so far. Learning from experience helps as long as it doesn't cost you more than you can afford. learning from others is invaluable and costs you nothing but time and understanding. Learning from a book is fantastic if you can realize and draw from it. BUT learning from all these avenues is the most valuable. I encoruage each and everyone of you to be a student in life. My favorite question to ask someone through discussion is (and will be our first blog topic)...If you have 100 years to live...what do you do with them? Work a job and wait to die, live and love life but miss things like education and the arts... I try to learn from everything and everyone and value all inputs, though some better than others, all inputs make me better. My motto is to be the best YOU that YOU can be and accept nothing less. At the end of the day it's just you. At the end of your life it's you and the maker. You only get one shot at this thing we call life. What do you do with 100 years?
For all my Milts, you know who you are. I am a PROUD graduate (1999) of thee Milton Hershey School. If you're not sure who or what the Milton Hershey School is please Google it. It is the finest educational institution in the world, barr none (Ivy League Schools included). The man himslef, Mr. Milton hershey (founded the Hershey's Company, maybe you've heard of it) was not only a great candy maker, but a philanthropist for the ages. In 2009, this year, we are celebrating our 100 year anniversary.
I am also a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University (Nittany Lions, GO STATE! 2005) with my first degree in International Business and my second degree in Marketing, both 4 year B of S degrees. Currently, someday, sometime, working on my Masters MBA.
My passions are economics and all things business relation. I love investing and trading, not too bad at it but I could always make more :) Huge fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Vikings, there's a story, but don't ask unles you have time to give away that you will never get back. I also love anything auto sports, love to wrench on cars and make things go faster and hit the twistys harder. I own aq, don't laugh, 1980 240sx (S13) fastback that I have modified with an S14 SR20DET Blacktop motorset with turbo and huge FMIC (front mount intercooler). She's got an issue with her wiring harness and hasn't run for quite some time (no time for me to figure it out and that brings me to another point, I suck at electrical wiring). I also own an Lincoln LS with a V8 which is my beater, rear wheel drive and slightly modified with a few goodies - no rims yet though, that's last on the list...enough about me for now, we can ge tto know each later as thi ball of yarn unravels.
If you don't have a Google account yet, get one so you don't have to make "anon" posts all the time. MAN-UP and post what you feel and don't be scared to get a few replies or even be wrong at times with your name at the bottom. Also, isn't it better to get credit for posting something awesome? Sign up and get some love! As for now, it's on....now go get, get, get it!!!!
A Student of Life (and hopefully a teacher of it to someone),
Eric Confer
(some of my dearest know me as Tree, but you gotta earn those stripes soldier)
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