The Masked Millionaire

Drop Everything----Change Is Coming

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:49:27 GMT

The chances are pretty good that if you were to ask 100 people if they thought that change is inevitable, most would say yes.

The chances are also pretty good that if you were to ask the same 100 people if they thought that change is good, most would say yes.

And finally, those same 100 people would scream bloody murder if you were to change anything that had an affect on them.

Why? What is going on here?

If most people say that change is good and those same people believe that change is inevitable, then why would they get upset when change happens to them?

Here are some things that change:

The weather
Business
Relationships
Fashion
Popular Culture
Political Leanings
Favorite Colors
Favorite Pets

Of course this list can go on and on. I'm sure you can make some real insightful additions to it. But the point I'm trying to make is that we know, with certainty, that things change. They always have and they always will.

So with this in mind I'm going to ask the question again, "Why do people get upset when change happens?"

Becasue.......

People really don't get too bent out of shape when change happens to you or me. They only start fidgeting when change is happening to them. People do not like uncertainty. Change brings uncertainty by the bucket load.

Change is happening all of the time all around us. But do we really see change for what it is or do we try and explain change away as something else?

I am writing this post on Sunday May 11, 2008. It is springtime and the weather is just perfect in Las Vegas. But you know what? In another week or two it is going to get god awful hot here. The temperature will get over 100 degrees and the sun will beat down relentlessly on the desert. The seasons change and with them the weather changes. Is there anything to panic about because the seasons change?

Business changes. I'm not sure about the exact number but I believe that about half the companies that were on the Fortune 500 list, when it first came out, are no longer in business. Companies come and go and with them jobs and come and go. Is there anything to panic about because a business ceases operation and a new one takes it place?

Fashion changes every 6 moths. Sometimes more often. People just went out a few months ago and spent a lot of their hard earned money on the latest fashions and now they are all out of date. Is there anything to panic about because fashion changes?

Lets's backtrack for a moment:

Seasons change: They just do. It has nothing to do with global warming, a conspiracy, the galaxy collapsing on itself, or any other argument that countless people are coming up with on a daily basis.

Business changes: The company that made buggy whips went out of business. Polaroid no longer makes cameras that take instant pictures. The Edsel was a flop and pulled from the market. Some companies and products stick around for a long time and other don't. No conspiracy, no new world order, no secret society pulling the world's strings.

The following excerpt is from a comment left at the blog Carpe Diem:

I watched some repair work at my neighbor's house. He got a new lateral, lucky guy.

Three guys showed up in the morning with an excavator and trenched out forty feet long by nine feet deep from his house to the street. They replaced the lateral and filled in the trench. They did all that in one day and I thought, "What a country."

The downside is that the Ditch Diggers Union failed to stop the adoption of excavators. A job like this would have kept ten men working for three or four days digging that trench by hand with shovels. All those good ditch digging jobs have been lost. Tragedy.

Even today, we see legions of unemployed ditch diggers standing around street corners leaning on their shovels, put out of work by technology. You say we don't see that? Oh, never mind. I guess they found other jobs and their kids found other careers.

Resistance to change is a sure way to stop things from getting better.

Change happens.

Once there was an Ice Age. Most of the world was covered with a sheet of ice. Then the world warmed up (change) and the ice receded to the vicinity of the north and south poles. No conspiracy, no human intervention, no green house gases, no nothing. Change happens. Nothing ever stays the same for ever.

You can argue to you are blue in the face. But you will not stop things from changing. Don't make believe you have figured out what went wrong when something changes. Most likely nothing went wrong. It was time for a change.

Embrace change because you can't stop it.

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The Real 1960's

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:25:28 GMT

The music was great, the drugs colorful, the dreams transcendent. Unfortunately that was not enough. The Sixties counterculture started from the assumption that changing the world begins with changing oneself. Metamorphosis is not, however, as easy as lighting a stick of incense. In any case, the soul is seldom a match for machines. In the Sixties, fantasy worlds were built on a flimsy understanding of how the real world works; in consequence, they had as much logic as an M.C. Escher print. No wonder, then, that "reality sucks" became a popular expression in the Seventies.

Read the entire article: CLICK HERE

When Losing Is Not An Option

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:29:49 GMT

Accomplish any goal.

Step 1: Wake up in the morning.
Step 2: Realize that you are one lucky SOB to have woken up this morning.
Step 3: Put forth a super human effort in the pursuit of your goal.

Pretty easy. You can memorize the directions without much effort.

So what's the problem?

The problem is, most of us, most of the time, are all talk and little or no action.

If you want to be successful you seriously have to realize that right now, it's a great time to be alive, be focused, and be willing to grab the brass ring.

You need to "go for it" like your life depends on it. You need to be super motivated.

This is an example of what super motivated looks like:

Test Subject: I can't swim.
Motivator: Sure you can.
Test Subject: No I can't. I've taken swimming classes and just can't swim.
Motivator: Sure you can.
Test Subject: Where are we going.
Motivator: For a short boat ride.
Test Subject: We're pretty far off shore.
Motivator: Yes we are.
Test Subject: What are you doing?
Motivator: Throwing you overboard.
Test Subject: Hellllllllllllp
Motivator: Swim back to the boat.
Test Subject: (As he's climbing back into the boat) You SOB I could have drowned.
Motivator: You could have but you didn't.
Test Subject: I guess I do know how to swim.

Several times during my life I deliberately put myself in situations that could best be described as financial insanity. What I mean by that is that I put myself on the line to the extent that if I did not accomplish my goals I would lose everything. And when I say everything I mean everything that I had worked for my entire life.

You learn to swim pretty darn fast if the alternative is drowning.

Strive like your life depends on it.
Go the extra mile then go one more mile.
Refuse to give up.
Be loud, clear, upfront, sharp, detailed, focused, and vocal when working on your goals.
Become your own cheerleader.
Refuse to be average.
Push yourself.
Climb, crawl, drag yourself to the finish line. Just make sure you cross it.
Execute your plans.
Taste victory.
Taste success.
Visualize what it will feel like to have won.
Visualize what it will feel like to tell your family and your friends that you climbed the mountain.
Don't stop.
Don't quit.

If you want something bad enough then you can have it. Don't make excuses. Go after it, capture it, be victorious.

Don't let second place become an option.

Don't worry about what other people say. Other people are more than satisfied to see you fail.

You remain positive.
You take things one step at a time.
You believe in yourself.

One thing is for sure: If you give all you have towards the accomplishment of your goals, at the end of the day you will feel 100% better than if you made excuses for not giving 100%.

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Don't Make This Mistake

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:19:17 GMT

I usually (never) write about my wife or our marriage. But today I am going to make an exception.

My wife:

A Born Again Christian---I'm not
Hates any movie or tv show that has a murder, blood, or is too scary---I like them
Never (really never) has a negative thought---Ok, I admit it, I at times do
Doesn't like to watch the news because it is depressing---I'm a news junkie
Gives homeless people $20 at a time----My jaw drops to the floor when she does that

The list could go on and on but I think you get the idea. My wife and I are two totally different types of people.

We knew we were opposites when we married. We made a promise (remember what a promise is?) to each other that we would stay together no matter what.

We just celebrated our 2 year anniversary in April. At times it has been difficult and at times it has been wonderful.

I have found that the biggest mistake you can make, when dealing with your significant other, is to not let them be who they are.

Some Rules:

Let them have their own opinions
Let them view the world and life through their eyes
Never force them to agree with you because you think your right
Don't think winning the battle but losing the war ever makes sense
Forcing your wife to feel bad doesn't accomplish anything
Your a better person if you apologize first

The biggest mistake you can make is not treating your wife/husband like you would like to be treated. And I'm sure, like me, you would like to be treated in a way that allows you to be yourself without fear of any repercussions.

Life is too short to make the worst mistake possible: Treating the person that loves you with anything less than 100% love in return.

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Don't Punish Honesty

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:00:43 GMT

It seems like everybody's first instinct is to lie.

If you mess up at work---Blame it on someone else
Broke something at home---It wasn't me
Late to an appointment---Traffic was terrible

Why do we lie?
Why do we think it is ok to lie? (Remember: Thou shalt not lie)
Who taught us to lie?

We are trained (yes trained) from a very early age to lie. Who trains us? Our parents do.

Before a child is corrupted, when asked a question they will answer honestly.

Example:
"Little Johnny did you give the dog your dinner?"

Little Johnny's response, "Yes mom!"

Moms response---WHACK ON THE BACKSIDE

What did Little Johnny learn from this experience? When asked a direct question, do not tell the truth if you don't want to get whacked.

The conditioning from childhood sticks with us into adulthood.

If we mess up at work we lie. Why? So that we don't get the adult equivalent of the whack.

If we break something at home and our spouse asks if we know how it happened, we lie and say no. Why? So that we don't get whacked by our spouse.

If we are late for a doctors appointment, we volunteer the lie that it was not our fault, traffic was bad. Really we left late and couldn't make it on time no matter the traffic.

All of these lies are ridiculous.

Maybe we can't stop lying to ourselves and each other but we can stop ourselves from teaching our children to lie.

Do them a favor and make the effort.

Don't punish honesty.

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Passion Thrills

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:28:26 GMT

I was toying with the idea of naming this post:

"Passion Thrills and Negativity Kills"

I decided against that. Using the words negativity and kills in the title was probably crossing some unspoken line.

But it is true.

If you have passion for your project, whatever that project is, then working on it towards a goal will thrill you and those around you.

As anyone can tell you, if you are full of negative thoughts about your project, then you will probably not reach any goal that you have set. Your negativity will have killed the project and a little bit of yourself.

The point is this:

Being negative never accomplishes anything. If for some reason you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about something, then you should just stop and try something else. Because once you let negativity creep into the internal conversation that you have with yourself, you are defeated. You might not realize it right away, but your goose is cooked.

If you have passion, commitment, and a positive desire to reach a goal then the world will be your coach and helper. People are attracted to passion. They love to be part of a team that looks, sounds, and acts like it is going to win. They will actually volunteer to help you. People want you to win.

Do you really want to win?

We all have self-doubt at one point or another. The secret is to always come back to center and strive to reach your goals.

Be passionate about yourself, your relationships, and your goals. It is the only true way to live life.

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This Is Going On Your Permanent Record

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:57:18 GMT

Remember when you messed up in school, bad test score or just making a nuisance out of yourself? The teacher would discipline you and then give you the stern warning, "This is going to go on your permanent record."

Luckily for me I was in school before computers became popular for every Tom, Dick, and Harry (not to mention teacher) that wanted one. Therefore, I found out later, there was no such thing as a permanent record. I guess it would have taken too much work, to write down on paper, every little detail of every little screw up for every kid that ever lived.

WHAT?????

I found out that all of the worrying that I was doing about throwing that paper airplane during the math quiz was for nothing. As soon as that misadventure faded from my classmates memory, nobody would ever know about it again. Who knew?

I can just imagine how my life would have turned out if I realized that there really was no such thing as the dreaded permanent record.

I would have been much more willing to take chances in school and put on display my unique ability to be funny at the most inappropriate times.
More of my nights would have been spent dreaming about dating Charlotte Brenson instead of having nightmares about some future boss of mine opening up an envelope during my job interview and asking why I thought making "farting" noises from my armpits was a good use of my time.
Perhaps I wouldn't be so paranoid about people taking notes during meetings that I attend. As long as they don't stare at me as they are writing I'm usually ok.

The permanent record: Gone But Not Forgotten!

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Can You Sell Ice To An Eskimo

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:04:18 GMT

The short answer is yes.

You can sell ice to an eskimo. The real question is, HOW?

Most people start shaking violently when you bring up the subject of a sales job. They say they could never do that. What they are really saying is that they don't have the knowledge or backbone to do a sales job.

My thought is that they don't have the knowledge. And most of the sales trainers in the world have not made a bit of difference in most peoples professional lives. Why is this?

Because most sales training is about getting people to part with their money. First, last and always, get the money. The problem with that type of training is that it creates a very adversarial relationship between the prospect and the salesperson.

Imagine for a moment someone on the street trying to convince you that it is a good idea for you to give them $100 then you will give them something valued at $100.

Wouldn't you be suspicious?
Wouldn't you be defensive?
Wouldn't you be ready to call the cops?

Well that is exactly how most prospects feel when dealing with a salesperson.

Why not try this?

Give the prospect something of value without asking for any compensation. Why would you do that?

Because people like free things!!

They also like trying before buying. But the real secret is that people feel obligated to return the favor. You give them something for free and they feel obligated to buy something. Most of the time you don't even have to ask for the sale, they will just volunteer to buy.

Who understood this concept just about better than anyone else?

Debbi Fields from Mrs. Fields Cookies...

When first starting out in the mall, Debbi gave samples of her cookies away. She actually chased people down to give them a free sample. People liked the cookies and asked where they could buy them. The rest, as they say, is history.

If you want to sell something then try giving something of value away for free. It will make the whole process go a lot easier. On the same note: If you want somebody to help you, then help them first. It really does work.

A Thought From "The Masked Millionaire"

Nobody is smart enough to come up with one idea and have it be the great idea that works like a charm. A better bet is to think that 1 out of 10 of your thoughts will be a good idea.

Even better is to think that 1 out of 100 will be great.

So if you want to be successful at anything, my advice to you would be to think of 100 ideas or ways of doing something and then narrow your choices down to that 1 great idea.

It has worked for me and I am pretty confident it will work for you.

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Miley Cyrus

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:52:33 GMT

Does anyone else in the known universe have the name Miley? I have never heard the name until Hannah Montana (I'm not sure who or what Hannah Montana is suppose to be) became famous.

Now I read that the 15 year old Miley (is that her real name?) is about to become a billionaire. How did that happen? How does a 15 year old become a billionaire?

Do you remember Billy Ray Cirus? Achy Breaky Heart and all of that. He didn't become a billionaire. Last I saw him was on Dancing With The Stars. He wasn't too good. You would think all that dancing to Achy Breaky would have helped, but it didn't.

The Miley picture......She's too young to be taking pictures like that. I think she realizes it was a bad move. Or Disney made her realize it. After all one billion dollars is a lot of money.

What do you think?

What Happened To Hillary's Supporters

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:41:35 GMT

Hillary Clinton must feel like she has been blind sided by a freight train. It isn't so much that Obama is beating her in the primaries as it is all of her supporters have jumped ship.

I never really liked her but I wonder if there is no such thing as loyalty left in this world.

Does the exodus away from Hillary say more about politics, democrats, or Hillary supporters?

It seems that even Bill Clinton is keeping his distance.

What do you think? Leave A Comment

Ketchup Or Mustard

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:29:49 GMT

When I was a kid growing up in New York life was a lot easier than it is now. One of the few things that I learned in childhood, that I thought would never throw me a curve ball, was that mustard was for hot dogs and ketchup was for hamburgers. It was an unwritten law. But everybody knew what they were suppose to do when it was time to apply condiments to their food.

Somewhere, somehow, between the time I was a kid and now somebody changed the rules. Everywhere I go I see people disregarding and disrespecting the rules.

They are putting mustard on hamburgers (it almost makes me gag to write it) and ketchup on hot dogs.

They act like it is perfectly normal and let's face it patriotic. I have a sneaking suspicion that these people that are playing a "sight of hand" game with the condiments are communist. That's right, communist. Believe me it is no coincidence that ketchup is RED!!

The Masked Millionaire wants to know what you think:

Is Ketchup for hamburgers and hamburgers only?
Is Mustard for hot dogs and ketchup makes no sense?

Leave a comment and let me and everybody else know what you think.

China Very Quiet, But Something Is Happening

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:36:35 GMT

Call the government of China whatever you want. But you can't call them stupid.

It seems like it was just a week ago when the newspapers, internet, and 24 hour cable news channels were falling all over themselves reporting on the olympic torch and the unrest in Tibet.

I was shocked to see all of the people protesting the torch run and loudly protesting China's treatment of the people in Tibet. I was also shocked to see the massive news coverage it was receiving.

Why was I shocked?

Because up until that point the only person that I knew of that was making a major stink about China's treatment of the people in Tibet was Richard Gere the actor. And in all honesty I thought that Richard Gere was a nut job.

But then the bandwagon seemed to move onto Tibet Street and everybody from France to San Francisco seemed to hop aboard. It was almost as if this was the first time they had heard about Tibet and the problems their people were having with China. Or was it?

Of course not.

It's just that Tibet became the popular cause for a week or two. Honestly, how much have you seen, heard about , or watched on TV about Tibet this week?

I haven't seen Tibet mentioned anywhere, not once this week.

The government of China is not stupid. They understand that all of the people protesting about Tibet will not stick around to force any real change. The Chinese government understands all to well that the hoards of protesters can't wait to hop on the next popular bandwagon to pull into town.

Then what?

Well the Tibetans are on their own again. What the hell, it's just a few dead monks. You really can't expect people to spend more than one weekend on that cause.

Anyway, Richard Gere won't forget and I no longer think of him as a nut job.

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Do You Need All Of The Extras?

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:32:28 GMT

Note: This really isn't about digital cameras....KEEP READING.

When it was time for me to buy a new digital camera I was at a complete loss as to which one I should get.

The salesman at Circuit City asked me what I was looking for in a camera. When you think about it that was the perfect question to ask.

Me: I just want an easy to use digital camera that takes really good pictures.

Salesman: A lot of cameras are easy to use and take really good pictures.

Me: I want the easiest to use digital camera that takes really good pictures

Salesman: This Sony camera is easy to use, it has 4x optical zoom, and dual image stabilizers.

Me: I don't know anything about dual image stabilizers.

Salesman: You don't have to know anything about them...they work automatically and insure that you get a really good picture.

Me: I'll take it.

Salesman: Do you want to hear about all of the other features the camera has?

Me: Do I need to know about them to take really good pictures?

Salesman: No

Me: Then I don't want to hear about them.

When I got home I charged the batteries up, read 5 minutes worth of the directions, and started taking pictures.

You know what? The camera is really easy to use and takes great pictures.

So what is the point of all of this?

Whether it is a camera, a new car, a house, a friend, or any other thing that you would like to have:

Knowing What You Want Will Determine What You Need.

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I Am A Karma Junkie

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:26:31 GMT

My name is The Masked Millionaire and I'm A Karma Junkie.

I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Karma is real.

According to Webster's Dictionary, one definition of Karma is: The doctrine of fate as the inflexible result of cause and effect; the theory of inevitable consequence.

In simpler terms:

If you do good then good things will happen to you.
If you do bad then bad things will happen to you.

Let's take a look at how all of this works in real life.

If you do good then good things will happen to you. So with this knowledge in hand you start doing good deeds and become a sparkling example of a positive well meaning person. Heck you turn into a regular boyscout. You let other people take the close in parking spot at the mall, you hold the door open at the supermarket for the senior citizen (you say senior citizen instead of geezer), you make it a point to share credit for everything you do with other people (no matter how small their contribution), and you are a top notch positive person.

You have done your part, now it is time for Karma to do it's part. But wait! Karma does not work on your schedule. That's right, actually Karma does not work on any schedule.

Karma is a doctrine of opportunity. What does that mean? It means that Karma will show itself when the consequences that it brings will have the largest, and in this case, most positive impact.

So how does that affect the well meaning, do gooder, boy scout, positive, helpful person that you have become?

It affects you like this: You will get the benefits of Karma, but you can't expect immediate gratification. You will have to continue to do good while Karma waits for the perfect opportunity to reward you for past actions.

For the most part you won't even realize when "Good Karma" has visited you. The good deed or action that you had been a part of could have happened months or even years ago. The "Good Karma" could show up years later when that perfect job opportunity presents itself and despite 20 other well qualified applicants viaing for the same job, you end up getting it. You wouldn't even realize that it was "Good Karma" at work. And you certainly wouldn't connect the dots between what happened a year ago and what happens today. But that is how Karma works. You must operate on faith.

If you do bad then bad things will happen to you. That's right, do not ever think for a single moment that you, me, or anybody else is going to get away with doing bad, negative, or harmful things to other people. If you do make that mistake then you are in for a very big surprise.

The one thing that you can anticipate with certainty is the "Bad Karma" will present itself at the worst possible moment.

Bad Karma will not let any bad, hurtful, or negative action go unpunished. Like "Good Karma" the negative action could have taken place a year ago or ten years ago but rest assured "Bad Karma" is just waiting for the perfect opportunity to visit you.

You know that expression, "When It Rains It Pours?" That is "Bad Karma" at work. Something bad happens to you and then it seems like everything goes haywire at once. You can't figure out what you did to have all of these bad things happening to you. That's because you can't connect the dots between last year's bad behavior and today's bad luck. It is not bad luck it is "Bad Karma." You are reaping what you sowed. That is how Karma works.

I am a Karma Junkie.

I live my life with the knowledge, the belief, that if I do good then good things will ultimately happen to me. And if I do bad then I need to take cover because bad things are just waiting to happen to me.

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Great Web Site For People Who Run A Solo/Small Business

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:56:34 GMT

I know this isn't much of a post but I wanted to share a web site/blog that I found. You will really like it if you are a solo/small business person.

Ideas and advice for the smallest businesses with the smallest budgets: CLICK HERE

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Even Very Smart People Can Be Funny---Who Knew?

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:13:16 GMT

I get the best material from our friends at Carpe Diem then any other place on the internet.

Originally the post on their blog was talking about Earth Day.

But then the intellectuals started leaving comments and every subject under the sun came up.

It is really funny to see how extremely bright people go about ripping each other apart.

To read the post: CLICK HERE

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A Large Pizza And Bring The Police

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:23:52 GMT

I read a comment on another blog that asked this question:

If you order a pizza to be delivered and call the police to come to your house to check out suspicious activity, who would show up first?

The pizza place gives you a 30 minute guarantee or the pizza is free!
I'm pretty sure the police won't refund your tax money if they show up late.

The point that is being made is, that without negative consequences for poor customer service, you will never obtain superior customer service.

You would think that the government would have figured this out a long time ago. Maybe they have figured it out but just don't care. You think?

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Is It Really Possible To Have No Regrets?

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:05:20 GMT

I was watching one of the late night talk shows a few weeks ago when the host asked the guest if she regretted doing anything during her life.

Interesting question? The celebrity was an actress that I'm pretty sure all of you would know.

Her answer was: Nobb, I have no regrets. Everything I did has gotten me to this point in my life. I'm happy, successful, and I'm pretty sure that I have a bright future. Why would I have any regrets?

Her answer got me to thinking.

Do I have any regrets?

Yes, I have regrets:

I treated my grandmother with total disrespect. She passed away when I was only 12 years old. She came to live with us when she was 65. I remember that she would walk around the house oblivious to just about everything and anyone. Her short term memory was non-existent and her hands shook violently. As a young kid I thought here was a grown up I could make fun of, argue with, and trick with all sorts of sophomoric games.

Did she deserve to be treated like that?
Not At All

Do I regret treating her with such disrespect?
Yes

If I could change how I treated her, would I?
Yes

Throughout my adult life I have had the great honor to meet and get involved with some of the nicest women that you would ever want to know. I have been married 3 times and have had 2 very serious relationships that did not lead to marriage. In each one of these relationships, my marriages included, I was the cause of the problems that lead to the disintegration of the relationships. I caused these women anguish, heartache, loss of self-esteem, and loss of time that can never be recovered. I was immature for a very long time. My immaturity hurt these women.

Did they deserve to be treated so poorly by me?
No

Do I regret treating these women as if they were disposable?
Yes

If I could change how I treated these women, would I?
Yes

I really wasn't a very good student in school. It wasn't that I didn't have the brains to do well. I was just lazy. I was lazy and I really did not understand the value of an education. I did as little as possible to get through school and get a high school diploma. Most of what was being taught to me went in one ear and out the other. I remember thinking: Why do I need to know math? Why do I need to know English Literature? Why do I need to know Science? Why do I need to know History? As a result when I left high school I didn't know much of anything. It took me years and years to catch up.

Should I have been more serious about studying and learning when I was in school?
Yes

Do I regret not being a better student?
Yes

If I could change the type of student that I was, would I?
Yes

I'm not proud of the person that did all of these terrible things. But I know that I was wrong. I also know that if given a chance to go back and change these things I would.

Would I care if changing these things would change the place where I have wound up in life? No.

The famous actress that I started talking about in the beginning of this story was concerned that whatever she did during her life led her to the success that she now has.

I am concerned that what I did might have hurt people a lot more than it ever could have helped me.

I have regrets. I don't dwell over them everyday but I do think about them every now and then.

Is it possible to go through life without any regrets?

I don't think so.

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Which Type Of American Are You?

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:40:55 GMT

I have a belief that has evolved over my lifetime. That belief is that there are two distinct and separate types of Americans when it comes to what people want from their adult work life.

Type One American:

The first type of American consist of the majority of the people. They long to secure a job from a big corporation or at least an established business that offers a mid-range paycheck, good benefits, and a clear path that should be followed in order to keep their job and perhaps be considered for promotion.

This type of job offers security and the promise of stability. Most people celebrate nabbing one of these jobs. They brag to their families and start planning their lives out once the good news comes that they have been hired. The real celebration begins if it is a government job. It is considered the gold standard for some people to get a job at the DMV or other government agency. It just doesn't get any better for them.

They believe so much in this type of job that they groom their children to be in the best possible position to follow in their footsteps. They brag about their job. They read about industries going through changes, layoffs occurring, people having to go back to school and learn something new, and they thank God they don't have to worry about any of those things. They work for an industrial behemoth or the government which eliminates those worries. Or so they believe.

Type Two American:

The second type of American is very different. Not only does their view of the ideal workplace differ from American Type One, but they are different because they are drawn from every demographic group in the country.

African Americans
Hispanics
Caucasians
Poor People
Rich People
Immigrants

And the list goes on and on. What type of work environment can attract such a varied group of people?

It is entrepreneurship. Starting your own company, large or small, and being your own boss.

This type of work offers none of the security that Type One Americans dream about. Nor does it give you a full benefit package.

So what is the attraction?

There is a striving in Type Two Americans to not be part of the majority group. They inherently know that security on the job is purchased at a very high price. They also know that a free benefit package is really not free. They don't consciously think of these things they just know it.

They are attracted to the freedom of being an entrepreneur. They don't want other people telling them how they should think, what they should do, how they should act, or when they should show up for work and when they should leave to go home.

If they succeed they want the credit. If they fail they are willing to take the blame. There are no mixed messages from middle and upper management to confuse them about what their mission is for the day, the week, the month, or the year.

They would feel suffocated working for the DMV. It would be a fate worse than death for them.

My Interpretation Of The Two Types Of Americans

I have belonged to both groups of Americans during my adult life. What I have noticed is that during periods of insecurity or hard times I tended towards wanting to be part of Group One. When I was feeling secure and felt like I could conquer the world then I wanted to be part of Group Two.

Neither group is wrong. But there is a certain trait that Group Two embraces that makes them seem more like the Americans of old then their new counterparts.

Group Two believes in self sufficiency. If something is going to get done they are going to do it or be responsible for it being done.

They also seem happier, no matter what amount of money they make, then their Group One counterparts. The guy or gal that owns the small hot dog stand seems happy to be selling hot dogs. They greet their customers, complete transactions, and go home and tell the days stories to their families. They look forward to tomorrow's adventures. Does the DMV clerk look forward to tomorrow's adventures?

What is real interesting, and maybe you have seen or experienced this yourself, is that Group Two Americans can and do share experiences with each other, no matter what business they are in or what economic status they hold.

In other words it would not be completely unusual for the hot dog cart owner to get into a discussion with the real estate investor about the state of the economy and how it is effecting each others business.  Can you imagine the DMV clerk having that discussion with the owner of the paving company? Can you imagine the DMV clerk saying anything other than "Next".

Nothing important happens until a person (not an organization) decides that they are going to make something happen. Group Two Americans are made up of people that have it in their DNA to make something happen.

Which group are you a member of?

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Do You Believe In Yourself? Do You Really?

TheMillionaire@TheMaskedMillionaire.com (The Masked Millionaire) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:55:52 GMT

There is an old saying, "If you believe something is true then it is."

If you believe that you will succeed then you will.
If you believe that you are going to fail then you will.
If you believe that you will get a good job then you will.
If you believe you will have a good time at the party then you will.
If you believe that your not smart enough then you will not be smart enough.

You get the idea.

When I was 25 years old I became a stockbroker. I was so excited to get the job. I would make a lot of money, people (especially women) would want to get to know me because I was going to be so successful. I just couldn't wait to get started.

Four weeks into it I was a broken man. I had made hundreds, no thousands of cold calls. Each time I would relay to total strangers over the telephone how the stock I was telling them about was the best thing since sliced bread and how lucky they were that I had called to tell them about it. Absolutely nobody was interested in what I was saying or selling.

I was getting ready to give up. Giving something your best shot is one thing. Going hungry and desperate with no hope of better things to come is quite another.

Luckily for me the manager of the brokerage office took pity on my situation. He gave me a pep talk, probably the same pep talk he gives to all brokers that he is getting ready to fire. But then he gave me some real hope.

I was totally surprised that he would go out of his way to help me out. After all, his salary was dependent on how much stock I and all the other brokers sold in the office. And if he was anticipating a big pay day based on my sales he was going to be totally disappointed.

He handed me a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it. It was a good friend of his that he has known for over 20 years. The real sweet part was that his friend was looking to invest in the market and had the funds available to invest right now.

I couldn't believe my luck. This was the break that I was praying for. Finally I would make a big sale and all of my problems would become memories.

Back to my desk I went. I prepared for the big phone call like I had never prepared before. I was about to make the best sales presentation in the history of Wall Street. And then, over a cigar and glass of wine, I was going to brag to all of my peers about the sale and how I was on the brink of becoming this generations power broker.

Me: "Hi John, this is Paul from ABC brokerage how are you doing today?"

Customer: "How did you get my phone number?"

Me: Bob the office manager down here suggested I give you a call and tell you about this great stock.

Customer: I'm not interested.

OK, now I'm thinking the office manager told his friend to expect my phone call and that he should give me a hard time just so that he could see how I would handle it.

Me: I can understand your reluctance to invest in a new company but let me tell you why this is really a no brainer and how it will payoff big time in about a year.

Customer: There is no reason for you to waste anymore of your time or mine, I'm not interested.

I'm telling you this guy sounded convincing. If the office manager hadn't personally given me the guys name and number I probably would have believed that he really wasn't interested. But I had figured out the game that was being played and plowed ahead. I wasn't going to take no for an answer especially since I knew for a fact that this customer wanted to invest.

Finally two hours later I got the order. The customer had made a $50,000 investment. I couldn't believe he had played the game for so long. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I got the order.

I wrote the Buy ticket up and submitted it for approval. It was time to go home and for the first time in over a month I drove home with a smile on my face.

The next morning when I arrived at the office the manager asked me to come talk to him.

"I see you got yourself a decent size order yesterday," he said with a smile on his face.

I'm sure I also had a mile wide smile on my face, "Well it's all thanks to you really. That lead you gave was bound to pay off.

"What are you talking about?" he seemed confused.

"That phone number you gave me yesterday. Your friend who wanted to invest, you know." I was starting to get worried. Was this a joke? I did make a big sale. God please tell me I made a big sale.

The manager looked at me quizzically and said, "I countersigned your buy ticket yesterday and the name on that ticket is not the name that I gave you. In fact I talked to my friend last night and he was wondering why you hadn't called yet."

At this point I didn't realize what I had done but I soon figured it out. I had mis-dialed the phone number and basically cold called someone believing that it was my manager's friend. It was a complete coincidence that they both had the same first name. Because I was told that the sale was in the bag it never dawned on me to take no for an answer. I had believed that sooner or later he would say yes and the sale would be finalized. And he did say yes.

I walked back to my desk in disbelief. I had cold called someone and made a tremendous sale. A sale to someone who was adamant about not buying anything.

I then called the manager's friend and made another big sale.

The story I just told you is absolutely true. I changed the names (of course) but the rest of the story actually happened. It took me a while to understand the lesson that I should learn from all of this.

It's actually a simple lesson: If you believe something to be true then it is.

I believed without a shadow of a doubt that the sale was a done deal. It wasn't but I believed that it was. My beliefs molded reality. And that is what I would like you to learn.

If you believe in yourself, believe 100% without any doubts, then you can mold the reality you want.