In our current era of expanding government, there has been a dramatic resurgence of anti-establishment sentiment that seeks to fight against the powers in charge of government.  Ironically, the people who were most vocal in opposition of the government during the 1960′s have risen to positions of power and are now the target of opposition by people who don’t appreciate the dramatic escalation of government that has occurred over the last 40 years, capped off by the near-complete abandonment of traditional checks and balances in a deterministic quest to pass …

One of the most interesting and unique economic phenomenon to emerge over the last 10 years is the impact of technology in creating products that are free to the consumer.  Chris Anderson writes about this in his book entitled “Free”.  The most unique aspect of this business model is that it generates tremendous profits for those who know how to use it correctly.
Typically, the advent of a “free” product or service is a sample that is intended to give consumers a taste that entices them to pay for the products …

One of the greatest questions that mankind has dealt with over the years is that of determining what causes success.  There have been many notable authors such as Napoleon Hill, Dennis Waitley, and Zig Ziglar who have tackled this subject, and produced spectacular works.  A common theme among all of the success literature is the notion that success is something you must go out and achieve.  One cannot expect success to come and find them in the middle of the night and announce its presence.  This analogy may sound silly, …

One of the things that we like to do is human beings is to fantasize about how our lives would be different if something were different.  It turns out that this mode of thinking produces two distinctive outputs.  The first is that it allows our minds to drift into a world where events unfold exactly as we would like.  The second is that by using the word if, it absolves our minds of any responsibility for making our dreams a reality.
The effect is very subtle, but it is still very …

For both individuals and business owners, negotiations can prove to be one of the most difficult and most important things that we do.  The largest purchases that most people make frequently involve very intense negotiations.  The ability to gain employment, and earn promotions is also frequently influenced by your ability to negotiate.  Negotiation has a very significant impact on personal, professional, and financial success.  Because of this, it is very important to understand the parts of negotiations that are the most important, along with the parts that are frequently misunderstood.
To …

One of the logical fallacies that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the contemporary world is that of the false dichotomy.  This is also referred to as the either-or fallacy, fallacy of false choice, black and white thinking or the fallacy of exhaustive hypotheses) is a type of logical fallacy that involves a situation in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there are additional options.  Unfortunately, the false dichotomy has become a dangerous tool for pushing public policies that are not necessarily in the public interests by presenting …

There is a startling trend in civilized society to view ignorance as being synonymous with a lack of intelligence or stupidity. The truth is that ignorance simply describes a situation where you happen to be uninformed on a particular topic. However, simple logic uncovers the fact that that all people are informed on some topics and ignorant on others. Furthermore, it is ‘rational’ for most people to remain ignorant on certain topics.
The reason why ignorance can be rational is because acquiring information involves cost. Sometimes this cost is paid in …

Recent news about the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan has caused many people to pause in consideration and prayer for those affected by this natural disaster.  As the news and images of the disaster comes in, they make the perceived difficulties of our lives pale in comparison to the real turmoil faced by those who are on the front lines of responding to the earthquake and tsunami.
When events such as this unfold, they draw a sharp line between the things that we spend time getting worked up …

Most people are aware of great deals and tremendous opportunities that people they know have seen or experienced throughout their lifetime.  All of these phenomenal deals share one key characteristic in common . . . somebody took action so that the opportunity could be turned into reality.  This willingness to act is what separates great achievers from the average person.
Conversely, a psychological paralysis grips many people and freezes them into stalling, waiting, and preparing until the opportunity to act has passed.  At this point, many people will begin to create …

There are many situations in life where personality plays a much more important role than measured ability.  In many cases, we choose who to personally follow based on the power of their personality.  Leadership is the ability to persuade people to follow your vision, regardless of whether they are being paid to do so.  Managers are often adept at coordinating schedules and issuing orders, but there are relatively few people that are currently in positions of power that are skilled in creating a shared vision of success.
In many corporate settings, …