Many people have heard the popular phrase “climbing the corporate ladder” in reference to the development of a person’s career.  This conjures up mental images of pushing people out of the way to claw your way up to the top.  This hyper-competitive view of the world has created a dour image of professional success in the minds of many people.
It is most certainly true that there is an element of “dog eat dog” competition when it comes to careers, but it is also true that there are many people who …

The current world has become a place where many people are afraid.  Between news of a European financial collapse, government budget deficits, asset bubbles in China, and all of the other things that people normally fear, there is no shortage of material to inspire apprehension.  The thing that is important for us to understand is that fear is a natural emotion.  All people feel fear in some regard or another.  However, there are very key differences in the decisions that we make depending on what we fear.
In this way, what …

The discussion of what makes us successful has been going on for a considerable period of time.  Many of us are tempted to fall for fads, schemes or popular culture concerning the meaning and methods for achieving success in our lives.  Many of us have come to believe that success is about setting personal goals, and tracking our progress on those goals.  Others view success as a “life purpose” that we seek to accomplish.
Many of these perspectives contain important elements of truth, but many of them are also missing some …

One of the famous scenes from JR Tolkein’s book series “The Lord of the Rings” is when Frodo the Hobbit is talking with Gandalf the Wizard about his quest to destroy the ring of power.  Frodo remarks that he wishes the ring had not come to him, and that it was not his burden to bear.  To this, Gandalf replies that Frodo’s sentiment is shared by all people who face difficult times.  But the times you live are not for you to decide.  All that we can decide is what …

There is a disturbing trend among both people and politicians to find somebody to blame for each setback, difficulty, or annoyance they experience.  This phenomenon frequently provides a convenient alibi for failure, as some opaque persona such as ‘big business’ or ‘the man’ is blamed for our problems.  The most critical danger of focus on these ghosts of failure is that they give us a subconscious excuse to avoid doing what is necessary for success.  However, the realization of our goals, dreams, and aspirations will require many of us to …

Our world is one where there is a considerable amount of risk and uncertainty.  Unfortunately, the current trend is that this uncertainty appears to be growing.  In nearly every facet of our personal, professional, and financial lives, the things that used to be taken for granted are no longer considered to be certain.
One of the most influential events of recent history is the financial crisis of 2008.  The credit bubble had escalated the stock market and real estate prices to unbelievable highs, just before they came crashing down.  A startlingly …

One of the oldest and most frequently cited geometric axioms is that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  While this is most certainly true in the sphere of mathematics and geometry, the path we take through business and life rarely (if ever) moves in a straight line.  Because of this, much of our ability to realize success is dependent on our ability to adapt to the twists and turns that we are presented with on a perpetual basis.
This is especially important for our financial calculations and …

In the game of blackjack, you can ‘double down’ on a hand by doubling your bet for one more card from the dealer.  (When playing blackjack, your goal is to create a hand that is as close as possible to 21 without going over)A  This action allows you to take additional risk for an immediate payoff.  Within the community of people who enjoy the game of blackjack, most will tell you that it is advantageous to double down on an eleven, or possibly a ten.  The principal reason for this …

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 …

Knowledge and power are both deep and influential topics.  There is a popular sentiment that knowledge is power.  This sentiment stems from the fact that people who are educated and skilled have much greater opportunities to influence the shape and direction of their lives.  As time has moved forward, knowledge has become increasingly specialized and increasingly dispersed among a larger number of people.  In short, the power of knowledge comes from specialization and that specialization is no longer concentrated in a handful of metropolitan areas.
This is where the impact of …