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 …

It is difficult to walk through a bookstore without encountering numerous books about achievement.  Some are general, concentrating on what it takes to be a winner, while others are specific to certain types of business or certain types of investments.  Sprinkled throughout these shelves at regular intervals will be biographies and autobiographies of highly famous or highly successful people.  Implicit in all of these stories is the ‘formula’ that these people used to achieve success.
The reason why these types of books are so popular is because people want to achieve …

Many people are familiar with the sentiment that “the end justifies the means” when pursuing goals and ambitions.  However, in the realm of business and life, ends and means are quite important.  In many cases, ‘how’ you go about doing something is equally (if not more) important than what you are doing in the first place.  Many times, it is easy to pursue short-term results by bending or breaking rules.  However, long-term success requires attention to both the goal and the methods used to reach it.
Most people recognize this fact …

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 …

As we go throughout life, it can sometimes seem mysterious to think how we arrived at our current place.  Each person’s life represents the aggregate total of all their decisions and the influence of chance.  For many of us, it can be tempting to blame ‘fate’ or the actions of other people for the fact that their life has not turned out the way that they had previously imagined it would.  For many people, this has resulted in a slowly burning internal anger against their circumstances.  The enduring problem created …

Recent news of the US national debt topping $14 Trillion and nearing its legislative ceiling have spurred another (badly needed) discussion concerning government spending obligations.  Whenever the topic of national debt re-enters the domain of public conversation, there are two opposing priorities that consistently pull against one another.  The first is the desire to continue current (unsustainable) rates of government spending, and the second is a concern over the burden that is being passed onto the next generation in the form of a tremendous national debt.
An appropriate metaphor for this …

One of the most true axioms of life is that all things have their price.  This is true for things we want to buy, and also true for things we want to achieve.  For all things that we want in our lives, a price must be paid.  Sometimes this price is paid in money, other times it is paid in effort, but at all times it is paid in lost opportunity.
Any time that we take one action, it means that we are implicitly choosing not to take a different action.  …

The holiday season is a time when many people pause to think about the things that they are thankful for.  In many cases, people rightly think of their family and the fact that we live in a country with high affluence and public safety relative to many other places in the world.  However, there are some deeper dynamics of being thankful that are very important in both business and in life.
The first pillar of thankfulness is the understanding that there are many people facing more difficult situations than you.  The …

I’m pretty sure I know what your thinking right now . . . what business of life podcast?A  That’s exactly the point.  Business of life LLC will be launching a new audio podcast soon, and we need your help.  The reason is because the topic of this podcast will be exclusively decided by our audience.
This new podcast will consist of our answers to your questions being broadcast to the world in the form of a podcast feed.  Each week we will release a new show that features your questions and …

As we go through life, there are many decisions that we will make.  Some of these decisions have a greater impact than others, but there is a single decision that frequently has a greater impact than most other decisions combined.  This monumental decision is the selection of a spouse to be your partner in life, or possibly a decision to be permanently single.  Either decision will have an extremely profound impact to the remainder of your life, and should be made with a significant degree of consideration.
This is complicated by …