I just read this article:  Take Lots of Breaks to Get More Done.

Taking breaks seems counter intuitive yet it has been proven to increase productivity. It’s amazing how much you can get done in a short amount of time if you REALLY focus. Then you can reward yourself with a well deserved break.

The take home points in the article are:

• Focus on single-tasking and eliminating distractions. Train yourself to focus on one thing for a designated period of time. 30 minutes is usually a good starting point.
• Then focus on taking breaks that rejuvenate you and recover your ability to focus.

As most of my work is at the computer, I’d suggest a complete change, for example, physical exercise and breathing. While it’s going to be difficult to go for a run or pump weights, perhaps a walk outside plus taking the opportunity to refuel. Eat some low GI food to prevent your energy level crashing?

What do you think?

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Originally posted 2009-07-18 09:19:45.

Work Less: Get More Done is a post from: rob-thompson.com

• 5 Ways to Stay Motivated to Finish What You Started
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1. Know who you are. Get an objective perspective of your personality with tests like MBTI. There are free versions available (here’s an example) and there’s significant research backing them. It’s unlikely you’ll get many surprises from the tests, but it’s always eye-opening to see how people with similar traits succeed in fields that you have always been interested in.
2. Make use of your time. Monitor yourself and how you spend your time, identify and eliminate your time wasters, and start zeroing in on the things that you choose to be done. I can guarantee serious revelations into how you organize your day if you’ve never done this before.
3. Get organised. At this point, tweak, hack or get a bottom-up perspective if you must, but the focus of life design is to get moving. In truth, the only time management or productivity system that works is the one that actually makes sense to you and gets you to move forward. The difference is that now you’re armed with knowledge of your personality and your priorities (the top-down perspective) giving you a good platform to do what matters most.
4. Embrace your roles. Knowing what your roles are – whether in your career, family, or social circle – gives you a basis to set goals and develop the values you need to make your life work. Don’t worry if you don’t feel like you’re getting it right the first time around. Our lives are a constant work in progress, with shifting goals and values as we go through life. The idea is to have an intimate knowledge of everything present in our life, and then start designing it for the desired outcome.

A holistic attempt at trying to lead a life which should be lived consciously and deliberately, and not left to chance. A balance between discovering your values and beliefs, effectively using your time to achive goals which are important to you, using systems such as GTD, staying orgainsed and knowling your roles (Covey was big on this).

Posted via web from I am Rob. Hear me ROAR!

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Originally posted 2009-07-17 01:12:22.

Lifehacks vs. Lifestyle Design is a post from: rob-thompson.com

• How to live with integrity
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Originally posted 2009-05-26 20:05:04.

Can I fool your eyes ? is a post from: rob-thompson.com

• Guns don’t kill people. Bullets going really fast do.
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There are certain qualities common to many Entrepreneurs. It’s safe to say that most successful Entrepreneurs possess at least some, and probably the majority, of these characteristics. This is not exclusive to entrepreneurship. If you want to be successful in anything you will need a combination of these attributes. You will have to focus on developing the traits that you currently don’t possess if you want to make it.

The thing about being someone extraordinary like you, someone who is pushing the envelope, is that all the usual challenges to a successful outcome become more extreme. Being an entrepreneur is the severest test of anyone’s “character” and that’s the point. It’s not your skills or your charm or your age/race/color or creed it’s about you and your internal resources.

“Anyone who can face up to decision making can learn to be an entrepreneur and behave entrepreneurially…. Entrepreneurship is a behavior rather than a personality trait. In 30 years I have seen people of most diverse personalities and temperaments perform well in entrepreneurial challenges. Some entrepreneurs are ego-centric and others are painfully correct conformists. Some are fat and some are lean. Some entrepreneurs are worriers and some are relaxed…some have great charm and some have no more personality than a frozen mackerel!”

Peter Drucker

1. Persistence

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent.”

Calvin Coolidge

In my opinion, there’s no single quality or trait that’s more important to being a successful Entrepreneur. Persistence is what keeps you motivated when things aren’t going the way you thought they would and they rarely do. The dictionary defines Persistence as two words: “persistent determination” but I shall increase the list to ‘persistent determination, motivation and belief’.

• Determination: Winners implement their ventures with total commitment. They seldom give up, even when confronted by obstacles that seem insurmountable.
• Motivation: You must be willing to keep trying when things go wrong, and accept that, ultimately, it’s up to you to make your dream come true. Motivation enables you to stick with your dream when the going gets rough; it has to come from within you.
• Belief: You control your success or failure, and that it is not decided by luck, circumstance, or external events. Successful Entrepreneurs have an enduring belief in themselves that gives them the capacity to recover from serious defeat or disappointment.

‘If you want to be successful in a particular field or endeavour, I think perseverance is one of the key qualities. It’s very important that you find something that you care about, that you have a deep passion for, because you’re going to have to devote a lot of your life to it.’

George Lucas

2. Confidence

‘All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.’

Mark Twain

Together with persistence, you will need to start thinking about your confidence level. You’ve got to have a good measure of confidence in yourself, but also in other people and in your surroundings. Self-confidence is an essential trait in an Entrepreneur because you’re regularly called upon to perform tasks and make decisions that require great amounts of faith in yourself. You need to have a strong but realistic belief in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals.

Mark Twain’s seemingly contradictory quote highlights the fact that ‘ignorance‘ actually goes hand-in-hand with confidence for many new Entrepreneurs. They have no fear of the unknown, they just do it. In fact, if they knew what many people did they probably wouldn’t attempt the fantastic feats they do, as so many successful Entrepreneurs have done before them.

Without confidence it would be very hard to get that first investor to give you a start or to encourage your first staff member to come on board or to sell to the first customer. You will discover that confidence has a bearing on almost all the critical milestones in any ventures’ success.

3. Vision

“Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.”

Jonathan Swift

Entrepreneurs have a vision of what the future could be like for them and their businesses. And, more importantly, they have the ability to implement this vision or dream. Most great entrepreneurs have a strong desire to originate an idea or product, to develop something new, to be innovative and to make something happen. They want to imprint their dreams and ideas on a concept in a unique and different way. Often the idea can be pushing a boundary that society or industry has set and it can’t re-invent itself due its long history of operating in a particular way – that’s where a paradigm shift can make you very successful. Richard Branson is a perfect example of someone who is constantly trying to change businesses from music, to airlines to mobile phone and now banking. In each case there was an opportunity to re-invent the business for the benefit of the consumer and as a result he could build a new and flourishing company in an old stagnant market!

4. Action

‘Hatching an idea is only the beginning of the battle. The foundation for nearly every conspicuous American achievement, organization or institution was laid by the sweat and sacrifice and unconquerable perseverance of some man possessed by an idea he was willing to give his life for, if necessary. Don’t make the mistake of imagining that an idea, no matter how good, can win its way in the world unless you have grit enough, backbone enough, enthusiasm enough to get behind it and push with all your might.’

Forbes, 1921

This is the part that sets apart those with the dream from those that succeed. It’s great to dream but you then need the ability to execute and turn the idea into reality and on to commercial viability. It’s critical once you believe in an idea that you make the step to some form of action right away in order to start building momentum towards your goals.99% of budding Entrepreneurs fail at this; they talk a good game but do not follow through. Winners decide on a course of action and they implement it as quickly as possible.

Once you do get started, being an Entrepreneur is all about getting things done, usually against the odds. It is about setting goals and exceeding them. Rather than being content with reaching goals, successful Entrepreneurs continue setting new goals to challenge themselves. They don’t procrastinate. They make decisions swiftly and this swiftness is a key factor in their success.

5. Dedication

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”

Vince Lombardi

No ‘ordinary’ amount of action is required to succeed; it requires your total dedication.

This dedication will be a combination of stamina, passion and commitment. A high level of stamina is essential in allowing you to meet the intense demands of running a business along with single-mindedness that will drive you until you reach your goal.

Winners give everything to their business right from its conception, sometimes at considerable cost to their relationships with their friends and families. They work tirelessly and with a tremendous amount of passion. Passion is particularly important for Entrepreneurs because, although rewarding, the process of starting and building a new firm is demanding. Twelve-hour days and seven-day weeks are not uncommon when an Entrepreneur is striving to get a business off the ground.

Of course this dedication must stem from a place of love or it is simply unsustainable. Entrepreneurs must love what they do. It is that love that drives them and gives them the energy to be totally dedicated when the going gets tough.

6. Faith

“All the strength and force of man comes from his faith in things unseen. He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions.”

James Freeman Clarke

Most successful people in general as well as Entrepreneurs have had to take a leap of faith in their venture at some point to avoid defeat. They have to go the extra mile when all else seems lost. A well known and powerful little poem best illustrates this point:

“If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don’t; If you’d like to win, but think you can’t it’s almost a cinch you won’t; Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man; But soon or late the man who wins is the one who thinks he can.”

Walter D. Wintle

As an Entrepreneur, there will be many times when you will have to have to demonstrate faith in your idea, your colleagues, your family and yourself. But you will need to go beyond the logical acceptance of the need for faith to actually finding it – it is not a tangible thing. Faith requires that you reflect and consider your position and then continue against all the logical evidence because you believe in your dream.

Do not confuse belief with faith:

“Faith is not belief. Belief is passive. Faith is active”

Edith Haminton

7. Integrity

“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

Dwight David Eisenhower

This may seem a less obvious trait in the list but I believe it’s one of the most powerful ways to succeed in the long term.

As the life of an Entrepreneur is a long term game it pays to live your life by strong principles and not to compromise these in order to achieve your goals. “You get what you give” is one of my touchstone phrases and a great mantra to live your life by.

You will have many opportunities take shortcuts along the road to entrepreneurial success but it rarely pays to do so, those that are honest and treat others with respect and fairness will be the ultimate winners. Experience has taught me that people will follow a person with true integrity into the wilderness and beyond, whereas a leader without morals will soon be alone when the money runs out.

8. Adaptability

“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”

Bruce Lee

A truly successful Entrepreneur is totally flexible in the achievement of their outcome. They are receptive to change, can adjust perceptions, goals or action based on an assessment of new information.

One of the great benefits of a small or early stage business is the ability to change rapidly, often much faster than the competition. You may have to change your basic idea based on customer feedback. You may have to rethink the way you deliver a product; your go to market strategy; your sales method or one of the many of the other factors that affect success. The people involved in the journey with you will also need to change and adapt with you, the Entrepreneur.

Coupled with adaptability is versatility. You will need to be capable of dealing effectively with many subjects or tasks at the same time along with being able to assume different roles and switch back and forth as required.

9. Courage

“Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”

Orison Swett Marden

As an entrepreneur, you will need to be able to face your fears and take action. You will have to overcome countless odds and believe me; it will pay to have nerves of steel. So many people fail when they are required to show their metal. In order to succeed you need to be able to find the internal resources to make the tough decisions along the road.

Successful Entrepreneurs will often have had to give up their jobs to embark on a new venture. Deciding to risk the unknown, at the expense of a regular salary and benefits such as health insurance, pension plans and paid vacations takes immense courage.

In addition, the prospective entrepreneur frequently has to face friends, family, and maybe a spouse who do not always understand or support his or her desire for self-employment, with all its risk and uncertainty, and its drain on their time, energy, and resources. With sustained courage and conviction, you’ll be surprised at how often things work out even better than you had ever expected them to.

10. Communication

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

Ernest Hemingway

All of the traits we have discussed in this session would be pretty redundant without the ability to get your message across to all the relevant parties. If you cannot inspire, enthuse, motivate and excite people about your dreams then they will be much harder to achieve. Excellent communication skills are critical in enabling you to interact well with people of varying personalities and values, many of whom will not necessarily share your passion or motivation. You will need to communicate yourself out of the many roadblocks you will meet along the way, from financing and legal to recruitment to simply helping people ‘get’ your idea. It all requires your ability to communicate effectively.

As such you must also be a consummate sales person. You must be able to use words and explain concepts effectively and persuasively, both verbally and in writing. You also need the ability to present proposals clearly to influence bankers or investors to supply money. Your communication skills will also be called upon in your dealings with employees, to help them understand the exact nature of their job and the results you expect, and also to encourage customers to buy from you.

The candidates most likely to be successful entrepreneurs will have some or all ten of the traits discussed – how do you measure up? You are not expected to possess a complete and polished set from the outset but, can you see yourself in these characteristics or do you think you could learn them?

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Originally posted 2009-03-08 09:07:25.

The Top 10 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs is a post from: rob-thompson.com

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1. Think before you reply

   Even if you already know what you are going to say pausing for thought shows you are properly considering what they have said

2. Build up the question

   If the question is unclear help the questioner seem cleverer than they are by building it into something more challenging

3. Make eye contact

   Look your questioner in the eye when they are speaking and at the beginning and end of your answer Don’t do it the whole way through, especially if there is an audience who will want to feel that you are talking to them as well

4. Repeat main points

   For all but the simplest of questions, repeating the main points before your answer ensures you have grasped the most important points

5. Be direct

   Give the most direct answer that you can in the opening sentence, such as ‘yes’,'no’ or’by 23 October’

6. Tell a tale

   Using stories or anecdotes to illustrate your answer gives colour Explain why they are relevant though and keep them short

7. Summarise

   Before you finish, repeat your one-line answer – people are more likely to remember the first and last things that they hear

8. Right answer?

   Check that your questioner is satisfied with your answer -this gives you another chance if you’ve missed the main issue

9. Do your homework

   Think about all the tricky questions that you might be asked beforehand and prepare answers. Say them out loud – you will quickly spot what sounds right and what doesn’t and you can edit any that are too lengthy

What do you think? Have I missed any points? Please leave your comments below:

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Originally posted 2009-01-28 06:17:54.

9 ways to give good answers is a post from: rob-thompson.com

• 8 ways to have conversations that count
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A trigger: an act that sets in motion some course of events

Sometimes defined as:

an object, a symbol, a gesture, or a movement and turning it into a trigger. It’s programming yourself to react or feel a certain way when an event is triggered. It’s part power of suggestion, part power of intention. And it works.

So how do we install these triggers?

1) Find a quiet spot where you can stay uninterrupted.

2) Choose an emotional state you want to access. It can also be a certain attitude: Happy, resourceful, calm, relaxed, sleepy, whatever the state you want to anchor is, the method remains the same. But attention, because it must be something you have experienced in your life.

3) Create a Positive Resource Anchor?
Recall a time in the past when you have felt the way you want to feel when your Anchor is fired. As you vividly remember that time, remembering everything you saw as if you were seeing it again, back through your own eyes, hear what you heard and feel the feeling you had at that time. When the feeling is at its strongest, “anchor” it by making a gesture, or gently pressing or squeezing an appropriate and accessible part of your body, e.g. making a fist, pushing the palm of your hand etc.

Break your state by jiggling your body or moving in some way then repeat the above using a different and equally positive memory from the past, then anchor that. Repeat this several times to make the anchor strong.

Then test how strong your anchor is by breaking your state and then firing it off. Notice how great you feel!

What do you think? Have I missed any points? Please leave your comments below:

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Originally posted 2009-01-05 22:56:10.

Push the button: A simple guide to using triggers to change behaviour is a post from: rob-thompson.com

• How to be happy
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Do you want to use charm and charisma to advance your career?

Although difficult or even impossible to define accurately (due to an abundance of wildly diverse criteria in regard to the trait), charm is often used to describe an elusive, even undefinable personality trait that often includes the seemingly ’supernatural’ or uncanny ability to lead, persuade, inspire, and/or influence people. It refers especially to a quality in certain people who easily draw the attention and admiration (or even hatred if the application of such charisma is perceived to be negative) of others due to a ‘magnetic’ quality of personality and/or appearance.

“You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer ‘yes’ without having asked any clear question.” – Albert Camus

Here are eight easy ways to charm your way to the top:

1. Inspire people

Think Martin Luther King. Appeal to people’s emotions by showing them how it could be if only they dared to dream. Your optimism will pull people in.

2. Share your passion

If you can’t find enthusiasm, find an angle. Link the new performance-management system into how you helped your son transform his grades, or how your football team shot up the league. Showing you care brings a topic to life.

3. Surprise ‘em.

Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev banged his shoe on the table in response to a speech criticising the Soviet Union’s role in eastern Europe. Unconventional responses to familiar situations get our attention.

4. Create empathy.

Give natural synergy a nudge by consciously matching others. Try speaking at the same volume or pace, and reflect movement. Be subtle though. You’ll know it’s working when you laugh and they laugh too.

5. Add some sparkle.

Use words that express emotion [excited, nervous, thrilled), evoke sounds [crash, whoop, boom) and are descriptive [immense, shimmering, fierce).  Be a wordsmith: use language to change how people feel, not just what they think.

6. Captivate your audience.

Draw people in with positive comparisons: Just like you, Ben's always coming up with solutions.' A little flattery goes a long way.

7. Be generous.

Give answers that go beyond what's needed: 'An excellent book - practical as well as an easy read, rather than 'It was fine'. Interesting people share colours and flavours.

8. Tell stories.

In his victory speech, president-elect Barack Obama told how 'change has come to America' through the eyes of 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper. He took the audience on her journey. We felt the 'heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress' that she did. Next time you hear a good story, note it down. It could come in useful.

What do you think? Have I missed any points? Please leave your comments below:

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Originally posted 2009-01-02 22:48:40.

8 tips to charm your way to the top is a post from: rob-thompson.com

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I’ve written about personal branding before. It is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands. It has been noted that while previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging.

The term is thought to have been first used and discussed in an 1997 article by Tom Peters.

The above article has some great tips that can specifically help you to actually be the brand you want in life. It’s definitely worth working through the following points and thinking deeply about their implication along with the additional tips, tricks and strategies given in the embedded videos.

Work Branding

… you only work about 17% of your waking hours in a lifetime

So, BRAND YOUR LIFE

Image by See-ming Lee ??? SML via Flickr

1. Know Your Own Brand

What are the things that are important to you?

What would you want to leave as a lasting impression on others when you meet them, know them well and part ways from them?

Exploring this and really understanding yourself is important here to start this process off.

What is your purpose in life and do you want others to know that purpose about you?

What are the things you are living for now?  Are they different than the things you want them to be?

Examine yourself to know your own brand that you want to live.  The items you want in your brand should be long term and stand the test of time.

2. Eliminate Any Ego Based Perception

Ignore those temporary things in life and focus on the areas that have real lasting impact:

• Relationships
• Faith
• Spirituality
• Service
• Values and Morals
• Health
• Legacy
• Happiness

Show the importance for areas in the list above and work to overcome any bad habits you have where you currently present a selfish or egocentric attitude.

3. Hold True Your Background

Image by See-ming Lee ??? SML via Flickr

Your background is often a large part of who you are.  This could be where you grew up, what kind of schooling or childhood you had, your family, your heritage, your religious beliefs, whatever the things are that have been a big part of your life, don’t abandon them.

Take the things from your background that makes you who you are and who you want to be and hold true to those learned things. Continue to value them and don’t hide from your past.  Embrace it and take life lessons from it. You can’t change your past so you might as well gain by it and be honest about it with yourself and others.  Your background can often be an important part of branding who you are today and who you want to be.

4. Live and Reinforce Your Morals

Do you have and know your morals?

Do you live by them and make decisions by them?

Everyone does, it’s just that the decisions and choices in life are not always in line with the morals we think we have!  If you want to be the brand you want in life, you need to live your life according to your morals and have the integrity to stick to them.  Don’t shift towards and away from them depending on who you are with, or what situation you are in. Knowing your morals and living by them are an important part of knowing yourself and your brand.

5. Make Your Core Values Known

Core values are also an important area of life to use, to learn about yourself and to understand your brand in life. There are many advantages of truly understanding your core values and sharing them and when it comes to branding, they are a strong part of a person’s makeup and living by them should help you align yourself with the brand you want.

Of course, your core values need to align with the brand you want as well so taking the time to examine your core values is a great way to create and understand your brand. Validating that to ensure it’s in line with what you want it to be is then the next step. Sharing those values with others is a way to describe yourself and a powerful set of attributes to stick to.  This can really help to build your brand let alone live by it.

6. Practice What You Preach

If you want to have a brand that others can believe, you have to make it believable.  You do this by demonstrating and showing that you are true to the brand you portray and that you actually do practice what you preach.  If you say one thing about yourself, yet go and do the opposite, that brand is nothing but words and will likely never hold true.

A brand must be connected to the actions, descriptions and message it delivers and the proof of that is in your actions. You have to keep the things you do within the confines of your brand and the more you do this, the more accurate your brand will be to others. Practicing what you preach delivers a powerful message to others about who you are and it makes you and your brand seem genuine and authentic!

7. Strengthen Your Unique Attributes

Identify all the things about yourself that make you unique.  Is it your attitude, style, humor, work ethic, learning, motivation, energy, empathy, helpfulness, ability to focus, kindness, honesty, responsibility, cooperation, acceptance/tolerance or your perseverance! Of course there are more attributes then that but those tend to fit into the category of liked attributes in the workplace and relationships.

Identify those attributes you match and look to work to strengthen them. Make them obvious, demonstrate them, practice them and master them in your life so that you would always be describes as having them if others asked to describe you.  You want these attributes to match the brand you are building and showing them often so that they stand out above other attributes will reinforce them in your brand.

Not only are your character attributes a great way to build your brand but also your life activities, beliefs, hobbies and experiences.  All those things can be part of your brand attributes and the unique ones are easier to talk about and certainly easier for other people to remember you by and to remember your brand associated with it.

8. Demonstrate Your Most Wanted Traits

For similar reasons you should show the attributes you have that are your most wanted traits.  Perhaps the most wanted by you or perhaps that of others.  If you want your brand to demonstrate that, you need to work on them, and practice them so they are visible in many areas of your life.  Spending time on mastering your skills for something you want to show will definitely improve it and often just focusing on the one or two attributes you want will allow you to develop it quickly and make it stronger than other attributes.

Look for resources here that can help you as well. Ask others who have it how they developed it and how they demonstrate it. Read about it and do research to ensure you understand all the related bits of knowledge for that attribute. Study builds interest in things which can also give motivation and momentum to master particular areas. Using examples, stories, articles and others’ experiences is an easy way to learn to demonstrate it yourself.

Image by See-ming Lee ??? SML via Flickr

9. Write About and Share With Others

Writing is unfortunately seen by most people as a waste of time, however, there is HUGE value in it. If you want to show and learn more yourself about any content or subject, then writing about it is an excellent way to do that.

Sharing your brand, the image you want and how you are doing it is very valuable as well.  Not only for building it and reinforcing it, but to also work with others to get help. Whether it’s through learning from them or building connections that help you get involved where you are most effective, sharing things with others will help you stay encouraged, continually get new ideas and be challenged. This helps you see progress with your branding and that is vital to keeping yourself motivated to keep on working towards being the brand you want to be.

10. Be Consistent With Your Brand

… be congruent with a consistent brand for yourself. Be consistant with our online profiles or brand wherever it is displayed.

You can’t be a separate brand in your home life and another one in your work life. It doesn’t work and even if you manage to fake them, you will never make it last or reach your full potential having two separate brands.

… Your brand is something you should be happy to share with anyone, friends, colleagues, family or even strangers online.

Conclusion

So, I encourage you to take some time and follow this plan to build and be your own brand.  Put your ideas down on paper and decide how and what you want in each of these steps.  Look at applying them in your home life, relationships and work environment.

It will drastically improve your confidence in yourself and can really give you the boost you need to become happier, more effective and much more consistent in your life.  Don’t settle and be complacent with your current brand unless you can honestly be described in your life as the way you want to be and the best person you can possibly be.

What’s your tip? Leave a comment below.

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Originally posted 2009-04-11 08:25:42.

Brand Yourself in 10 Steps is a post from: rob-thompson.com

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Americans get really weird when we talk about obesity. They’re terrified of hurting the feelings of fat people and treat their condition as a mystery, a phenomenon that modern science may someday unravel. If you can’t drink four litres of cola a day and stay skinny, it must mean you have a slow metabolism or something – anything rather than admit that junk food creates porkers. Take California. Research shows that obesity costs the state almost $7.7bn a year. With this in mind, the state legislature last week proposed a new tax on… tobacco.

Just 13% of adults smoke in California, yet lawmakers want to penalise this harassed minority to help pay for the ballooning costs of obesity. But why not tax fast food instead? American shops are awash with sugary and fried snacks that contain almost no nutritional value. It’s not food, it’s calorific entertainment – so charging extra for it is reasonable. It wouldn’t bankrupt junk-food makers, and junk-food eaters might not even notice. But it finally would force junk food to contribute to healthcare instead of just weighing on the system.

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Originally posted 2008-11-18 00:02:05.

Why should smokers pay for fatties? is a post from: rob-thompson.com

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Leadership Tips

#L1 Fix The Problem, Not The Blame.
#L2 Tell People What You Want, Not How To Do It.
#L3 Manage the function, not the paperwork.
#L4 Don’t DO Anything.
#L5 You never have to make up for a good start.
#L6 Get out of your office.
#L7 Lead by example.
#L8 Delegate the easy stuff.
#L9 Don’t get caught up in looking good.
#L10 Quality is just conformance to requirements.
#L11 Learn from the mistakes of others.
#L12 Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
#L13 Set an example.
#L14 Know Your GPM.
#L15 Train Your Supervisors.
#L16 You Can’t Listen With Your Mouth Open.
#L17 Practice what you preach.
#L18 Leaders create change.
#L19 Don’t Limit Yourself.
#L20 Anyone can steer the ship in calm waters.
#L21 You have to make a difference.

Read more here and here

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Leadership – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Originally posted 2008-10-21 21:28:55.

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