Applied Prosperity

Saturday Night's Alright for Fightin'

2008-11-21T06:53:01Z

"My old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys
And my old lady she don't care"
--Elton John

A quick note before my holiday message: I'm hosting the first Chief Executive RockStar group chat on

Monday, November 24 from 11AM Pacific (2PM Eastern)

and will hold the lines open for 2 hours. Drop by (all of it or some of it) with whatever challenges you'd like feedback on from your fellow RockStar Entrepreneurs (Otherwise, we'll plan on discussing 'How to drum up new business during the holiday months'.

Membership to the group and the chatline is always free, but you'll need to register with the Facebook Group, and you can do that right here. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35968871172

Please do that now, while this is in front of you, as I won't be able to get another reminder message out before Monday. --/DC

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The Holidays.
Thanksgiving is approaching. Holidays are those days that regular people celebrate their gratitude by taking a few days off from work, hanging out with family.

However, holidays can pose a special challenge for entrepreneurs. See, we didn't follow the "traditional" route. So, when we get together for holiday traditions, our non-traditional way of thinking and doing can become an interesting conversation piece. If you're just starting out in business perhaps you're struggling a bit - you can be a target for others to look down upon. If you're highly successful, I've found people don't know what to say to me (which, really, is okay with me). :-)

Sometimes holidays can be awkward - and yet, you can't run away to work on your true passion because everyone else in the country has taken at least four days off as well. Nobody to exchange with or interact with (we'll leave the new C.E.R. Skype chat group open for such emergencies all weekend).

So, take the time to relax, reflect. Watch some ball. Read or re-read a good book (and if you REALLY want to create controversy, make it "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand). Enjoy the strange dynamics we call family this holiday season. Lot's of love to you and yours.

--Dave C.

Somebody's Watching

2008-11-19T08:18:14Z

"I'm just an average guy with an average life,
I work from nive to five.  Hey, hell I pay the price.
But all I want is to be left alone in my average home,
But why do I always feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone?"
--Rockwell

Early Questions
I was seven years old, staring out the window of our double-wide in the west valley of Albuquerque. I was watching my dad ride away on his motorcycle, noticing the coldness of the morning in the heavier than usual steam from the tailpipe of the small Honda. He was leaving for the day to go to work.

"There's gotta be more to life," I pondered deeply - at least as deeply as a seven year old could ponder. "There's gotta be more to life than working, eating, sleeping; working, eating, sleeping; working, eating, sleeping." Then I shrugged my shoulders, walked to my room to play with my favorite Hot Wheels.

The Name Game

2008-11-17T02:22:26Z

Days of Our Lives.

As The World Turns.

One Life To Live.

"How did the daytime soaps get all the cool James Bond movie titles?"
--/DC

Ch..ch..ch. changes

2008-11-10T18:30:39Z

"Time may change me...
but I can't trace time"
--David Bowie

It's a busy week around here; it's my very first week-long event for the studio I founded: Global Network Studios. (www.VirtualBusinessSummit.com).

Thus, there may not be much blogging going on (sheesh, I'm busy NOW? Wait 'til the week is over and I'm off and running on the next 5 projects!)

For your blog-reading pleasure, I invite you to check out this gem by Mike Mclahjfaoidur (Michalowicz).

It's funny (cuz it's true) [That's "funny" meaning: No! It's NOT funny. It SUCKS!] This article just may save your sanity and your business.

--Dave Chaohepoarjope (Charbonneau)

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Are We There Yet?

Change sucks. Strike that. Waiting for change, sucks. Once we know we want something, we want it instantly. We don’t want to wait for graduation, for choice clients, to buy a house, to find a new relationship. We want what we want and we want it NOW.

In our road rage, fast food, IM society, impatience is an acceptable state of being. I drive through, I honk and I text, but I also know what’s behind my own impatience for change: fear. When change doesn’t come about as fast as I’d like...

Read the article: Click here and be happy you did.

http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/are-we-there-yet

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Thanks for this "timely" message, Mike.

--/DC

Let Me Be Your Hero

2008-11-05T21:58:41Z

Remember the movie Batman. You know, the first one that seems to be on cable/dish every other week, now. The people are in the streets, cheering and hoarding as the flashy parade goes through the city, with the apparent grand marshal throwing free money into the crowd. I thought of that when I saw video of Times Square last night (election night).

Are you your own hero? Are you your own Bruce Wayne?

What about your leadership?

Are you President of You? Are you your own change-agent?

If not, who is?

If no-one, anyone. Everyone.

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I vote for Me. I vote for You. My voice will be heard because I hear it. My demand for action will be heard because I speak it. I don't ask you to listen to me, to my voice, or witness my actions. It is my hope that you listen to yourself, that you have or learn how to obtain a voice that matters; that you take your own actions.

Then, as we both move forward separately, we shall be on the same path; as brothers.
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Dave's Economic Plan:

1st, continue to educate myself toward the discernment of truth/principle, happiness & prosperity.

2nd, continue to utilize and expand myself in this truth and principle to prosper as an individual (e.g. implementing truth and principle into my business/family/community).

3rd, make what I learn available to others to ... Read Morelearn and prosper as they desire, if they desire; while at the same time

4th, seeking out and electing to work with those who choose this same or similar model, in their businesses/families/communities.

As I continue in these means, I seek also to educate myself and others toward a Thomas Jefferson inspired Ward system of community government (meaning, individual government as pertaining to local communities, districts, and so-on).

(back-up plan: stop the motor of the world and rebuild.)
--/DC

...and I'll Be Sittin' When The Evening Comes

2008-11-01T19:32:39Z

Thanks to Project Sidewalk who created this "funny because it's true" gem ... and Brian Stanier of Box of Crayons and the Great Work Blog who pointed me to it.

I Second That Emotion

2008-10-31T03:32:29Z

For many years I've looked at the strange dichotomy that seemed to exist between emotions and "just the facts, ma'am".

Emotions always seemed so, well, emotional; like they could be the cause of self-deception unless a person was so in tune with their emotions that they were beyond reasoning in conversation (apparently enlightened, but lacked skills to communicate in an objective conversation. An example is paraphrase of the cliche': "He's so heaven bound that he's no earthly good").

It's only been recently that I've come to a satisfactory reasonable conclusion regarding emotions: Our emotions are based upon our values; those things we choose to adopt as our personal hierarchal system of ethics. When we're not conscious of our values, we can often hold belief systems that conflict, internally. This can lead to confusion, apparent hypocracy, and on up to an emotional train-wreck.

When our values are clearly established, we have a 'better' gauge to judge and value the facts. But just as due diligence of our values is essential to a clear picture as to the value of facts, due diligence as to what are facts and what are untruths is essential to our reaching a conclusion that also conforms to reality.

If we, as individuals, deduce our values to their foundations, most of us are quite similar. If we can also clearly separate facts from look-alikes (e.g. mistakes, coercion, deception), then the main differences in opinions between men and women is found in our ideas for best realizing those values.

--/DC

Recommended Reading:
The Cult of Moral Greyness" Article by Ayn Rand, published in The Virtue of Selfishness