I'm not always fan of people. They exhaust me. They're full of issues, problems and have tons of concerns, from routine problems to psychotic episodes. They can be annoying. People are imperfect, prone to mistakes, destined to commit an error every so often.

I remember in the late 1990s how tens of millions of dollars are pouring into ventures with a business model that has more to do with lavish operations spending than profitability. It's a wild time for visionaries and tech entrepreneurs. The dotcom bubble was the biggest hype that captivated the hearts (and pockets) of investors and the attention of Wall Street. Back in those days value investor Warren Buffett wasn't smiling as the valuation of these digital enterprises skyrocket, with their IPOs grabbing headlines in major news outlets and the international press.

A few months later, no one - in the dotcom industry, wall street or even the investment banking world - was smiling. The bubble was poked, millions of capital was loss, hundreds of companies went bankrupt and thousands were left unemployed as the market corrected itself. The then emerging tech world landed back to the fundamentals of what makes a business a real enterprise. That is - it has to be profitable, way sooner, for it to survive. 

Meet the ultralights, businesses that operates as lean as possible in order to become profitable without taking in any venture capital. Owners of ultralights know that their business better be profitable now, or they'll perish later. Last February 16, Graham Lawlor, founder of Ultra Light Startups, a community of online and media entrepreneurs with these types of business shared with me how he founded the organization, why you're never too young to start a business now and how he made his first sale at a ridicuolously young age of three!

You can read the story here at Yeah New York.

When my dad gave me the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, it was an act of love from a good father extremely concerned of his son's social life. Well, that was before. I used to dislike people and consider them more as distraction in life than a crucial element of it. Developing human relationships is a boring practice in my past life and an item on my checklist that is better left unchecked.

When I went to college, however, it was a different story. I enjoyed people too much. I love meeting as many of them as I could that I actually ended up with a handful after graduation. I even lose a good bunch of them before that due to some stupid conflict. So much for sacrificing academic pursuits in exchange for relational bonds, most of which have become so magnetic that I didn't realize they had the same charges. But enough of me. The goal here is to examine how to destroy friendships. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by knowing the reverse, the what not to do and how not to do it. Doing so makes us realize that we're stupid enough to actually apply them in real life anyway.

1. Talk about your problems, worries, anxieties, depressions, suicidal tendencies, childhood struggles, bad meals you have eaten lately, horrible shows you've seen recently anf the bus driver who didn't give you a transfer a while ago....at all times. 

It's enough that there are a lot of people who enjoy talking about themselves. Many individuals in this world so lack attention and love that they derive it from human sources by channeling all the attention to themselves, despite the fact that they are innately uninteresting. Considering you're not one of them, it's slightly forgivable that you talk a lot about yourself, however, shift the topics to the negatives of your life and make that the centerpiece of every conversation you have and I guarantee that you will find yourself in a spot that is sure to push you further to depression, a solitary state where no human being would like to hear what you have to say. 

2. Make one (or two) people your version of god

Even if you don't believe in God, it maybe a good idea to at least rely on Him for emotional necessities. He won't mind it, He made you anyway. But if you don't believe in Him and rather consider one or two people in your life as a source of all your emotional needs, filling the void in your heart with their attention and love, then expect a future, with your "source," to nowhere. Always remember that no human being can make you whole. Although it's enjoyable to see it in romantic movies, the idea that someone will actually complete you is a myth. Wholeness is derived by a person's resolve to be who he or she is no matter what the situation is, regardless if he/she's is with someone or not. If you turn someone to your version of god, you'll see yourself forced to be agnostic.

3. Enrich your friendships with jealousy, envy, slander, malice and all other elements of hate

There are no other ways to destroy a growing friendship or a maturing bond between two people than blending jealousy and it's evil cousins into the relationship. Deceit, lies and talking behind your friend's back are surefire ways to eliminate good will and trust between two people, two fundamental elements needed for a relationship to grow. Ensure that these elements are present in your friendship and expect for it to grow deep, deep enough to go six feet under.

There are other ways to lose friends and irritate people, but these three will cause enough damage that you will not have to worry about using other tactics to accomplish your unhealthy social goal.

 

 

There's too many things to extrapolate from the President's speech tonight, but one of the topics spreading around like wildfire is the President's mention of America's "Sputnik moment." Provided, the world is not in a cold war, nor are the Soviets a threat (at least explicitly), to national security. But the idea of pushing the boundaries, stepping up innovation and challenging the limits of preconceived realities is what attracts me to the idea. 

So with no further ado, let me ask you the question, what will create your Sputnik moment? How do you create new processes, methods and approaches that will transform the way you do things? How will you push the boundaries and break the barriers that has kept you from achieving your visions and desires?

Not sure how many people will read this, but I'd love to hear about how you'll achieve your Sputnik moment! 

 

 

I’m writing this with just a blank white screen, bordered by two dark shades, and even though this is the only thing in front me, I still find difficulty in concentrating. Writing is not easy and for those with the ability to just play with words and pen a piece without effort, I sure hope I will meet them in my lifetime. I desperately need their energy, love, support, values, philosophy, best practices, secrets, lifestyle techniques, relational guidelines, religious stance, tactics, etc. In short, I need to be them. I know, however, as per my father’s guidance and insistent teaching (especially on the grammar area) that writing is truly difficult and even the great William Zinsser himself tries to avoid it, even if he’s one of the best writers we have. It takes time, effort, concentration and the ability to put in ink what we have on our cluttered minds in an organized fashion.

I’m partly being paid for writing for the past 14 months and it’s a job I’ve dreamt, as part of my at least 1 billion dreams and secret projections of my future, but never really thought I could get. I’m fearful of my prospects, frightened by the uncharted territories I have yet to explore, the rules and styles I still need to learn and the volumes of content I have yet to create. Add to this, that sense of insecurity in my ability to convey thoughts in the best way possible. I have been borderline nerve wreck when I know I have a blank screen to fill, the feeling started a few months after I have dove in to this potential “career path”, not knowing where the path will lead.

In reality, though, I need to make writing for me to work. My conceptual skills are practically unlimited, but my technical skills have always been geared to doing one thing - dealing with the written, printed, tweeted or in a more web 2.0 fashion, spreadable word. I do not know if I will feel excited to write again, but all I know right now is I want to write. I want to share my thoughts, dreams, aspirations, visions and desires on paper or the web or wherever the characters I’m using now can be seen or applied.

I know it’s difficult to write and this public confession, which will probably be read by at least three people- my parents and my best friend, may still not reflect on my actions, but typing it away feels darn good.

The reason it’s difficult to write is because it involves sharing a lot of you, a good part of you and I guess if I want to be good at this, I need to learn to be very, very generous. In the end, I’ll feel darn good anyway for doing so.

A few minutes ago, I received a reply from a social media influencer. He is a best-selling author, a fully-booked public speaker, a talent of Hollywood's most prestigious agency and one of the faces of the emerging discipline of new media. His e-mail was short and sweet. By social media standards, it's one word, a hashtag actually.

This was the full content of the e-mail's body without the signature line.

#ThankYou :)

He must have repeated that more than a 1,000 times. It shows that this guy practices what he preach. He firmly believes in dealing with his clients on a one-on-one basis, even if his base has practically been scaled to hundreds of thousands. His Twitter follower count shows that he has 855,000+ followers and on Facebook he boasts 52,000+ likes. In all standards, he's an industry biggie! But he has never forgotten the habit of responding and reaching out to a single customer.

This social media influencer preaches the gospel of building your business one person at a time and emphasizes the need to value customers as people. His teaching of commerce is basic and has been repeated over and over and over again. The basis of what he says is the same, the only thing different is the form. But he connects to people, big time, because he reminds many of us - those who try to market things, ideas, products or services to people the very essence of commerce.

Gary Vaynerchuk brings us back to the basics. He enlightens us what we should have known all along. Business is about people. It is about satisfying their needs. It is about providing a solution to their problems. It is about making things easier to a difficult process they perform.

Business is about serving people. It's about recognizing their past, present and future concerns and devising ways on how our skills and knowledge can effectively respond to those. The presence of an exchange is structured to satisfy a need and providing an incentive to the person or entity who can be the solver. It's about service. It's about enhancing another person's life or duty and gaining a living by doing so. The one who can best provide, solve and enrich life, becomes the winner. 

Unfortunately, this common knowledge has not been to common. The reason why individuals like Gary Vaynerchuk, a passionate, sincere and dedicated marketer has become a fresh face for business, a new icon for aspirants and established entrepreneurs alike. He heralds principles that should be the very foundation of any enterprise.

The fundamentals of all commerce and the free economy can be traced from the dictum of Adam Smith, the Father of Modern Economics. It declares that:

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages."

No, I have no way or intent to disprove that. Although altruism is not a core competency suggested in any form of business process, there is one thing in this dictum that holds truth and can be related to what Gary proclaims. Though the butcher, brewer or baker may not characterize any form of generosity in their business dealings, they all intend to do one thing -serve humanity by being a source for someone's dinner.  

 

If there's one part of the body that causes more danger and destruction than a male species' private part, it's the tongue. It's the most morally ambiguous member of the human physique, useful for various situations, productive in any given time. Through it, we nurture ourselves physically and with it we speak what's on our mind. The tongue is a bodily instrument that can uplift, encourage and create good things, while at the same time, can emulate the demonic trio of stealing, killing and destroying.

Taming the tongue requires a lifestyle of extreme discipline, tremendous memory, and strict adherence to absolute principles. Keeping secrets, acknowledging what is confidential and not, recognizing what can and can't be said, privately or publicly, are certain guidelines any man must abide if he plans on keeping his mouth shut. Speaking the truth, explaining sincerely, and pinpointing what is false, are few measures that must be taken if he plans on making a positive impact when he opens his mouth. Using the tongue properly requires a holistic effort on anyone's part. He needs to not only concern himself of ensuring that it doesn't emit deadly odor, but he also needs to be careful not to emit something worse - deadly words, packaged as full-sentence lies and false statements.

In order to do this, he needs to know his boundaries. He needs to be enlightened that the tongue has it's limitation and boundaries and he doesn't need to speak his mind at all times. Depending on the timing, situation or nature of the event, the tongue must at many times be kept shut. If it's used, it must be for the purpose of building someone up or correcting what is wrong. Though it is entertaining, the tongue must never be used to enjoy something at anyone's expense. It's function must be applied to enhance something or someone or better yet, be enriching to the point that it can transform and turn things around for the good.

Before someone uses his tongue, he needs to ask himself - will saying it makes thing better? Or will it make things worse? Will speaking it steal someone of his joy, destroy someone's personal image or kill a relationship I have with a person? Is it worth using the tongue at all for this situation? Or must I just use my mind and think through it first?

The worst lie ever spoken to man is framed in this saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"

Sticks and stones will break your bones and physically hurt you. It will injure you and for a period of time, it will cause pain. Depending on the gravity of the impact, sticks and stones use for a violent purpose can kill you. Words, on the other hand, will have to skip breaking your bones. It will be quick enough to cause pain, light enough to speed the process of injuring you permanently.

The tongue is a gift. Without it, we cannot eat, drink or speak what we must say. But being endowed with it is not a license to plant seeds of sorrow and pain. No, the tongue cannot cause unwanted pregnancy or be used for rape. It can do far worst than that: kill a person's spirit, dreams and self-respect, while he's still alive.

I'm sitting a few yards away from Gate 27 of JFK Jet Blue waiting for a delayed flight to Jacksonville! Many of you, the three of you reading this post, may feel like throwing up just by the sight or smell of an airport. The lines at the check-in counters, the security check that almost leaves you unclothed and the delays and cancellations that accompanies the romance (or nightmare) of flying by plane makes for a ghastly sight and an experience that will make you stop booking for tickets. Despite of all these, however, there's a degree of beauty just by staying in an airport. The sight of peoples of all backgrounds and cultures waiting for their turn to board, either to go home, pass by or migrate into a new place makes an airport a launching pad not only of heavy air transport, but of ideas, dreams, expectations and hopes.

Diplomats use airport to reach nations and territories to strengthen relationships between two nations. Foreign workers use airports to go to a place where they can enrich their careers or enhance their income. Businesspeople use airports to explore new markets, close deals and develop networks. Religious workers use airports to get to a destination where they spread their faith.

Airports are platforms, the terminals and gates funnels to things new, different and for some, sentimental and full of meaning. It is where you begin a journey or mark an end of one that was just taken. Just as if we have Facebook to connect to people, Twitter to connect to conversations and Wordpress to connect to an audience, we have airports that connects us to new places where we discover, demystify and develop a perspective of the world we may never have gained without the wonders of air travel.