Do you know the purpose of the magician’s lovely assistant?  It’s usually a “she”, wearing a form-fitting outfit, showing a lot of leg …. you get the picture. Her primary purpose is to focus all of your attention on her, as she flashes her ‘pearly whites’ and uses her hands to show that the magician is what he appears to be.   She takes your focus and puts it where the magician wants it to be.  This way, you can be amazed at the ‘magic’ you have witnessed. “She” is a reliable distraction.  She can be counted on to take your attention away from what you should be focusing on. What reliable distractions do you have in your life? What reliable distractions do you use in your life to avoid unpleasantness? Clients have told me of theirs:  playing computer solitaire, reading ‘junk’ emails, making to-do lists, rearranging the paper stacks on their desk, talking to a colleague, taking the ‘long way’ to meet with a client or someone else in the company, (more…)

How many times do you hear what you want to hear, or understand someone else’s words from your own perspective?  In a leadership course I led, ‘trust’ was an interesting topic.  That is one of this company’s core values, and the discussion took an interesting turn. One participant shared his (more…)

• Your own Business Plan Pro software and workbook (a $99 value)
• Expert hands-on instruction on how to create an actionable business plan
• Do’s and don’ts for writing a successful plan
• Over 500 business plan templates
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From Bill O’Reilly’s Culture Wars:  There is a new study by the Josephsen Institute out of LA ….

• 42% high school kids lie to save money.
• 64% cheat on tests
• 93% say they are fine with it, they do not see a problem. They are feel that they are better than everyone else is

So …. is bad behavior justifying more bad behavior? Is our culture worse, or are the kids worse? Do our up-and-coming (more…)

• Your own Business Plan Pro software and workbook (a $99 value)
• Expert hands-on instruction on how to create an actionable business plan
• Do’s and don’ts for writing a successful plan
• Over 500 business plan templates
• Easier, faster financials
• Plus much more!

Small Business Development Center, University of Houston You’re ready to start your business but you’re not really ready until you attend this comprehensive, tell-all, workshop. Increase your chances for success by:

• looking at your idea’s potential
• ways to identify your target market
• financing options
• cash flow requirements
• taxes and insurance

(more…)

Do you go on ‘automatic pilot’ when you get in your car?  How often do you think about the roads you will take to get you to your destination? I decided to venture outside on the day after Thanksgiving … I had to run to FedEx and (more…)