What's all this men crying stuff that's going on anyway? It seems that every time I turn on the TV or the radio, some otherwise macho guy is choking back tears and has to compose himself before he can continue speaking. Yeah sure, we all know that real men do cry right? But come on, over every little thing? getting a new job, buying a car, making a bad baseball call, new clothes, receiving a big hammer and walking in the door of a new home all appear to induce a waterfall of tears they need a bath towel to wipe away. I'm really getting confused about this seemingly popular new phenomenon. It's sort of discomforting and unsettling to say the least.
In all my years of life, since my earliest memories I learned that men cry, yes they do. It's totally allowed. But, men should know when and where they can cry. Knowing that is an important part of being a man. If men continue to cry openly, anywhere, anytime, for any reason we're going to be thought of as a bunch of pushovers, so completely in touch with our inner selves that we may be mistaken for being, "sensitive." Heaven forbid!
I would like to remind all you guys out there that are letting loose with a flow of tears running down your cheeks and quivering lower lip that you should be a little more discreet with your emotions before you completely lose your manhood. Men know where to go when the need to cry overwhelms them. Men go to bars and cry their hearts out to the bartender! It's always been that way and some of you should ought to remember that. I suppose it all started with Dr. Phil and took off from there but we have to get back to the basics of manhood and return to our natural instincts of crying in our beer. People watching a man cry on TV may not truly understand why he's doing it but we know with absolute confidence the neighborhood bartender can relate, completely understand and keep it to himself. That's the way it is and has always been in real life isn't it? So, I say, cry away, cry often but keep it within the boundaries of true manhood. Do your crying in a bar. Just like this with a little tongue in the cheek.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Entrepreneur lessons and advice
Being an entrepreneur isn't easy. Nine out of ten new entrepreneurs go out of business in the first three years and half of those go out of business in the next two years. I am an entrepreneur, I started my business in 1960. I almost went out of business a half dozen times since then. Some say that I should have. It took a great deal of personal commitment to keep the doors open. I'm not special, I'm just like thousands of other entrepreneurs that do whatever it takes to get the job done.
When you are the foundation of a business it is a huge responsibility and requires a do or die attitude. In one particular year several of my customers went bankrupt, taking with them a quarter of a million dollars of the fruits of my labor. I remember well what the president of one of the largest corporations said to me when he handed me the bankruptcy forms, "Don't take it personal, it's just business." I had to go home and tell my family that everything we had worked for in the past is gone and everything for the next 19 years is already taken. You can bet your bottom dollar I took it personal.
I consider myself honored to be among the small group of successful entrepreneurs. I thank the people in my life that told me that if I was to succeed I'd have to get used to sacrifice. They weren't lying! When the accountants said it couldn't be done, I found a way. When my competitors said they'd beat me into the ground and run me out of business, I survived on my terms. The cost? When many of my friends were taking vacations I worked, I went 33 years without a real vacation. When a lot of my friends were working forty hour weeks with paid sick days and benefits, I worked eighty to ninety hours a week with no sick days and no benefits.
The rewards? My company is still growing and has survived the economic downturn. I look forward to going to work every day. I am a happy dude. Dozens of people have had a job and supported their families while working for my company. Our efforts have helped support the community for many years. It hasn't been easy.
So I offer this advice to present or hopeful entrepreneurs. Go for it! Be prepared for the long hours and hardships and don't give up. It is up to you to make it happen!.............Good luck!
When you are the foundation of a business it is a huge responsibility and requires a do or die attitude. In one particular year several of my customers went bankrupt, taking with them a quarter of a million dollars of the fruits of my labor. I remember well what the president of one of the largest corporations said to me when he handed me the bankruptcy forms, "Don't take it personal, it's just business." I had to go home and tell my family that everything we had worked for in the past is gone and everything for the next 19 years is already taken. You can bet your bottom dollar I took it personal.
I consider myself honored to be among the small group of successful entrepreneurs. I thank the people in my life that told me that if I was to succeed I'd have to get used to sacrifice. They weren't lying! When the accountants said it couldn't be done, I found a way. When my competitors said they'd beat me into the ground and run me out of business, I survived on my terms. The cost? When many of my friends were taking vacations I worked, I went 33 years without a real vacation. When a lot of my friends were working forty hour weeks with paid sick days and benefits, I worked eighty to ninety hours a week with no sick days and no benefits.
The rewards? My company is still growing and has survived the economic downturn. I look forward to going to work every day. I am a happy dude. Dozens of people have had a job and supported their families while working for my company. Our efforts have helped support the community for many years. It hasn't been easy.
So I offer this advice to present or hopeful entrepreneurs. Go for it! Be prepared for the long hours and hardships and don't give up. It is up to you to make it happen!.............Good luck!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Feeding the poor
I wonder if someone needs another job?
I am the first to admit that I'm no Einstein, my writing shows that. The job I am inferring to right here would never be within my scope for consideration. But, I think someone else got the job for all the wrong reasons. I'm talking about the person in charge of how to feed the people in America, and more specifically the poor. With many of the statements I hear from these very smart and educated people, it makes me wonder what got them the job in the first place.
There are two situations that are being addressed by governmental and charity services:
The poor don't have enough food to eat.
And, a vast majority of the poor are overweight.
Are these two problems actually related? Ya think!
As I said, I'm not formally educated enough to be considered for a job overseeing such important stuff. I did, however grow up on the minimum staples of nourishment for sustaining life. Some might say we were poor. During that time two things were constant, somehow we had enough to eat and none of us were overweight. Although my parents made use of surplus food a couple times in an emergency the rest of the time it came from our own efforts. Meals were sometimes an adventure. So was the rest of life. In my home, the less governmental assistance, the better. School lunch wasn't as good as what my mom or dad packed in a paper bag. Usually if there was no sack lunch I went to the corner drugstore and bought a bit of candy. I didn't starve. Some of my friends came from large families of up to 9 kids. Although they were often in the same financial situation they didn't starve either. I learned at an early age that if I didn't eat what was on my plate I was hungry until the next meal. If I ate too much I felt bloated and lacked the energy to enjoy life. I learned that it was everyones responsibility to help those that couldn't help themselves. I wonder what the difference is between then and now?
In my uneducated but experienced life there are two things that usually caused excess weight: Eating too much and not enough exercise. (excluding specific health issues of course) When a family is receiving food supplementation from the government along with food cards and charitable food banks at home I see no reason to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to their kids at school. I do see neglectful parents being prosecuted for not feeding and neglecting their own kids. That's not happening any time soon I'm afraid though.
To me, this begs the question, "Are we being groomed to be totally dependant upon the government for all means of sustenance in order to provide some egotistical elitist with a cushy, high paying, great benefit, powerful jobs? It's probably a simple matter of my lack of education in these matters. Maybe eating a lot and a lack of exercise doesn't cause obesity. I probably missed that part in school. The part where someone came into class and said, "Hi, I work for the government and I'm here to help feed you."
I am the first to admit that I'm no Einstein, my writing shows that. The job I am inferring to right here would never be within my scope for consideration. But, I think someone else got the job for all the wrong reasons. I'm talking about the person in charge of how to feed the people in America, and more specifically the poor. With many of the statements I hear from these very smart and educated people, it makes me wonder what got them the job in the first place.
There are two situations that are being addressed by governmental and charity services:
The poor don't have enough food to eat.
And, a vast majority of the poor are overweight.
Are these two problems actually related? Ya think!
As I said, I'm not formally educated enough to be considered for a job overseeing such important stuff. I did, however grow up on the minimum staples of nourishment for sustaining life. Some might say we were poor. During that time two things were constant, somehow we had enough to eat and none of us were overweight. Although my parents made use of surplus food a couple times in an emergency the rest of the time it came from our own efforts. Meals were sometimes an adventure. So was the rest of life. In my home, the less governmental assistance, the better. School lunch wasn't as good as what my mom or dad packed in a paper bag. Usually if there was no sack lunch I went to the corner drugstore and bought a bit of candy. I didn't starve. Some of my friends came from large families of up to 9 kids. Although they were often in the same financial situation they didn't starve either. I learned at an early age that if I didn't eat what was on my plate I was hungry until the next meal. If I ate too much I felt bloated and lacked the energy to enjoy life. I learned that it was everyones responsibility to help those that couldn't help themselves. I wonder what the difference is between then and now?
In my uneducated but experienced life there are two things that usually caused excess weight: Eating too much and not enough exercise. (excluding specific health issues of course) When a family is receiving food supplementation from the government along with food cards and charitable food banks at home I see no reason to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to their kids at school. I do see neglectful parents being prosecuted for not feeding and neglecting their own kids. That's not happening any time soon I'm afraid though.
To me, this begs the question, "Are we being groomed to be totally dependant upon the government for all means of sustenance in order to provide some egotistical elitist with a cushy, high paying, great benefit, powerful jobs? It's probably a simple matter of my lack of education in these matters. Maybe eating a lot and a lack of exercise doesn't cause obesity. I probably missed that part in school. The part where someone came into class and said, "Hi, I work for the government and I'm here to help feed you."
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Rambling about fashionable clothes
I've heard of a lot of things that money can buy but the one thing I didn't think it could buy was being poor. For several years now a way to look chic has been to wear "brand new" faded, torn and frazzled clothes. Right along with it is the unshaven, dishevelled hair look for guys. Women walk around with their hair in a mess too but thank heaven most of them shave. I don't quite understand the purpose behind looking poor but maybe its got something to do with the strength required to live without a lot of everyday amenities. Maybe shredded clothes and looking like you live on the street without running water makes up for the feeling of having more than you deserve or something like that. When I buy clothes I'd rather get something all in one piece to show for all the work I put in to get the money to buy it in the first place. I don't like to waste my efforts on trash. The hair thing is no longer one of my problems the past few years though.
Getting all dressed up to go somewhere is really something to look forward to when you don't have enough money to dress up every day. Its one of the privileges of being poor: Having something special. Next time you go out to someplace special take a look around you. I think you will find that the people that don't have much dress better than those that have enough. Maybe its because the poor realize the effort required to actually earn something with their own blood, sweat and tears. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe poor people just don't have any taste when they save money for a long time just to buy something nice. Maybe poor people are dressing "out of their place" when they buy nice clothes or comb their hair or shave. But on the other hand, are people of means actually buying themselves "out of their place" when they buy ratty clothes and don't shave or comb their hair. Hmmm?
So, we have a quandary don't we. Poor guys dress sloppy with their pants down around their knees so they can look like the people they see on TV and listen to on the radio. The guys on TV, in sports or singing on the radio dress sloppy with their pants down around their knees so they appear to be in touch with the poor and downtrodden. If you talk to someone with lots of knowledge they will tell you that "the clothes don't make the person." I wonder if sometimes people with lots of money that buy torn, faded and frazzled clothes are making fun of those people that can't afford much. In other words: You can't buy designer clothes but I can buy beat up rags any time I want! I can actually pay somebody to ruin my clothes for me. I don't have to go through the trials, tribulations or embarrassment of being poor.
Its definitely food for thought isn't it? In my experience I don't think you can buy "being poor." In my opinion a person can just about dress any way they want. But for the life of me I can't think of any reason why some people want to look like they just came from sleeping the night under an overpass. But that's just me I guess. I still don't get why guys compete on the TV show Jackass either. I guess I'm just clueless............Joe
Getting all dressed up to go somewhere is really something to look forward to when you don't have enough money to dress up every day. Its one of the privileges of being poor: Having something special. Next time you go out to someplace special take a look around you. I think you will find that the people that don't have much dress better than those that have enough. Maybe its because the poor realize the effort required to actually earn something with their own blood, sweat and tears. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe poor people just don't have any taste when they save money for a long time just to buy something nice. Maybe poor people are dressing "out of their place" when they buy nice clothes or comb their hair or shave. But on the other hand, are people of means actually buying themselves "out of their place" when they buy ratty clothes and don't shave or comb their hair. Hmmm?
So, we have a quandary don't we. Poor guys dress sloppy with their pants down around their knees so they can look like the people they see on TV and listen to on the radio. The guys on TV, in sports or singing on the radio dress sloppy with their pants down around their knees so they appear to be in touch with the poor and downtrodden. If you talk to someone with lots of knowledge they will tell you that "the clothes don't make the person." I wonder if sometimes people with lots of money that buy torn, faded and frazzled clothes are making fun of those people that can't afford much. In other words: You can't buy designer clothes but I can buy beat up rags any time I want! I can actually pay somebody to ruin my clothes for me. I don't have to go through the trials, tribulations or embarrassment of being poor.
Its definitely food for thought isn't it? In my experience I don't think you can buy "being poor." In my opinion a person can just about dress any way they want. But for the life of me I can't think of any reason why some people want to look like they just came from sleeping the night under an overpass. But that's just me I guess. I still don't get why guys compete on the TV show Jackass either. I guess I'm just clueless............Joe
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