About me
6/10/07
I don't have any"long term" plans.
One of my biggest strengths, and biggest weaknesses, is that I do not have a single goal both in terms of career and education. This is a strength because I am not tied to any particular path, or even a particular direction. I've gone from construction to banking to teaching to running a school, and I've been able to apply ideas, principles, and knowledge from my past experiences to whatever I'm working on at the moment. It's also a weakness because I don't have any specialized set of skills, or an advanced degree in any one area. Deep down I believe I'm cursed with the desire to be Master of all Trades, rather than just a Jack. I think I realize, deep down, that I'm not "great" at anything. I have no great talent in painting, music, writing, math, etc. This is an extreme advantage! God has given me the talent of learning how to get good at areas in which I have no talent! Thus, I've learned general principles for self-improvement that I apply to painting, guitar, work, exercise, and anything else I do. Thus I have never felt "I was put onto this earth" to do something. The very thought of doing One Thing makes me nervous, because I accurately believe I could never do One Thing really, really well.
I really love education. I love having been educated, and also educating others. I now have the added benefit of learning how to run a $2 million business, which will grow to a $5 million business in about 3 years. I've learned so much about the legal, financial, and regulatory aspects of running a business, and more importantly I've become better at hiring, managing, and ultimately inspiring people on my staff.
I'm very interested in alternative energy, both the the environmental benefits but more importantly for the positive effects on America's foreign policy. I can't stand to see American soldiers dying in some backward desert 8,000 miles away, just because people need to drive big cars. If we had wind farms, solar stations, etc., we could drastically reduce (actually eliminate) our need to be over there.
I'm also very devoted to entrepreneurialism. I've been writing a couple business plans. One is to start a tea shop here in NY. I've helped a friend on starting a high-quality ice cream business. I hope she is able to make it happen!
I've also got less career-minded goals that frankly consume more of my thoughts. I've started writing a memoir. Highly motivated by having read Gandhi's autobiography, I stopped eating meat and now take cold showers only. I still lift weights, run, and do martial arts. I'm taking Japanese lessons. I still play the guitar for about 30 minutes a day. I have been dreaming about writing a textbook that successfully merges economic concepts (supply, demand, etc.) and education. There is a field called Educational Economics, but it doesn't exist in the US. I'd love to write a book about the community college I attended, and now is the time.
As you can see, I'm a bit of a tortured soul because I'm overrun with ideas that deep down I think are good ones. My conundrum is figuring out if (a) I have the ability to do them and if (b) I know how to start doing them.
Although the idea of goal setting, self-help, etc. is not a new one, and is generally common sense; most people seem to need to hear it, and often hear it repeatedly. I have made a conscious decision to avoid psychobabble, wishy-washy, touchy-feely tripe, and sis-boom-bah cheerleading. I don’t want these ideas ignored and on your bookshelf, but rather folded up, in your pocket, well-inked, and put to use.
This is a short article with small words because it doesn't need to be a long article with big words.
I have been thinking about goal setting and self-improvement for about 20 years, and want to distill their vital aspects for you. I learned about goal setting the hard way, and never thought about even the possibility of improving myself until I was 18. At the time, my goals reflected a typical teenaged mentality, such as "cut hair,", "get a better job," "clean car," etc. In retrospect, I think that was a huge advantage compared to someone who created complex, multilayered goals, because I didn't have heavy emotional baggage attached to goals. They were light, simple, and certainly made me feel great.
As I aged, of course, the initial tasks grew more difficult for various reasons, so I attempted to fit each difficulty into general mechanisms which would remain the same, and in doing so learned the hard way whether it worked or not.
I've done a bunch of things in my life, none of which imbue me with immortality, but I'm pretty happy with things. I remain a list maker and a goal setter. This site is dedicated to the world, which will be a better place if you choose to follow it.
And miles to go before I sleep
1) I need to focus more. I am soooo much better at making plans, setting goals, and managing others than actually doing it myself. Somethings that are set in stone, like work, lifting, giving blood, training, etc. are OK, but things like meditate, write more, learn to paint, just aren't going anywhere. (I've had "learn to paint" as a goal since 1994.)
2) I really need to be more consistent with time. I know I have these bursts of productivity, where I am literally a multi-tasking hyper-productive maniac, but that's only 5% of the time. 95% of the time is far more sedentary and frankly lazy. I don't want to lose the 5%, but if I could be even moderately productive for even 50% of the remaining time, it would be better.
3) I feel disorganized. I don't feel as "tight" as I used to me. Things are getting done, but I don't have the "it's 5pm on Saturday and I have all my errands done, the house is clean, and now I can just focus on one or two things" feeling like I used to have.
What your business idea really needs
The biggest issue in business is finding the right people to talk to and/or work with.
My first business was begun when I was 12 (landscaping; had like 5 customers), and then at 14 I started collecting recyclables (aluminum, steel, copper, etc). I never made a ton of money, but learned a lot in the process, both in terms of the math (profit, hourly income, etc.) and interpersonally (getting customers, working with friends, etc.) I learned even way back then to avoid negative, lazy, and scattered people, mostly the hard way.
I always found myself being the more excited, harder working, and more dedicated in any partnership, and it was pretty heartbreaking. This ended up becoming a major force in shaping my personality, honestly. The lesson learned for me was that entrepreneurs can't afford to work with the "wrong" people, no matter how good the idea is.
I hope this site is helpful in providing a clear and followable path for you, without the fluffy and preachy 256 (Think and Grow Rich!) to 544 (Awaken the Giant Within) page self help books that really don't seem to say much more.
That said, I recommend any book that you think would work for you. I've read many of them (not most; there are thousands), and often I get a better understanding of things generally.
There is no one path in life, but there are generally trodden areas in the field that you should be familiar with before you start bushwhacking.
Let me know how things go. Here is a summary of what I've accomplished so far.
By omission, you’ll see what I haven’t done. There may be gaping holes in my life that you see, and perhaps I don’t see. (Please let me know!) By inclusion, you’ll see what I’ve done, and my accomplishments may be in a particular area, or they may be random, or they may be low-level, or they may be useless.
Obviously, I’m not going to include every little thing, like every book I’ve read, or obvious goals (graduate from High School, when I’ve gone to college)
Education: After graduating from a community college with a 4.0 GPA, I graduate from an Ivy League university, paying for it on my own. This is after being a solid C- student in Junior High and High School.
Physical: I have benched 435 pounds, deadlifted 585 pounds, and squatted (my worst) 440 pounds. I’ve been as low as 5.8% bodyfat. I have ridden a century (100 miles on a bicycle), and have run 4 NYC Marathons.
Asceticism: I have not drunk alcohol or coffee, or owned a TV, in 20 years. I also don’t drink soda, eat candy, add sugar, or smoke cigarettes. I take cold showers only, am a vegetarian, and do not take even legal medicine. I do not own a car.
Environment: I use less than 170 KwH of electricity per month, which is less than 19% as much as the average American household (888 KwH). All of my electrical energy comes from Wind Power. I am Kyoto Protocol complaint (i.e., I use the amount of energy required had the US entered into that agreement).
Career: I have worked as a dishwasher, a car wash attendant, a gas station attendant, a grocer, personal trainer, park ranger, truck driver, pipefitter, investment banker, teacher, and Executive Director of a school. I am the Founder of the New York City Classical Guitar Society, and was its President for 4 years.
Financial: My credit score is 790. My net worth is over $350,000 and have no debts.
Down Time: I’ve read 6 of the Top 100 Best Novels. I’ve also read the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita. I create about one new painting a month. I am CPR, AED, and First Aid Certified. I also sponsor an Albanian girl, and have I’ve traveled to Germany, Thailand, and Japan. I know a little Japanese.
Daily: On a daily (or sufficiently regular) basis I stretch, lift, run, do martial arts, drink loads of water, practice the guitar, wake without an alarm clock, take a vitamin.