2013 Happy New Year!

January 1, 2013

My desire for each of you is a happy and prosperous 2013. Live large, live intentionally and become the person that you want to be remembered for.

When I received my final 2012 analysis on who read and forwarded thoughts from this site, there were 7 countries represented and hundreds of readers who followed my posts. To my 5k+ Twitter followers, and my few close friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful life and I wish you all a happy 2013 and terrific future that you design and implement.

All my best,
Bryan

America’s True 1%

August 21, 2012

Kennesaw- Stephen Birmingham is a great author and researcher.  In his book, America’s Secret Aristocracy he pulls back the covers and gives his readers a glimpse of how America’s blue blood families really live.  He tells how the families interact, inter-marry, and socialize. 

“Thrift was an important Puritan concept, and out of this grew the Boston notion that the best way to conserve a family fortune was to live only on the income from one’s income.” – Stephen Birmingham

 

Simplicity

June 27, 2012

Kennesaw – A quick shout out to my friend, Butch Adams, who gave me some great insight on simplicity last week.  When I started work at GE in Cincinnati, there was a sign over the door that simply said,

“Speed, Simplicity, Self-confidence”.

http://hbr.org/1989/09/speed-simplicity-self-confidence-an-interview-with-jack-welch/ar/1

Our environment today benefits those who can quickly act, react and be decisive.  Not only in business but in most areas of our lives.  Take a minute and click on the link above and read the Harvard Business Review article with Jack Welch, former CEO of GE and see why he was such a visionary leader.  Oh, and by way, this concept is not exactly a new one.  Leonardo da Vinci  who died in 1519, penned, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.  It’s truer now than ever.

Image

 

#bryanewilson

Where is your life going?

April 3, 2012

Where is your life going?

Galveston, TX – “If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed” – Anonymous  

Everything we do either brings us closer to our goals or further away.  Our life choices do have consequences, so be very careful and deliberate with your decisions.  

There is a popular website that anyone can use to help them move toward their goals and dreams.  www.simpleology.com is a great start when mapping your dreams, goals and accomplishments.  Give it a try for 30 days and see what happens.

– Bryan

Genius of Ben Franklin

March 14, 2012

Ben Franklin
Kennesaw, GA – I must be on a roll these days getting comments from folks about famous, historical figures who have impacted us in the 21st Century. Ben Franklin was a particular favorite of mine and there has been a resurgence lately of biographies and books about his common sense approach to business and politics.

Here is a letter that Ben wrote to a friend on how he made difficult decisions and how he rationally came to conclusions that he could understand and even explain to others:

To Joseph Priestley

Dear Sir,

London Sept. 19. 1772

In the Affair of so much Importance to you, wherein you ask my Advice, I cannot for want of sufficient Premises, advise you what to determine, but if you please I will tell you how. When these difficult Cases occur, they are difficult chiefly because while we have them under Consideration all the Reasons pro and con are not present to the Mind at the same time; but sometimes one Set present themselves, and at other times another, the first being out of Sight. Hence the various Purposes or Inclinations that alternately prevail, and the Uncertainty that perplexes us. To get over this, my Way is, to divide half a Sheet of Paper by a Line into two Columns, writing over the one Pro, and over the other Con. Then during three or four Days Consideration I put down under the different Heads short Hints of the different Motives that at different Times occur to me for or against the Measure. When I have thus got them all together in one View, I endeavour to estimate their respective Weights; and where I find two, one on each side, that seem equal, I strike them both out: If I find a Reason pro equal to some two Reasons con, I strike out the three. If I judge some two Reasons conequal to some three Reasons pro, I strike out the five; and thus proceeding I find at length where the Ballance lies; and if after a Day or two of farther Consideration nothing new that is of Importance occurs on either side, I come to a Determination accordingly. And tho’ the Weight of Reasons cannot be taken with the Precision of Algebraic Quantities, yet when each is thus considered separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I can judge better, and am less likely to make a rash Step; and in fact I have found great Advantage from this kind of Equation, in what may be called Moral or Prudential Algebra. Wishing sincerely that you may determine for the best, I am ever, my dear Friend, Yours most affectionately, B Franklin

END

Winston Churchill and Peter Drucker on Leadership

March 14, 2012

Churchill
Drucker
Kennesaw, GA – Peter Drucker was an education icon who studied Business Leadership, taught strategy and economic modeling.  Some of his articles focused on Winston Churchill, who came to be one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century.  According to Drucker, here is what Winston asked himself when formulating action plans and strategy:

A. What needs to be done?
B. What is right for the enterprise?
C. Develop action plans
D. Take responsibility for decisions
E. Over communicate
F. Focus on opportunity
G. Run productive meetings
H. Always use “We” rather than “I”
This list can be used by all of us as we accomplish our mission in business, life and even our relationships.
Bee-lieve,
Bryan

Relationships are the network

February 11, 2012

When I worked for Sun Microsystems, we had a tag line, “The network is the computer”. Well our relationships are our network that becomes our reputation and ultimately, our character.

I’m reading Michael Ellsberg’s book entitled, The Education of Millionaires. In it Ellsberg cites interviews with successful people who have learned how to leverage relationships to achieve success. Remember my favorite author, Richard Koch? He methodically and scientifically lays out how loose connections in our relationship network ties us to our accomplishments.

I urge you to read more Michael Ellsberg and apply what he advises.

PS. I haven’t forgotten my friend, Perry Robinson. Putting some things together for him now for his new business venture.

Good Habits that Successful People have in common

January 3, 2012

Kennesaw – I read a great book over the holidays by Thomas Corley, CPA who researched hundreds of clients and successful people to understand what traits they might have in common which could explain how they became so successful when many people never seem to get ahead.

Corley then took the research and created a little story that puts the habits into action.  Here are the ten habits that forms the attitudes that almost every successful person seem to have in common according to the research:

  1. Reinforce good personal habits and remove any bad ones that may be detrimental to your goals.
  2. Set realistic personal goals and create plans to meet and measure them.
  3. Devote time everyday to improve your mind such as reading good books and continuing to learn.
  4. Make health and wellness a lifetime priority.
  5. Daily nurture long term relationships that are important.
  6. Do everything in moderation.
  7. Do not procrastinate but have a “do it now” attitude.
  8. Engage in positive thinking and have a good attitude toward life.  Be an optimist.
  9. Save and invest at least 10% of net income.  Live in the now but save for the future.
  10. And make good life choices by applying self discipline to your thoughts and actions.

Take a moment to think of someone you know who is successful and see if these 10 habits apply to them.  Spend some quiet time and reflect on these habits and put a plan of action in place to achieve mastery of these traits that successful people have in common.

Remember the formula for Success:

S = T + O + P  (Success equals talent and opportunity and preparation)

Be merciful this time of year and you will be blessed

December 24, 2011

Christmas is a wonderful time of year for friends and family. I hope that you take a moment to reflect on the past year and think of the new year to come.

Let me leave you with a wonderful passage from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1:

“The quality of mercy is not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown; His scepter shows the force of temporal power, the attribute to awe and majesty, wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptered sway, It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s, when mercy seasons justice.”

Wm. Shakespeare (1554-1616)