Just Plain Bill

One thing most people desire

In my many years of reading, researching, and simply experiencing life, I’ve come to believe that the one thing most people desire in their life is certainty. Not having to guess, or even think about many of the actions we take, is something we usually take for granted.

A few examples: the sun coming up each day (now that’s big); traffic will stop when my light turns green; objects that appear solid – while they’re really composed of atoms moving really fast – will hold up; the airplane in which I’m flying will follow Bernoulli's Principle, with the curvature of the wing allowing the air to pass quicker over the top, resulting in the loss of pressure that creates lift; that the ball I toss into the air will return as a result of gravity, and a myriad of other things “taken for granted” and making up an average day.

An example of the desire for certainty resides in the world of finance. I believe we all like to increase the value of our holdings, with the corresponding decrease in risk. Yet most claims of increasing one’s wealth seem too good to be true – and most always are.

It would be an interesting exercise to make a list of those items we take for granted which contribute to our sense of certainty. What would be on your list?

Just Plain Bill

Cancer

I just learned a dear, long-time friend has cancer.

I’ve known and worked with him for 33 years, sharing good times and bad, laughing and feeling sad, through wins and losses, and now he is facing some challenging and scary times.

Once I heard the news, I contacted him and offered to come and visit, even though there’s not much I can do for his physical condition – but I wanted to at least offer.

He is at the height of his professional career, at a time when thoughts of retirement would not even be considered, having raised a loving family, and he is surrounded by a legion of professional and personal friends. His energy and focus on the possible is endless.

So, I will pray, keep him and his family in my thoughts, read everything I can about cancer, and hope for a miracle.

Just Plain Bill

Shark Tank Fails

I’ve been a fan of the reality television show Shark Tank for quite a while. 

As I watch entrepreneurs make a pitch to the panel of millionaires, trying to gain financial and personal support for an exchange of equity percentage, I am amazed by the fact that very few presenters have done their “homework” by doing a needs analysis to learn the interests, the background, the families, the education, and the many successes and failures on the sharks’ paths to success – and wealth.

The Internet makes it rather easy to create a dossier, much as I did when I was selling mortgages in Chicago. This important step led to greater success with building relationships and increased sales. So I’m not sure why more folks do not embrace this critical research process.

I’m sure it can help the entrepreneurs with their pitches, as they can make personal connections with something in a shark’s life, providing an extra value in relating with the sharks for the purpose of providing the financial guidance and investment urgently, sometimes desperately, being sought.

What’s stopping them?