And how we lost the basic ‘adding value’ rule.
We really screwed up! Economic downturn my ass…. It was inevitable. Just look at what my generation invented: mutual funds, financial gurus and a huge financial industry that doesn’t add any value to anything except its own wealth!You should start a company and make people produce things and employ people to sell them to people who want them. You should buy one apple for $1 from a farmer and make mean apple juice and sell it for $3. That has value.
I am in the Real Value Business. I add value. I matter. I can feel proud as I contribute to the world. Half my generation lost it. You should add more REAL value than you take. It’s your responsibility!
And by the way, politicians are mostly incompetent. They belong to the same group as finance people. The ‘Not Adding Value Group’.
Love, Peace and Added Value,
T
April 30th, 2009
I didn’t build my business with the dream of delivering pay checks! All talk right now is about tightening your belt, downsizing your business, being happy that you have a business or a job!
I built my business with the ambition to have success based on a solid company culture and a dream. Now is the time to prove this. I did it once before and I can do it again.
These are times to invest in the team, invest in the future, invest in the dream. When people say they feel lucky to have a job, I will tell them that luck goes both ways.
Love, Peace and Growth,
T
April 26th, 2009
I read the following on the front page of a business magazine: ‘Be Fearless: see beyond the recession, run a lean business, protect your business idea, keep the fire in you belly and kick some ass.’ I really like it, but it’s not only about business. Like everything else, it is about life! This is what we should do in our private lives too.
Be Fearless:
Why do we care so much what other people think of us? Why do we worry about making fools of ourselves? Why?
See Beyond the Recession:
Why do we dream so little? Why do we only see what’s here and now? When we where children, we dreamed. When I started my company, I dreamed. It’s time to dream again! “Everyone has the power of Greatness.”
Run a Lean Business:
Why do we only talk about having to lose weight? Why do we have three plasma screens in each home? Why don’t we give away two and read stories to our children instead? “No More Fast Food.”
Protect your Business Idea:
Why do we talk about having family values if we don’t live them? Why is the divorce rate over 50% in most countries in the world? Why are so many children not protected from war, hunger and abuse? “To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.”
Keep the Fire in your Belly:
Why do we lose our attitude the older we get? Why don’t we live passionately every day and do things that really matter to us? How can we waste a minute, hours, days of our lives not LIVING to the full? “Every day matters. Make today matter.”
Kick some Ass:
Why do we care so little about what we do with our lives? Why do we take so much for granted? Why and how did we become so blasé? Why don’t we live life with more gratitude? “Thank your teachers for what they did for you ”
Every day matters. Today matters!
Love, Peace and Gratitude,
T
April 23rd, 2009
I went to one of our stores yesterday for a quick check with my nephew who drove me there in a pickup truck. As I was sitting there in the front seat smelling paint, wood and oil, I felt home again. I felt real again. Like I have been living in a dream for the past two to three years, during which time the speed of life had gotten out of control and we all lost touch with what’s important in life. We all talked about it and bought books about it. But it didn’t make a difference as we all got caught up in it.
Even if I had a moment of clarity in all of the insanity it didn’t matter. If I would have gone back to my group of managers and folks and said ‘Let’s stop; let’s just go back to basics!’ they would have said ‘Yes, you’re right. So how do we do that?’ And, sucked in by gravity, we would have all just fallen back into the same crazy rhythm again.
But NOW things are different. It’s like the spinning record has slowed down; we can hear the words of the music again. And it’s beautiful, it’s whole, it’s clearer than ever and we must listen to it with our hearts. I feel alive again! My adrenaline is pumping and we WILL kick ass again. We will push the frontiers of retail again and this time I will not hand over control. I don’t care if I am considered to be a good leader or not; I know I am a good leader. Not because I always make the right decisions (because I don’t), but because I have a Vision and I am taking a whole bunch of people on a journey to a place they would never have gone without me. But this time I will make sure I enjoy the ride too and be grateful for the small stuff.
From today, I will start every morning saying thank you for a great new day and end every day asking myself ‘Have I made TODAY matter?’ I will respect life and work harder than ever to make us an example for other companies to follow. To Do real Good in the world as a by-product of our success in selling stuff we Love. We Are What We Do. I love life again. Thanks for letting me have a second chance.
The world is a beautiful place!
Love T
March 19th, 2009
It’s raining in Dubai and I can literally go fishing in my backyard. Or in front of my house or on the way to work or anywhere. Or why not go swimming? Just look at Dubai as the biggest swimming pool in the world… How does mankind plan infrastructure? Like mankind plans everything else it seems - from companies, events, even war - by default. And the lowest common denominator sets the standard. Remember, in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
So, no infrastructure to handle rain has been thought of in Dubai, no government in the world is able to steer the economy and no force in the universe is capable of stopping countries killing innocent people in the name of what they believe is right. How did mankind become so ignorant, greedy and STUPID?
I’d much rather be a fish, like Nemo‘s friend Dory and try to forget all Stupidity. Have you done something really stupid lately?
Love, Peace and Tolerance,
T
January 14th, 2009
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