Life Is A Business!

Do you feel entitled? For years I have listened to and, in some instances, complained that some people in America feel entitled. For years I have watched as these people are portrayed as evil or even elitists for feeling this way. Although I believe that this is true of some but not all, or even the majority.

The feeling around being entitled to a good education is a hot button topic across the U.S. and is often tied to color and/or your family status.  Many people feel their children are entitled to an enriching educational experience, and will argue, whether right or wrong, that it’s a constitutional right. Many do this while considering only their child or children. What matters most to them is what their child is getting or not getting.

Over the years in America it seems that the importance of a good education for children has fallen by the way side. This may be why so many parents are concerned for the entitlement of their child or children to a quality education.

Do you feel entitled to a good education for your child or children? If you don’t, you should! People who feel entitled to something, right or wrong, advocate fiercely for their convictions; they are “at the table” being made aware of programs and resources that benefit them and their families. Feeling entitled is a choice, a choice that only you can make, and a liberty that many other people and countries don’t have.

The United States is a lot of things, some good, some not so good, but a country never the less that prides itself on liberty and justice for all.  Is that system a perfect system? No; but a system where being at the table is a right, and a right that should not be taken lightly.

My recommendation is that all Americans feel entitled; at least until someone says that you are not. Even then, ask them nicely…are you sure?

Life Is A Business!

Over the past few months I have witnessed many people around me just “going through the motions”, how do I know this you ask, they tell me. It often sounds like this:

Q: Hey what’s new with you?

A: Same old same old!

Or

Q: How is your day?

A: Just getting by!

This is what life has reduced many of us to, choosing to accept the status quo. The key word there is choosing.

Choices, we all have them, we can choose to accept, or not to accept, we can chose to be poor, or choose not to be or we can choose to be miserable, or choose not to be. At the end of the day the choice is ours.

We were not put here to accept this from life; we are unique creations in that we have the power of choice. Choosing to accept your current condition is likely not in your best interest, so do something about it.

Life Is A Business! and life is short! Prosperity is in your grasp, CHOOSE it!

A good friend of mine recently received a pre-paid credit card. She went to pay for a $20.00 gas purchase only to later find out that over a $70.00 hold was placed on her card for up to 15 days.

This is yet another example of the “devil is in the details” approach by “Big Co.”

In chapter 3 of my book: Life Is A Business! Manage It Better So You’ll Enjoy It More, I talk about the importance of financial literacy and stability, and the importance of knowing, down to the finest detail all of what you are being charged for.

Corporate America makes a handsome living off of our reluctance to read the fine print, let’s begin today derailing their strategy.

Life Is A Business!

While watching the bube tube (TV) this morning I stumbled on a motivational speaker saying “today marks a new year, you now have a blank canvas to work from.”

After hearing this I began to scratch my head, and I mean that literally. I began to think about his statement from a “Life Is A Business!” perspective. I can’t support the idea that every January 1^st you hit the restart button on your life, in fact, that to me would raise a red flag regarding how you are managing your life daily, if you would want to do that.

Although historically January 1^st   marks a day for many to make new year’s resolutions, those resolutions should be to build on the work you began in the previous year(s); a time to add to the beautiful artwork of your life.

Life Is A Business! and I’ve never heard of GE, Kellogg’s, UPS or any other business wiping their canvas clean on January 1^st  and starting over.

Charles E. Cox, Jr.

In 2011 I published my book; in the book I outlined 9 Key Principles to Prosperity (happiness).  Like many of you, I walked through 2011 with the Woe is me attitude. When asked, “how’s it going?” we replied, “Just getting by!”

That attitude, that feeling, that constant message to ourselves, will never allow us to become prosperous.

I will admit I, too, walked around at times in 2011 with this attitude. It’s crazy for me to have accomplished writing and publishing a book that outlined 9 key principles to happiness, and then, ironically, laid down when it was time to lead by example.

Well, I’m ready to assume my leadership responsibility. I want you all to adopt, along with me, a look at our attitudes. I want to walk through the rest of my life together with you thinking, “I have what it takes to be a great CEO.”  We have to walk and think with confidence. My life experience is the compass, and although we will start in different places, let’s merge on the road to prosperity.

More and more these days I see people using social media to quote what someone else has said. I see people posting their favorite rappers lyrics, lines from movies and what seems to be the most frequent… posting or quoting biblical scriptures.  I’m fine with that but I wish people would elaborate on why they felt it was worth sharing. Original thoughts! I want to hear in the publishers own words how they were motivated by the quote, you know, an original thought. I would love to know how the quote may have inspired you, you know, an original thought. I would love to hear about the change you instituted in your daily way of living after reading the quote for the first time; you know…you guessed it, an original thought!

It seems we have become a society of dependent thinkers, a society that relies on others to form our sentences. The United States first amendment grants us freedom of speech, and we appear to be eager to give that to someone else.

Original thoughts (ideas), together with freedom and action is what catapulted the U.S. to greatness, we can’t be so willing to abandon what got us here.

In 2012 get back to formulating your own ORIGINAL THOUGHTS!

Life Is A Business!

Last weekend I witnessed a couple of family members literally fall apart at the seams because of a problem with a couple of their employees. They recently opened a group home, and although I’m extremely proud of them I have my concerns. My advice to them prior to opening their doors for business was to become a student of their industry. I suggested they immerse themselves by following blogs, joining a trade group(s), reading articles on the internet on the group home industry/business and finding a business mentor. I don’t think they followed even one of my suggestions.   

Life Is A Business!  And business is business, and they tend to be a direct correlation of one another.  In other words, the way you manage the business called your life, will greatly mirror the way you handle yourself at work, or in the above example, the way you manage your outside business.

Immersing yourself in whatever it is you choose to do in life doesn’t necessarily guarantee you success, but I would argue that it greatly increases your chances.

Life Is A Business! Now go handle your business!

Yes, I’m an Atlanta Housewives Junky; this is one reality T.V. series that never disappoints. On the most recent episode Sheree Whitfield and her ex NFL husband Bob Whitfield set off a Facebook debate out of this world. 

Bob accepted Sheree’s invitation to take him to court to collect child support payments. Now, I’m sure most of you are thinking, another professional athlete having children, and then shunning their financial responsibility to them. Well, this was a little different, Mr. Whitfield made the case that he provides for them everything they need while they spend time with him, and that he has his home setup with everything they need. He made the case that Sheree is earning a pretty good living and suggests they should share equally in the financial responsibility.   

Why this is so intriguing you ask? It is yet another example of the fact that Marriage is a Business!  The debate between these two begin and end with money at its root. People who feel a marriage can survive solely because two people have chosen to love one another are sadly mistaken, it is a major piece but so is the fact that you have to make business decision for the merger to be fulfilling to both. 

Life Is A Business!

I asked the question: Should marriage be approached like a business? And then backed away on purpose. I did this to provide time for everyone to give this some thought. I have discovered this for many has never been considered, and whether you’ve ever pondered the question before, this question usually receives very polarizing responses.

What commonly happens is it becomes an “either-or” debate; it’s either love or business. I personally become confused when that occurs because nothing I say should lead to that debate.

The Life Is A Business! opinion on marriage is that both should exist. Love to me is a choice, no different than hate being a choice. You choose to hate a person, usually for something they have said or done to you, and the same goes for Love. I have never heard anyone say “I fell head over heels with hate for him/her.”  I do believe that once a person chooses to love, and decides the relationship is worth legalizing (Marriage=Merger) the Business hat’s should be fitted.

No different than a Merger in the business world, this is where the “heavy lifting” begins. Proper due diligence on the front end, can result in a relationships that flourish like the Northwest/Delta merger, or result in total chaos like the AOL/Time Warner debacle.

Charles

http://www.lifeisabusiness.com

Should marriage be approached like a business?