Private Victory [dot] com

Chuck Norris and Boy Scouts

Chuck Norris and his conspiracy theories about Obama and Boy Scouts of America got me thinking about my own experience with the organization and what I learned from it.

I was a Boy Scout. As far as I know, none of the kids were gay.

We did have a leader who was a pedophile, but he wasn't gay either. He liked little girls.

Only when he got caught fingering babies in a church nursery and was legally banned from all contact with kids did anything come of it.

Still, nothing was said. He just wasn't around anymore.

Just like the Catholic Church or Penn State, there are plenty of coverups regarding Boy Scouts of America, because admitting there is a problem can ruin a good image.

Admitting there is a problem in your organization is a must if you want to survive though, because the truth always gets out...eventually.

Even before the general public learned about the problem through high-profile Boy Scout sex abuse cases though, the kids in my troop knew the truth. And we grew up to be adults who know the truth.

No organization is immune from problems. People will forgive problems. When it moves beyond that though, into coverup and scandal, you're dead.

The solution to any problem is simple:

1. Know the real enemy.
2. Do the right thing.

Why People Don't Trust You

Watch what is happening to the Susan G. Koman Foundation right now for a great example of why you may be losing credibility with people.

To summarize... Koman cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, some people got pissed, Koman reinstated funding to keep those people happy, and now almost everybody is pissed.

Comments the organization's Facebook wall:

"When I heard you dropped Planned Parenthood.....I made a donation to the Koman charity......and today I called visa and had it canceled.....what a fraud organization you are......on the national Susan G Koman website you have women wearing pink t-shirts which read....we celebrate life but then you monitarily support abortion which kills life.....unbelievable!!!!!"

"I applauded you for defunding PP. Now that you have caved in, you are to be pitied for lacking the spine to confront baby killers."

"I will never give this organization a dime! Planned Parenthood is primarily an abortion factory!"

"Do you realize next year all this controversy will return? READ THE PRESS RELEASES. The only thing Komen changed their stance on is the policy to not fund orgs under investigation. They will honor this year which they said from go...next year PP will be "eligible" for a new grant...this is just a back pedal to save a little face...I ain't biting this slimy hook!"

"If I didn't think SGK would change their mind again I would write them a check. Ill just send it straight to planned parenthood."

"Susan Korman-You are spineless and never again will I donate to your cause. You are just as bad as the baby killers of Planned Parenthood!"

Remember this...

You cannot please everybody.

Try to do that, which is what Susan G. Koman is attempting, and you'll end up right where they are. Everybody will be skeptical of you and nobody will be happy.

You're much better off taking a stand, isolating some people, and giving those that are left exactly what they want.

Fuck the Florida Family Association

A quick post to give a FUCK YOU to the Florida Family Association for their 20+ years of telling people how to live their lives and companies how to conduct business.

If you don't like a television show, don't watch it.

If you don't like abortion, don't have one.

If you don't like homosexuals, don't go to Disney World on "Gay Day " or support companies, like Southwest Airlines, that have benefits for homosexuals in domestic partnerships.

If you don't like strip clubs, don't visit them.

If you don't like pornography, don't buy pornographic material.

Vote with your wallet, like everybody else. Stop trying to get other people involved with your propaganda and fear mongering.

And FUCK YOU to all the companies who listen to loudmouths like this, cave in, and call it something else. If you believe in the same "family values" agenda, fine, but if not, don't let them bully you.

Millennials Are An Entrepreneurial Generation?

Hardly.

Entrepreneurs start regardless of the economy, how easy it is to get a loan, health insurance, or role models. If you're waiting for the "perfect time" to start, you'll never start.

Which is my guess for what will happen to the majority of people who took this survey...

I'm not one to make things extra hard on people, but I also don't belive that anybody benefits when something is too easy. There is value that comes from having to build the kind of desire that makes you jump through hoops and deal with all of the "problems" mentioned above.

Personally, I look at this as the very best time to start a business, since fear of a "tough economy" and lack of access to easy loans has already killed off much of your competition.

My solutions to the "most common barriers" mentioned above...

Student Debt - Pay it off. Or learn to live with it.

Non-Student Debt - Same as above. And stop being an idiot and have respect for money. This is why you can't get a loan. If you can't handle your own money, how are you going to handle the money of somebody else? 

Health Insurance - You're young and healthy. Buy a major medical policy that will take care of you in the event of something catastrophic.

You can get a policy with a $5000 deductable for not a lot of money. Not as good as the policy you have working for the Man, but you'll be safe to go out on your own and, should something happen, it won't ruin your life.

Little Demand for Product - Seriously? Are you in the convincing business? Make it easy on yourself and find something people want!

Lack of Role Models - They're out there. If you're having trouble finding somebody, start by reading books about successful people.

Personal Doubts - Everybody who has ever started a business has doubts, but they press forward anyway.

You'll never know how fast you can go unless you crash the car.

No Skills - Easy to fix. Start reading, take classes, go to seminars, and be open to learning. Then jump in, mess some things up, and improve your skills as you go along. Real learning happens in the field.

Not Knowing How to Run a Business - You're going to let this stop you? How else, other that running a business, are you going to learn?

Too Much Risk - If you think starting a business is too risky, you have a lack of desire. 

Can't Get a Loan -  There is more money out there than there are good ideas with good people to execute them. If you can't get a loan, the problem is either your idea or you.

Even a turkey can fly in a tornado. Stop waiting for the perfect time to start.

When Your Work is Done...

Steve Jobs died today, just one day after Apple announced its new iPhone.

I don't think it was coincidence.

It takes big balls to do what Steve Jobs did. He reinvented the personal computer, the portable music player, the mobile phone, music distribution, software distribution, and movies for kids.

Could he have done more? Probably. But he did what he set out to do and that was enough.

When your work is done, there's no reason for you to stick around. This is why Charles Schulz died on the day the last Peanuts comic strip was published. It's why more people die after the first of the year than the week of Christmas.

When you finish what you're here for, it's time to move on.

Why You're a Failure (or Not)

Don Lapre died yesterday. He died in custody from an apparent suicide, while awaiting a trial, which was scheduled to begin tomorrow.

I don't know the specifics around Don Lapre's situation or exactly why he was in custody, other than a "fraud" charge, but I've found it disturbing how the public has turned on this guy. Read the comments on his various YouTube videos or news stories covering this situation to see what I'm talking about.

From what I've seen of Don Lapre, I think he has a lot of good advice. You find something that works, like a "tiny classified ad," and you replicate it. 

Was success in this business as easy as he made it look? No.

Is anything as easy as it looks? No. It's the job of professionals to make things look easy though.

Nobody wants to see a concert where the dance moves and musicianship are being worked out. We want it to look easy. Nobody goes to a Cirque du Soleil to see a flawless performance, not some guy falling down or hurting himself.

How do you make things look easy? Work at it.

One of the things you never hear about on television infomercials, whether they be for diet pills, exercise equipment, or "make money" stategies, is that you get back what you put in. Like Newton said, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

But that doesn't sell.

I could write a book called, "How to Make $500 on the Internet Working Just 20 Hours" with a hundred ways for people to do just that. "$500 in 20 hours" isn't nearly as sexy as something like, "How to Make $10 Bajillion Online...In Your Underwear!" though and it's unlikely that the "$500 book" would sell as well, even though the title would be a lot more believable for most people.

People want a fantasy. They don't do the work it takes to make big money because it's not as much fun as living in a dream world. And they don't look at themselves when things don't work out, because it's much easier to blame a guy like Don Lapre.

You can tell yourself whatever you want, but the reality is, if you're not making enough money or haven't achieved a goal you want, you're the one who is responsible.

Drugs Were to Blame

Just got an email from CNN...

Flamboyant fashion designer John Galliano was found guilty Thursday in a French court on charges of making anti-Semitic comments against at least three people in a Paris cafe. He has been fined 6,000 euros but has not been sentenced to prison time. One symbolic euro has been awarded to each plaintiff.

Galliano, who was fired by fashion giant Christian Dior in March after a video surfaced showing him praising Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, testified when the trial opened in June that drugs were to blame.

Uhhhh... Where do I begin on this? Specifically, where do I begin on his "drugs were to blame" testimony?

This is why he was working as an employee and the company is called Christian Dior instead of John Galliano.

Owners take ownership. Period.

BOO!

It's Halloween today.  I'm spending the evening preparing for a 10-day trip to Las Vegas, where I'll be attending an event for women entrepreneurs (long story...), checking out Zappos.com, and hopefully this...

Will have lots to share when I get back.  Until then, think about this...

Today, Halloween, is the one day of the year people seem to feel ok with dressing up and being whomever they want to be.  Football players and other "manly men" can be women, the most conservative women can be "sexy" and push the limits of their sexuality, and guys who have no luck with women can be pimps, porn stars, or playboys.

I hope you'll take some time today to consider how a "Halloween" approach can be helpful to you and your ability to create the life you want.  If you don't like the person you are, change it.  Don't like your name?  Change it.  Don't like your job?  Quit and find one that you do like.

How things are today doesn't have to be how they are tomorrow.

You are whomever you want to be, not just on Halloween, but every day of the year.  So make it happen...

10/10/10 - A Good Day to...

It's 10/10/10 today.  A good day to:

• Get Married
• Get Divorced
• Meet Your Soulmate
• End a Relationship
• Start a Business
• Quit Your Job
• Start an Exercise Program
• Go to the Park
• Come Out of the Closet
• Give Birth to Something
• Abort Something
• Ask Somebody Out
• Say Yes
• Reject an Offer
• Get Divorced
• Change Careers
• Buy a House
• Sell a House
• Write a Song
• Sing a Song
• Start a Blog
• Eat a Cupcake
• Go on a Diet
• Have a Toast
• Give Up Drinking
• Grill a Steak
• Become Vegetarian
• Tell Somebody Off
• Apologize
• Watch a Movie
• Make a Movie
• Speak Your Truth
• Release a New Product
• Buy a Lotto Ticket
• Donate Money to Charity
• Walk an Old Lady Across the Street
• Write a Book
• Read a Book
• Find Religion
• Give Up on Religion
• Do The Next Right Thing for You (Whatever That Is)

Just like any other day...

I Am Canadian (and also a big ass baby...)

Today, I received a reminder in my email box that Americans aren't the only people who need to:

1. get a grip
   
   
2. start getting political and economic advice from people other than guys at the bar

If you're buying into things like the email below, ask yourself, "Does being a victim serve me?"

I AM CANADIAN   - new version

I am in the minority in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto  and every casino in the country.

I was born in the fifties, yet I am somehow responsible for First Nations people being screwed out of their land in the 1700's.

I pay an import tax on cars made in Ontario.

I am allowed to skydive and smoke, but not allowed to drive without a seat belt.

All the money I make until mid July goes to paying taxes..

I live among people who believe Americans are Ignorant. These same people cannot name this country's new territory.

On April 1st, 1999, the map of Canada changed for the first time in 50 years with the creation of Nunavut Territory. The Northwest Territories was split and 2 million square kilometers of the central and eastern arctic became ' Nunavut '.

Although I am sometimes forced to live on canned tuna and don't have a pot to piss in,   I sleep well knowing that my taxes helped purchase a nice six figure home in Vancouver for some unskilled refugee.

Although they are unpatriotic and constantly try to separate... Quebec has provided many of my nation's prime ministers.

95% of my nation's international conflicts are over fishing.

I'm supposed to call black people 'African Canadians', although I'm sure none of them have ever stepped a foot in Africa.

I am being told that paying a 200% tax on alcohol is fair.

I am also being told that the same tax on gasoline is also fair.

Even if I have no idea what happened to that old rifle my Grandfather gave me when I was 14, I'll be considered a criminal if I don't register it.

I am being told that spending $15 billion to promote the French language in the rest of Canada is fair when the province of Quebec doesn't support or recognize the English language.

I am being told that paying $1 million for 3 Stripes ('The Voice of Fire' painting in Ottawa )  by the National Art Gallery was a good purchase, even  though 99% of this country didn't want it or will ever see it.

When I look at my pension and realize that I take home a third of what I actually make, I say 'Oh well, at least we have better health care than the Americans.'

I must bail out big corporations who drive their business into the ground and say,  
'yeah that's ok.' When they move all their manufacturing plants and jobs to a 3rd world country and say, 'no problem.'

My National Anthem has versions in both official languages.

Canada is the highest taxed nation in North America, the biggest Military buffer for the United States, and the number one destination for fleeing terrorists.

I am not an angry white person.

I am one pissed off taxpayer, who is broke.
I am Canadian !!!

Post your thoughts below...