Success? Tips for Knowing Nothing and Being Wise!

Death of Socrates

Socrates was deemed by the Oracle at Delphi to be the wisest man on earth! He claimed no knowledge nor that he knew anything. He only sported a methodology for understanding the shifting internal and external worlds by using reason and argument to ferret out truth.  That wisdom still applies to our decisions in life, education, business, or investing.

People who enter into a situation with pre-existing beliefs end up biasing the information they see and understand. Their very perception filters what is noticeable to them and what is not. Preconceived notions make them blind to all of the truths and alternative views.

The problem is that when we have already made a conclusion about a topic we begin to mentally filter out competing information. We see this occur when people argue a topic but fail to acknowledge any good alternative points.

To be wise means to listen first, make a conclusion second, and speak third. We must understand the nature of the topic and explore possibilities before we come to a final conclusion. Being open-minded and actively listening provides us the opportunity to understand ideas before they are solidified into a conclusion.

Tips for Knowing Nothing:

1.) Don't go in with any assumptions or conclusions.
2.) Listen intently.
3.) Ask questions.
4.) Understand all sides of an argument.
5.) Let information and data support your conclusions.
6.) Be open to the possibility that your wrong.

Four Traits of Successful Businesses

Successful businesses require a significant amount of work and care. It takes time and care to develop a way in which to fill gaps in market needs. Strong businesses have a few traits they consistently work on.

1. Businesses that seek new needs in the market and work to fill those needs by adjusting their products and services for greater alignment.

2. Strong companies hire talented people and then help them maximize their opportunities to achieve.

3.  Efficient organizations continually align their internal processes and procedures to minimize cost and maximize output.

4. Companies learn to learn by using an egalitarian approach to management and being open to new ideas.

Daily Market Indicators not the Best for Investing

The market on a daily basis not be the smartest approach to understanding stocks and market changes. Investors often scour the Internet for news in order to determine if sales are down, trends are forming or market adjustments likely to occur. The problem with this approach is that it is too narrowly defined and doesn't leave enough perspective to effective long-term decisions.

Opening the paper and seeing stocks slightly down, home prices up, consumer spending increased, or any other marker indicator can blind us to what is actually occurring. Market indicators sway based on factors that are difficult to understand and decipher on a daily basis. This means that too much focus on daily market changes can lead to recency bias in decision making.

Recency bias occurs when a narrow focus on information leads to a belief that trends are formulating that were not necessarily found in long-term trends leading to poor decisions to buy, hold and sell stocks. When one steps back and sees the long-term trends they realize they cannot worry about the short-term but should focus more on the historical outcomes.

Stocks are specific. You either invest in this particular company or you don't. Large industrial investors regularly seek to invest in a battery of companies based on long-term trends. For example, if you believe cell phones will adapt and become even more important in the future the daily fluctuations are of less concern.

The method of picking stocks or making changes should not be so short-sighted that it forgets the benefits of holding. Short-term trades often result in loss based on cost and daily social trends that don't result in meaningful growth. Medium and long-term traders often do better as they search out developmental changes in products and mass social changes in product choices.

Compromising Values or Reasonableness in Outcomes

Conflict inevitability brings about two sides of a perspective that must be fused together in a way that leaves a lasting solution. This doesn't always happen as two sides seek to dominate each other. While they seek a superior position they bring forward their arguments and counter the other side's arguments in a pathological manner.  Eventually they must choose between compromising their values or seeking a reasonable outcome.

Compromising values means giving up what you believe in by believing in a lower standard. One must grudgingly accept that their values should be watered down and have less of an important position in their life. Reasonableness of outcome means that you are accepting that based on the current situation and understandings that there must be a compromise of some type to make important gains.

Compromise doesn't mean watering down of ideals. The values stay in tact while the outcome is negotiable. Holding closely to your values is a process that can go on for a long time with multiple situations and outcomes. In negotiations it is an eventual goal, not the actual outcome, that maintains its integrity.

With that being said, there are times when values should hold fast and not be compromised during the negotiation process. This occurs when the opposing party makes a gross violation of ethics and values and doesn't want to reach for a higher standard. Holding onto ones values becomes an issue of principle more than an issue of practicality. However, there are those who set the standard for the rest of us.

The Upper Body Workout of Kayaking

Kayaking gets you out enjoying the water and helps you increase upper body strength. If you are an outdoor enthusiast and like to stay in shape kayaking is one activity that crosses over a different personal and fitness bounds. It won'd seem like your working out at all.

In places like San Diego you can rent a kayak for cheap or buy one for a few hundred dollars. If you search online there are often used ones for sale.

A couple of times a week and your upper body will start to change. Your arms, chest and shoulders are used for paddling while the stomach and back core are used for stabilization. It provides a solid work for the triceps and biceps. Your hands and forearms will also be involved in the process providing for a unique exercise.

Sports like kayaking are also useful in the sense that you can kayak to destinations of interest. For example, I have kayaked across Mission Bay to Mission Beach to frequent the coffee shops and stores. Did a few errands and got some work done all while exercising. The total kayaking time is 40 minutes there and 40 minutes back.

The advantage of incorporating outdoor activities like kayaking in your workout is that it is a natural exercises that doesn't seem like your working at all. You are simply enjoying life while staying in shape. It will provide the benefits of being outdoors with healthy mind and body.

How Aesthetics Improves Business?

Beautifully run businesses help customer return over and over through the aesthetic charm that enhances their experience. Customers don't just eat at a restaurant for food, they eat there because of the atmosphere and social experience. Each time they come they build a bank of memories and feelings that associate them closer to the brand.

Aesthetics is completely dependent on the type of business you are running. If you are a low cost taco provider a few displays and pictures might suffice. If you are a high end fresh fish restaurant you will want to make sure the ambiance and environment provokes the right kind of feelings.

Think of how our environment impacts our moods. Low lighting and candles will increase romanticism while bright lights and colors increase our arousal. The type of furniture, smell, decor and uniforms will all make a difference in the impression of the business.

While it may seem subtle aesthetics play a big part in how we feel about a business. Most of our judgments about a place and how we feel about it are subjective. Sure....we might consciously consider the cost and taste of the food  in our evaluation but our overall impressions are dependent on a deeper psychological process based on our past experiences.

Improving positive moods associated with a business requires thinking about all the ways in which people perceive information and expanding the product beyond the sale and into the environment. Most businesses are selling a feel and memory and not necessarily a product. How we feel both during and after contact with the business makes all the difference in repeat sales. Aesthetics helps us enhance that possibility.

Supporting Art While Supporting Charity

Art is a passion that helps us see the world in a new way and explore new avenues of understanding. Unless you are in advertising, or one of the great artists, you are unlikely to make much money in the artistic fields. Because art is a poor man's, or gal's, occupation but is beneficial to society it is possible to support art and your favorite charity at the same time.

Artists might have a hard time selling their works on their own but if they give half of their revenue to a charity they could create more passion for their work and a more interested clientele that is willing to open their check books.

It is beneficial to offer a percentage of your sales to charity; the higher the percentage the better. When a patron makes a purchase they are doing two beneficial things for society. They are supporting the artist and the charity.

There is no difference between this and a company that is a good corporate citizen that offers 10% of their sales to support some beneficial cause. People who donate and buy art are often cut from the same cloth based on their aesthetic appreciation for life.

Empathetic people who are in tune with their emotions are moved by the grace of the artists stroke in the same way they are moved by kids in poverty or those suffering from diseases. Their feelings and desires for a better world motivate them to make a purchase.

You are tapping your primary customer demographics by highlighting a good cause and to the meaning of your art. Art has been used for charity auctions for a long time. Offering a percentage of the purchase price to a charity is a helpful act to the field and society.