Addicted to Wealth

We all want to be wealthy. In some way shape or form, we all want to be wealthy. For some its material, for others its spiritual, and for others it may be something else. But there is something that we all want a lot of. Every once in a while you see something, that reminds you by sending a chill through your spine of why you want it. A nice car, a beautiful woman, or in my case the premier suite at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

The place is so big it actually has a fricken echo! I walked into this room, and got the same feeling I got when I watched the movie "Thomas Crown Affair". It was a sensation that went through me, and reminded me that I wanted to be rich, I wanted to be wealthy. You see a lifestyle, and think to yourself....why not me? Well, hopefully it can be some time.

This suite that I"m staying at for work, was a shocking reminder as to why I wanted what I desired. It was an egotistical sense of accomplishment, which I know for me will come with some hard work. In any case, I know the journey will be worth it, because if it feels this good being here for someone else, I can't imagine how good it must be to be here for yourself.

Lucky Breaks

Lucky breaks. What are they? Are they a warning that something worst is going to happen at the expense of your current situation? Are they a sign that you need to change your life because you never know how many times you can be this "lucky"?

Let me tell you, I"ve definately had my share of lucky breaks. To this day, I still can't figure out what it's all supposed to add up to. Have I had my share of shit go wrong? Absolutely. But sometimes it feels like that was nothing compared to the stuff I got out of. In some cases, being lucky to just be alive.

I still don't know what lucky breaks are, but I can tell you I've recently had another one. Does it scare me, that something much worst can happen down the road? Well, to be honest I don't care about anything harmful happening to me, I just don't want anything bad happening to someone I love. I've always felt that I can handle what goes wrong in my life. It's those that you love, whether they're friends, spouses, children, or relatives is what makes it tough for me. I tell you what though...the stupidest thing that you can do, is if your in a situation and you get out..is to not learn from it.

The one thing we're all capable of is learning from our mistakes. If you don't, it only means you choose not to....and maybe next time...you won't be so lucky.

People Skills

I've discovered when it comes to people skills, you either get it or you don't. I cannot believe in corporate america the number of people I've run into without common sense! Its absolutely nuts. I was once sitting in a meeting and a lady goes "the guy is probably old and crazy with a lot of gray hair and doesn't know what he's doing. Just like my ex-husband". Mind you an older gentleman (who happens to be a VP in the company) was sitting right there!!! Are you freakin kidding me? On the other hand, I've also seen people elegantly manipulate other people to get them to do what they want as if they're puppeteers. I find the interaction between two people so amazing, because you never know what your gonna get. Its just mind-boggling to me how America has the economy it has, with the people that it has. I mean...really? How can this many people contribute to the Gross Domestic Product of a country who have no common sense, and still have the GDP be positive? After witnessing the stupidity first hand, I now understand why people are concerned why other countries may pass us as a "super power".

Although, I think I may have an explanation. I also find it that people who don't "get it" when it comes to people skills, have tools that get them by. Some people play dumb, others are great BS artist and always find something else to blame the problem on, however my favorite are the yellers. These are the people who just yell, regardless of what they are saying. You can say something to them, and they'll disagree with you and yell. After they stop yelling, you can rationalize with them, and re-iterate your point of view, and they'll agree with you by yelling. I find that the yellers are usually people in power because they tend to take credit (also by yelling) of other people's ideas (since most other people are not willing to get in a yelling match).

In conclusion, people need to go by some common sense. They need to respect others, and hopefully we can accomplish more good than harm.

Book Review: The Alchemist

Every once in a while you read a book, and you completely relate to it. You almost feel like your one of the characters in the book, and the story your reading is your own (hopefully it has a happy ending). There are very few books that have ever moved me the way The Alchemist has. The book simply impels you to understand your purpose. They say that when you live your life "on purpose" you are bound to find success and meaning to your daily existence. Many of us, live the lives we settle for. A few of us dare to explore, and even fewer have what it takes to follow our dreams to the end, even if it means failure. This book is simply inspirational, and written in a prose that is implicitly brilliant yet deceptively simple. Just easy words presented and organized in a way that leaves you moved. You can not read this book without letting your mind wander. It makes you question many things that you are doing. Every once in a while, a person like me needs a good slap in the face like this one to realize how precious the time we have actually is.

Movies: Boondock Saints

I recently just watched this movie, which I've been waiting to see for quite some time. I definately thought it was pretty cool. There's definately some memorable lines from this movie, that I'll probably be quoting. Anyhow, I thought the concept was a simple one, that's been done many times before. Viglantes going around killing people who do wrong. However, I think the whole religous element just adds a spiritual dimension to the whole thing. On top of that the two brothers are cool as hell, and seem like they'd be great company at a bar.

The price of success

Many people often claim they would do anything for success. However, I've realized as I grow older the cost of success. Those people who are excellent at what they do, are absolutely passionate about it. One of my favorite people is Michael Jordan. He loved to play basketball. He enjoyed every moment of dribbling a ball and being on a court. What does it cost? Just limited friends, time with the family, and lack of a social life while he was playing. Which makes me wonder, do social networking sites such as facebook or myspace actually help us or hinder us in being successful? From what I can tell, in order to be succesfull at something you have to be absolutely devoted to it. How can we ever be devoted to anything if we're adding new myspace friends, or updating our profiles?

Personally, I think I'm finally beginning to see what it takes to be succesful. Those people who are successful completely committ themselves to what they want to do, and they don't care if you feel bad they didn't attend your social event, because they were working. In my own limited way, those people who I knwo that I would call succesful, basically just worked like there was nothing else going on in their lives, until they could afford the luxury of attending someone's party or social function. I guess its just hard for me to grasp because all my life, I've been the one attending the social functions, and I guess that would be my sacrifice for success. That would be my price for success. I guess, time will tell...