There are 3 types of people in the US today

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m borrowing a title from one of my past blog posts to see if I get any near as many visitors or readers as I did when I wrote There are 3 types of people in the world. So here goes …

Check out the link to Tax Day Freebies below.

Today is Tax Day 2015. And, I figure that there are 3 types of people in the United States:

Type 1: Those who have already filed their tax returns with the IRS and have either received a refund or have settled up with paying “Uncle Sam” what he is owed. I do hope that your refund was large enough for you to treat yourself, perhaps enjoying a good meal out with family or friends. For those who owe money to Uncle Sam, read on.

Type 2: Those who are weighing the PROs and CONs of requesting an extension. To whom I say, “good luck.” Do consult a trusted tax advisor and from what others have told me, it’s a wise two-part strategy to a) ask for the extension, and b) pay what you can as early as you can so as to avoid additional penalties and to minimize interest-related fees.

… For anyone who’s looking to eat free or enjoy a discount on Tax Day meals, check out: How to Eat for Free on Tax Day.

Type 3: Those who wish that the US Congress will cut the budget for the IRS. This may be so that the IRS cannot chase down the average citizen who avoids, struggles, or refuses to pay their fair share in taxes. Others may say that we should keep IRS staffers busy enforcing the laws that govern corporate tax collection.

… Where do I stand? Into which category do I fit?

At one time or another, I’ve fallen into each type. This year the return was filed early and a small refund was sent and received. Luckily, not all of it has been spent. In other years, my wife and I have owed Uncle Sam and/or needed more time to account for our taxes. And as for Type 3 thinking. I’m all for funding the IRS just enough to do their jobs — and not a penny more!

The sole survivor

A West Point tulip avoids the hungry neighborhood deer.

A West Point tulip
blooms where the deer can’t find it.
A lucky bulb, yes?

Pujols #500

Last night I witnessed baseball history and then shared an elevator with a rep from the Angels’ organization.

Albert Pujols swings.
And even the Nats fans cheer
500 round trips!

The Washington Post tells more about this special occasion.

ENERGY

Where do you find your positive energy?

40-Plus DC
provides energy to all
in need of a job.

Kudos to Tom DiGiovanni who was the Monday Morning Speaker today at 40-Plus DC. His message was on the mark and supplied plenty of positive energy to those in attendance.

iFreelance

Inspiration comes from many sources. Sometimes you wake up at 2:27 AM with a flash of an idea, triggered by a dream, or resulting from hours or even days of toil. Other times you may be reading the morning paper and come across a cartoon or headline that resonates with you in a way that connects the dots. Here’s an example of the later …

And in the spirit of sharing ideas about what works for you, please comment on this post or answer any of the following questions:

– Where do you find your “Aha!” moments or epiphanies?

– What price are you willing to pay for help?

– And where on the typical computer keyboard, smart phone or tablet do you find the symbol for “cent”?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Just Find Another Job, Start a Business

Here are a few visual artifacts from the 40 Plus DC Monday Morning Workshop featuring Stephanie Lewis of The Entrepreneur’s Source.

56% of workers dream of owning their own business. Only 5% eventually do.

Interesting facts and highlights from today’s session include:

– 56% of all workers dream of owning their own business and becoming their own boss. Only 5% ever follow through with such dreams.

– Roughly 80% of independent businesses fail to anticipate the real costs — both in money and emotions — required to make their business “a go.”

– 90% of what we fear, never happens.  Therefore 9 out of 10 times, FEAR stands for “False-Evidence-Appearing-Real.”

Of course there were a number of people this morning who commented that when you ARE your own boss, there’s no one to complain about when things don’t go as planned.  Starting your own business is a lot of work and those who do so successfully seek assistance from others, find a good partner, and are always looking to improve their businesses in a systematic way.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  And that the harder a business owner works the luckier they become.

 

On brand management

Ancient History – In August 1997 FAST COMPANY published an article by Tom Peters entitled The Brand Called You.

By 1999 the Peters business publishing “machine” had cranked out The Brand You 50 as a part of Tom’s Reinventing Work series of books.  Between the pages of this small treasure were “fifty ways to transform yourself from an employee into a brand that shouts distinction, commitment, and passion.”

Roll the calendar forward and today we have a new generation of experts advising us on how we must manage our personal and professional brand via today’s social networks.  Go ahead … Open a new window and GOOGLE, for example, “managing your brand on linked in” and see if you receive at least 11,000+ hits from real and/or self-proclaimed experts.

Yes, it’s down right tough to stand out from the crowd in today’s hyper-reactive marketplace.  The world wide web and blog-o-sphere have simultaneously opened and flooded the marketplace of ideas for all who aspire to launch or expand their practice, business, or on-line store.  Today’s market is crazy.  (Period)  And it’s oh-so-easy to spend hours upon hours working on-line to manage ones identity and brand.

So at the risk of adding myself to the list of folks offering marketing advice, consider …

Spend some time thinking about not only who you are but also think about and decide who you are NOT.  Rather than add another and then another service offering to your professional website, rather than lengthening your resume and/or Linked In profile, consider a strategy based upon subtraction.

What might you eliminate from the on-line clutter or “junk” that dilutes your brand? Here’s a comic that illustrates my point.

Today’s tweet and a comic image on how you must know who you are and who you’re not while managing your personal & professional brand.

@JohnLesko57 is not a good brand for several reasons:

• The Heinz Food Company has its “57 varieties” and has pretty much captured this brand.
• Folks might think that I’m 57 years young and mistakenly think that as a Baby Boomer I’m over-the-hill and/or too set in my ways to IN-O-V8.
• And a few of my friends from Toastmasters may think that I’m dwelling too long on a small bit of history from 2009-2010.

Well, @JohnLeskoDotBiz is at least consistent with my website, this blog’s URL, and my public profile on Linked In.  Inspiring your team at your next event.

Hmmmm … I wonder if the folks in Pittsburgh will be happy with this? Will they or anyone else for that matter take notice?

 

Speak. Overcome your fear and become a champion.

If you get the chance to see the documentary, SPEAK, please do.

… overcome your fears and become a champion.

On the alignment of “lucky stars”

Venus and Jupiter March 2012

A neighbor and good friend of mine the other night pointed up into the sky and said, “Check out Venus and Jupiter.” 

So I just had to ask, “How do you know that’s Venus and Jupiter?  Are you some sort of astronaut or astronomer?”

He quipped, “Well, I am an officer in the Air Force and we do rule the skies.”

We laughed about this corny joke and he went on to say something about this alignment being called the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.   So I pulled out my iPhone and captured the image seen here.  Later I dropped the  jpeg-file into some slideware, add a few labels, arrows, and a photo credit … And voilà!  We’ve got the subject of today’s blog post.  But what is it about unseasonably warm weather  in mid-March and/or the alignment of “two stars” that captures our imagination?  What makes us feel that this sign in the heavens may bring us good luck?

Julius Caesar wasn’t so lucky on the Ides of March.  And if you’ve been following the economic news of countries such as Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain you’d have to ask, “Just how lucky are those stars?”  And if the whole story be shared here, I was recently at a party and overheard someone say that St. Patrick is needed still in Ireland — to round up a few snakes who’ve plunged their economy into the state it’s in.  Excuse me, I digress or perhaps that fellow was spreading a little Blarney.

So what’s the point and how is this all related to the focus of this blog?

Facilitators, discussion leaders, managers, and others are many times faced with explaining or helping groups discern between matters of fact (science) and matters of opinion (based on superstition, the reading tea leaves, or the alignment of the stars).  How do you deal with the irrational or the superstition?  How do you account for luck and its role in decision-making?  Please, if you’ve read this far, do comment on this post.  And if you’re interested in my thoughts …

Well, one of my favorite quotes on the alignment or conjunction of work and luck has been attributed to our Third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.  He said …

“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”