These are real words from a real person who won a real election in America.

• “There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.”
• “[Gay marriage] is probably the biggest issue that will impact our state and our nation in, at least, the last 30 years.  I am not understating that.”
• “Take a picture of The Lion King for instance, and a teacher might say, ‘Do you know that the music for this movie was written by a gay man?’ The message is: I’m better at what I do, because I’m gay.”
• ”I’m very concerned about the international moves they’re making, particularly … moving the United States off the dollar and onto a global currency, like Russia and China are calling for.”
• “[New Hampshire is the] state of Lexington and Concord, you started the battle for liberty right here in your backyard.” (Massachusetts)
• “There isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas.” (here’s one)
• “This may be an opportunity for her [Melissa Etheridge] now to be open to some spiritual things, now that she is suffering with that physical disease [cancer]. She is a lesbian.”
• Florescent light bulbs pose a “very real threat to children, disabled people, pets, senior citizens.”
• ”And what a bizarre time we’re in, when a judge will say to little children that you can’t say the pledge of allegiance, but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it.”
• “My husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the (family) farm.” (Financial reports show tens of thousands of dollars in personal income from said farm)
• “I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out if they are pro-America or anti-America.”
• “We also know that the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.” (Abolition took almost another 90 years; all the founders were long dead.)
• ”I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out under another, then under another Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.”
• ”We’re running out of rich people in this country.” (The US still has more millionaires than any other country)
• Gay marriage “will change our state forever.”
• “I stand here today … to formally announce my candidacy for President of the United States.”

-Nick

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Potential is widely regarded as a positive trait.  We say things like sports prospects have superstar potential, or young students are really showing a lot of potential.  But what does potential really mean?

“Potential means you haven’t done anything yet.” –Bill Parcells

To be sure, having potential is preferable to not having it, but it still requires some additional force to create action.

Consider a car parked on the street.  Even though it is fully stopped, we say it has potential energy.  In the car’s case, an internal force — it’s engine — can propel it forward, turning it’s potential energy into real energy.

But what if the engine’s broken?  Then it needs a push.

What potential plans and dreams do you have that need either some motivation from within or a push from outside to get started?

-Nick

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Welcome to 2010!  It sounds so futuristic.

Sometimes I make New Year’s Resolutions.  Sometimes I even write them down.  But the more I think about it, the more I think they’re dumb.  If something is worth doing, why wait for an arbitrary change in the date to start?

The tradition of New Year’s Resolutions dates back 4000 years, to the ancient Babylonians.   Perhaps it’s human nature to want to turn over a new leaf and start fresh.  But the whole process reminds me of a Robert Kiyosaki quote (Rich Dad Poor Dad):

“Today is the word for winners, tomorrow is the word for losers.”

There’s safety in “tomorrow,” while “today” requires immediate action.  I think his point is that people who say they’ll start a diet tomorrow, start exercising tomorrow, quit smoking tomorrow, etc. are destined to fail.  If they were serious about achieving their goal, they’d start today.

In fact, a recent study found that 78% of resolutions fail.  Each year people resolve to get in shape, somehow forgetting they made the same resolution last year, and the year before that.  Yet there’s always this optimism that this year will be different; it’s the definition of insanity.  I’ll see you at the gym; it’ll be crowded for a month or so.

We’re victims of inertia (an object at rest will stay at rest…), and old habits are hard to change.  I don’t mean to sound pessimistic — and I’m all about setting goals and achieving them — just pointing out the very “tomorrow” nature of New Year’s Resolutions makes them hard to accomplish.  But there’s a distinct difference between a goal and resolution.  Any lifestyle change worth making shouldn’t wait until January 1st.

Now I’m just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to this “tomorrow” mentality, and I’m trying to get better.  I think setting specific, measurable, and realistic goals will yield better results than any broad resolution. Example:

• Resolution: Lose weight.
• Goal: Lose 5 lbs by February 1st.

One of my other favorite quotes:

“Someday starts today.”

-Nick

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“Running a start-up is like being punched in the face repeatedly.  But working for a large corporation is like being waterboarded.” –Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator

This quote was from a recent issue of Inc. magazine, but I don’t really like it that much.  It takes a pretty negative outlook on both start-ups and “normal” jobs.  And it’s even more surprising because Mr. Graham’s company is a venture capital fund / start-up incubator / consultant specializing in fast-growing start-ups.

There are plenty of ups and downs in both the entrepreneurial and working worlds.  But when the “downs” start to outnumber the “ups,” maybe it’s time for a change.

Some of the best “ups” of entrepreneurship are the little things:

• Not having to commute in traffic
• Not having to wear a shirt and tie (especially good when it’s 100 degrees like today)
• Not having to shave everyday

The pessimistic quote above is also surprising since entrepreneurs are almost always optimists.  We have to be optimistic to look past the 90% failure rate of small businesses. Optimistic about a better future, better technology. Optimistic about changing the world.

I remember a poster from my 6th grade classroom that does a much better job of capturing the start-up mentality: “Success comes in cans, not in cannots.”

-Nick

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I’m a fan of business books and business quotes… and quotes in general, I guess.  Here are some of my favorite quotes on management, leadership, and the difference between the two.

What do managers do?

“Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” –John D. Rockefeller

“Whenever there is a hard job to be done, I assign it to a lazy man.  He is sure to find an easy way of doing it.”  –Walter Chrysler

“Management is nothing more than motivating other people.” –Lee Iacocca

OK, so how do you define a leader?

“A leader is a dealer in hope.” –Napoleon Bonaparte

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”  –John Quincy Adams

“Two characteristics of a leader: he knows where he’s going, and he has people following him.”

What is the difference between management and leadership?

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”  –Peter Drucker

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” –Stephen Covey

“The leader innovates; the manager administrates.  The leader focuses on people; the manager focuses on systems and structure.  The leader inspires; the manager controls.  The leader sees the long-term; the manager sees the short-term.  The leader asks what and why?  The manager asks how and when?” –Warren Bennis

I think it’s easy to confuse managers for leaders because of their titles and their positions.  Sometimes it’s frustrating being self-employed, knowing that nothing is going to get done without some internal direction and motivation.  There is no boss to tell me what the priorities are this week.  There is no leader determining the direction of the company.  And then I wake up, thankful for the great opportunity and freedom I have working for myself.

-Nick

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