Expert Professional Advice

Part of leadership is selecting the right message. Even if the politicians didn’t think of the campaign slogan, they had to approve the slogan that their campaign manager created. It is easy to look back and see that most of the messages are uninspiring messages of politicians, not leaders. And any messages with regard to prosperity, strength, and readiness were way off base because it showed the politician was blindsided by the realities of the national and global economic environment that would unfold by the end of 2008. They advertised their ignorance.
A review of 2008 campaign slogans:

Yes We Can (And he did! – most inspiring)

Country First (What? So out of touch! This was not a quality message… it failed to impart something meaningful or to suggest leadership ability. The people voting live in the same country, it’s a lot like writing in your daily planner “wake up/brush teeth” – or the message is screaming “vote for me because the representative from the other party wants to put the country second or third.” People first, moron!)

Solutions for America (Not good. It’s an advertisement that doesn’t inspire confidence – Billary)

Faith. Family. Freedom (Okay… freedom from what?)

True Strength for America’s Future (Good, but nobody was going to buy into government competence during economic upheaval.)

Tested. Ready. Now (Am I buying a battery? Giuliani, please, nobody is interested)

Tomorrow Begins Today! (Not good Mr. Edwards)

Security. Unity. Prosperity (Prosperity, for who?)

Hope for America (Good approach Mr. Paul)

Let the People Decide (Very good)

Because life doesn’t have to be so hard… the small changes that add up to a world of difference. The book is mostly a discussion of conversations that does not produce any significant insight. There are much better books out there… all the author does is discuss things that many other authors have already discussed and the presentation isn’t stellar. The book discusses things in typical self-help fashion but doesn’t really help. For example, chapter five – The most basic choice of all: It’s the decision we make every single day when we wake up about how to approach the day. Are we going to feel sorry for ourselves, or are we going to take responsibility for our own happiness? Are we going to look for what’s wrong and find it? Or are we going to look for what’s right and find that instead? Will we see problems or the opportunities? Will we be part of the problem or part of the solution? Will we be judgmental about life or accepting? The point the author makes is to change your attitude for a better life. That’s it. Nothing about the book will make a difference except a few interesting points: Chapter 14 – Focus on the blessings mentions an example the author heard about from a lady: She told me the day we met that she had devised an experiment to get rid of negativity. She wrote the words “Drop the negativity and focus on the blessings” on three-by-five index cards. She would carry one card in her purse, tape one to the visor in her car, and tape another to her refrigerator. Each time a negative thought crept into her mind, she would read the card.

Sometimes suffering provides a purpose… happiness seekers look for books, people and things external from themselves in order to provide a sense of joy, but whatever gained is easily lost because it’s not of substance. The Temporary-No expert book is a window into abandonment of false concerns, including false suffering, and a misguided notion of happiness.

Make a contract with yourself to do specific actions each week to improve your life – like exercising three times for at least thirty minutes per session – and rip up two dollars each time you fail to perform the action. The pain of literally ripping up money (not simply giving it away) helps offset the anticipated pain of performing difficult but worthwhile actions. Important: Make your list easily quantifiable – showing what you will do and for how long. Post it where you will always notice it – perhaps on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator door.

The concept of changing your thinking to change your life is not fully developed. When times are rough, emotionally, economically, and physically… there is no pleasant solution, this is where self-help fails because thinking positively and changing your thoughts with the expectation that the environment will change doesn’t work, and if you are already under duress any undertaking to find an answer germinates from a confused and divided mind. In order to prepare for activities, the military and athletes will drill, and use practice to address performance rather than thinking because thinking doesn’t handle situations well. If you don’t already have the life you desire, what reason is there to believe a book has the answer for you? Reducing your suffering may arise from realizing that having what you want doesn’t matter, maybe it never mattered, it was simply an attachment we developed and cultivated throughout life that hinders rather than helps achieve balance in our existence.