Body Lanquage Can Cost You The Job!

10 Body Language Tics That Could Cost You The Interview -- And The Job

Michael Tally, a 31-year-old sales manager at a New Jersey-based packaging firm, walked down the long hallway leading towards his office, eyeing up the three candidates in folding metal chairs. “Two were nervous-looking, ruffling through papers in neat manila folders,” he recalls. It was the morning of the third and final round of interviews for the newest member of his sales team and there was a lot on the line. Nerves were normal.
What he saw as he passed the third candidate, a twenty-something woman, neatly dressed and armed with her resume, was not. “She was picking at her split ends,” Tally says, “Literally, snapping off the ends of her hair and dropping them on the ground.”
“I hate to prejudge people, and I knew she was completely unaware of what she was doing. But since the position was my call I can say with absolute certainty that it cost her the job.”
“Every person has physical habits—in poker, you might call them ‘tells,’ says public speaking expert Matt Eventoff. “Many of them are fidgets, for some people they’re grooming gestures or postural things like a slouch.” In everyday life these habits are no big deal, he says. But in an interview setting they can become a distraction, taking the hiring manager’s focus off of your talents and onto your… bad hair day.  “You’re in a high-stakes situation with a stranger, he says. “There’s a lot of pressure and an imbalanced power structure.” If there’s ever a time to get distracting (or worse, offensive) habits under control, this is it.
Body Posture
The experts agree that aiming for a neutral posture is your best bet. “Leaning back suggests boredom or lack of interest,” says Karen Friedman, author of Shutup and Say Something: business Communication Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Influence Listeners.  “People typically lean into a conversation when they like someone, so leaning back can signal the opposite.
But beware overcorrection for your lounging ways. Experts agree that leaning forward can be just as problematic, as it can seem overly solicitous or even threatening. “Don’t crowd the interviewer by leaning in too closely or over his or her desk,” cautions Amanda Augustine, job search expert at TheLadders.com.
Instead, aim for a neutral spine, says Eventoff. “Posture should be the classic ‘sit up straight,’” he says, as if a string were tied from the top of your head to the ceiling. “It seems so simple, but it’s amazing to me how many people ignore this important advice,” says “charisma coach” Cynthia Burnham, whose  expertise is in helping top-tier executives polish their public appearances. Standing or sitting up straight sends a message of self-assuredness—but it also makes you appear taller, which around the world is seen as a sign of smarts, confidence and credibility.
Physical Gestures
“Avoid chopping gestures,” says Burnham. “Whole arm karate chop gestures can psychologically cut up the space between you ad your interview in an aggressive way.” While not all of us have a tendency to “karate chop,” there are variations of the martial arts move. Pointing is often perceived as an aggressive motion and in some cultures is considered incredibly rude. Eventoff says any fast, repeated or aggressive hand gestures should be kept to a minimum.
As in posture, erring on the side of caution in an interview setting can also be problematic. If you shove your hands in your pockets, behind your back or even crossed in front of your chest you run the risk of appearing closed off, stiff or belligerent. “You should appear open and approachable,” says Friedman, “which means your hands should be in front of you and ready to gesture naturally.”

Grooming Gestures
“Grooming gestures are common in high-pressure settings,” says Eventoff. “It’s just nervous energy and a natural desire to appear your best.” And for the most part, he says, they’re not even an issue. These small movements or habits—playing with one’s hair, fingernails and jewelry—only become a problem when they are a distraction to the interviewer.
But Eventoff says these nervous habits, which seem so intrinsic and unavoidable, are, in fact, the easiest to kick—at least for the limited time window of a job interview. When I tell him of the incredible urge I feel to repeatedly tuck my hair behind my ears when stressed or uncomfortable (think: interviews, too-swanky nightclubs and dates one through three), he tells me to pull my hair back. “I always tell people to avoid rings, watches and jewelry for exactly this reason,” he says. “If it’s not there, you won’t play with it. If you don’t play with it there’s no chance of distracting your interviewer, which will keep his attention where it should be: on your conversation.”
Facial Gestures
“I can say with certainty that the body language I find to be the most damaging in an interview setting is facial gestures,” Eventoff says. From eyerolls to staring to darting, beady looks, the secret of successful interview communication is all in the eyes.
“Don’t stare,” says Augustine of TheLadders. “While it’s important to be confident and look the interviewer in the eye, but locking eyes with someone for an extended period of time can be interpreted as aggressive, not to mention a little creepy.” Cynthia Burnham’s rule of thumb here is a good one. “We break eye contact when we feel a connection kick in,” she says. The next time you feel that “click,” she says, hold eye contact for just a moment longer and then beak away. “Do this especially when shaking hands or meeting someone for the first time,” she says. It shows just the right level of engagement—without a whiff of creep.
Of course (and now this is becoming a familiar tune), avoiding all eye contact to keep from staring is also a bad tactic. Shifty, beady-eyed looks aren’t ones to be trusted, and the experts agree that a question answered while staring at a bookcase or glancing at your smartphone is an opportunity lost. “You’ve basically handed your interviewer a reason not to like you,” says Eventoff. “If your interviewer appears distracted during a meeting it may be rude, but it’s forgivable. If you appear distracted or disengaged, forget about it.”
In toto, the best bet for managing your body in all of its quirky weirdness in an interview is to practice moderation. Moderate posture, moderate gesturing and a moderate level of eye contact are the neutral canvas you can use to tell your story—and to sell your best self to win the job.
But the first step in fixing your flaws is accepting them. If after all this advice you’ve found yourself questioning your every move, you’re not alone. What are your bad habits? Are you a hair tucker like me or a karate chopper or a sloucher? “Your friends aren’t going to tell you this stuff unless you ask them,” Eventoff says. “And even then, they might not want to offend you.
No, like in all things, you are your own best and worst critic. Eventoff says to take the time to video a mock interview to get a sense of your performance under pressure. Grab a good friend and your smartphone and spend five minutes practicing answering questions on-camera (Eventoff’s only tip is to take it seriously or you won’t project the right amount of nervousness for your habits to kick in). Play it back and watch for habits that might be distracting.

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Health Secretary Sebelius Should be Terminated for Violating Hatch Act

Health Secretary Sebelius Should be Terminated for Violating Hatch Act

U.S. Unemployment Up in February

U.S. Unemployment Up in February

More evidence we are a long way from recovery.

Physicians: Stress and depression

A study suggests job burnout and depression lead surgeons to contemplate suicide at higher rates than the general public, and they're much less likely to seek help.

Fear of losing their jobs contributes to surgeons' reluctance to get mental health treatment, according to the study. Nearly 8,000 surgeons participated.

About 6 percent reported recent suicidal thoughts; the rate was 16 percent among those who'd made a recent major medical error although it wasn't known if that was the reason.
Only about one-fourth of those with suicidal thoughts said they'd sought professional mental health. By contrast, among the general population, about 3 percent have suicidal thoughts and 44 percent of them seek mental health treatment, other studies have shown.
"Surgeons reported a great deal of concern about potential repercussions for their license to practice medicine," and many admitted self-medicating with antidepressant drugs, said lead author Dr. Tait Shanafelt of the Mayo Clinic.

Arkansas Dr. Robert Lehmberg, 63, said it took prodding from close friends to finally get him to seek treatment for depression and suicidal thoughts several years ago. Though he feared losing his license and being stigmatized, neither happened, and he said medication and psychotherapy have greatly helped.

Working 60 to 80 hours weekly in a busy Little Rock, Ark. plastic surgery office contributed to his depression, but Lehmberg said he was careful to avoid medical errors.

"Surgeons are taught that the patient is their responsibility, period. So absolutely, if something goes wrong, the surgeons I know take it very personally," Lehmberg said. He was not involved in the study. Lehmberg now works in palliative care, helping ease suffering in dying patients.
The study appears in the January issue of Archives of Surgery. It was commissioned by the American College of Surgeons and surveyed members of that group by e-mail. Answers were anonymous.

Surgeons were questioned about whether they'd had suicidal thoughts within the past year. They weren't asked about suicide attempts but the authors said as many as 50 percent of people who think about suicide also make an attempt.

The research didn't address specific reasons why they had contemplated suicide but strongly suggests depression, job burnout and medical errors were contributing factors. To a lesser extent, being unmarried, divorced and childless also were linked with contemplating suicide. Other factors also could have contributed to a risk for suicidal thoughts.

Results published previously from the same survey showed almost 9 percent of participating surgeons said they'd made a recent major medical error. Overall, surgeons queried worked 60 hours per week on average; 40 percent felt burned out; and 30 percent had symptoms of depression. Most said their work left little time for personal and family life.

Few who worked less than 40 hours weekly had suicidal thoughts.
Editorial authors Kelly McCoy and Sally Carty, both surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh's medical school, said these issues are too often ignored.

Surgeons work long, irregular hours in an environment that honors self-denial, prizes resilience, "and tends to interpret imperfection as failure," they said.

The survey only queried surgeons so it is not known if they have a higher rate of suicidal tendencies than other doctors.

A Tragedy: Are you ready for this?

Congress Passes Austerity Plan After Riots Rage

The Parody Group

Washington — After violent protests left dozens of buildings aflame in Washington, the Congress voted early on Monday to approve a package of harsh austerity measures demanded by the country’s conservatives to keep United States from defaulting on its debt.

Though it came after days of intense debate and the resignation of several Senators and Representative in protest, in the end the vote on the austerity measures was not close: 199 in favor and 74 opposed, with 27 abstentions.

The new austerity measures include, among others, a 22 percent cut in the entitlement programs and 150,000 government layoffs by 2015 — a bitter prospect in a country ravaged by four years of recession and with unemployment at 8.3 percent and rising.

But the chaos on the streets of Washington, where more than 80,000 people turned out to protest on Sunday, and in other cities across United Sates reflected a growing dread — certainly among those 42% dependent upon government subsidies, but also among  Democrats — that the sharp belt-tightening it brings will still not be enough to keep the country from going over a precipice.

Angry protesters in the capital threw rocks at the police, who fired back with tear gas. After nightfall, demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, setting fire to more than 40 buildings, including a historic theater in downtown Washington, the worst damaged city, where three people were killed when protesters firebombed a bank. There were clashes in New York in the North, San Francisco in the West, Chicago in central United States.

United States and its lenders are locked in a dangerous brinkmanship over the future of the nation and the dollar. Until recently, a U.S. default was seen as unthinkable. Now, though experts say that the world is not prepared for a default and does not want one, the dynamic has shifted from trying to save the United States to trying to contain the damage if it turns out to be unsalvageable.

“They’re trying to lay the ground for it, trying to limit the contagion from it,” said Simon Tilford,  a research institute in London. Still, he added, letting the United Sates go would set a dangerous precedent, and it would be “fanciful” to think otherwise.

United States’ limping economy yields large trade and budget deficits, and no one is willing to lend the nation the money it needs to stay afloat. The conservatives  are demanding more concessions to placate European countries and China, where the bailout of United States is a hard sell.  For its part, United States is trying to preserve social and political cohesion in the face of growing unrest, political extremism and a devastated economy that is expected to worsen with more austerity. And the feeling is growing here and abroad that the lack of a coherent strategy is failing.

The leaders the two major political parties in the government — the Democrats and the Republicans — agreed on the new round of austerity after days of tense debate, maneuvering and threats. The hard left leaning members of both houses, refused to endorse the measures and later withdrew from the negotiations.

In the debate on Sunday night before the vote, Mr. Obama appealed to lawmakers to do their “patriotic duty” and pass the measures, saying they would be saving United States from bankruptcy in March.

In a sign of how the crisis has frayed the political order in United States, the two political parties all moved swiftly to expel lawmakers who had broken ranks with leaders in the voting.

Mr. Obama who took office in 2008 with a mandate to negotiate the new agreements perhaps as soon as April that year. Acknowledged on Sunday that the program “calls for sacrifices from a broad range of citizens who have already made sacrifices.” But the alternative, he said, “a disastrous default,” would be worse.

When Congress meets again on Wednesday, they are expected to sign off on the measures and raise the stakes. A major topic of discussion is expected to be establishing an escrow account that would hold money and using it first to pay down the debt, before the government can tap it for any other purpose.

“ The United Sates will become a like Greece,” said George Stefanou, 45, a former shoe store employee at a protest outside the Congress on Sunday. He said he had not worked since September and may soon lose benefits entirely. “It’s not me I’m worried about, though,” he said. “I’ve got two children, aged 14 and 15. What kind of country are we going to leave them?”

Anti-liberal sentiment is also on the rise in United States, where memories of the Nazi occupation of Europe during World War II are still vivid. “This is worse than the ’40s,” said Stella Barnes, 82, who wore a surgical mask at the demonstration to fend off the tear gas. “This time the government is following the Lefts’ orders. I would prefer to die with dignity than with my head bent down.”

European leaders, fearful that United States’ crisis will undermine efforts to help other euro nations like Greece, Portugal and Spain, have been trying directly or indirectly in recent days to paint the United Sates as a special case, whose leaders have failed to transform its troubled country fast enough. In an interview last week, the Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, said that in the highly unlikely event of a U.S. default, “there would be extremely strong political policy and political responses to prevent any such phenomenon to go beyond United States.”

Similarly, Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, told reporters last week, referring to the risk of “contagion,” that “market indications seem to suggest that this problem is seen as minor.”

But others say that is wishful thinking. “If one country can default, so can another — that is one simple inference that bank managers and hedge fund managers can infer, no matter what Ben Bernanke” said Costas Lapavitsas, an economist at the University of London “Portugal and Ireland have unsustainable debt,” he said. “Put two and two together, and it makes four.”

Mr. Lapavitsas, who has been calling for the United States Congress go take it's ownaction on its own terms, added that it was “absolutely unacceptable that this huge amount of U.S. debt that ties the country hand and foot should be dealt with by some unnamed and obscure technocrats and unelected people; the Federal Reserve.”

If the United Sates dug itself into a hole by spending beyond its means, as many argue, there is also a growing sense that the austerity regimen of spending cuts and tax increases is burying United Sates alive in that hole. “The reason the United States is in this position is because of the strategy the president imposed upon it,” said Mr. Tilford, of the Center for European Reform.

Financial analysts said they expected investors to welcome news of the vote in Congress.

“It’s a pause, it’s a relief,” said Milton Ezrati, the senior economist and market strategist at Lord Abbett & Company. “But it’s short-lived and everyone knows that. We’re buying a few more months before the next round of trouble.”

Jerry A. Webman, the senior investment officer and chief economist for Oppenheimer Funds, also struck a cautious note.

“It doesn’t solve the problem,” Mr. Webman said, “but it gives everybody the political cover to look for ways to solve the real U.S. problem, which is how to get the country and its economy back on more stable footing.”

With more spending cuts and tax reductions expected, the U.S. citizens are growing increasingly angry at their own lawmakers.

“They’ve all sold out in there, they should be punished,” said Mike Brennan, 37, an insurance salesman, as he waved a cigarette toward the Capital on Sunday.

Are People Really Retiring Later?

True or false? You may have heard this claim before (or something like it): “Many Americans are being forced to retire later because their savings and investments took a hit in the Great Recession.”
Recently, a big-name economist disputed that belief. In a commentary for Bloomberg, former White House budget director Peter Orszag wrote that some of the statistics don’t seem to back up this conventional wisdom, but perhaps it all depends on which statistics you cite.
A fact that can’t be ignored. In mid-January, a widely reprinted Washington Post article mentioned that since the start of the recession, the population of U.S. workers older than 55 has increased by 12% to 3.1million.1
Examining this Labor Department finding, the Post feature referenced longevity and the loss of traditional pension plans as contributing factors. It presented stories of older workers who didn’t think they could easily retire, and quoted respected commentators such as Alicia Munell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, who remarked that “some of these people are just clinging by their fingernails to jobs.”1
But is there more to the story? It turns out that Americans were trending toward staying in the workforce longer even before the recession. In 1994, Orszag notes, 43% of Americans aged 60-64 were working; in 2006, it was 51%. Nearly half of 62-year-olds went and claimed Social Security benefits in 1994, but 12 years later, less than 40% of 62-year-olds followed suit.2
Orszag mentions another factor that may have kept older employees working during the recession: declining home equity. Put that alongside diminished IRA and 401(k) balances, and there was every reason to stay on the job these last few years.
However, just because older Americans wanted to keep working didn’t mean that they could.
In the 2011 edition of its respected Retirement Confidence Survey, the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 45% of retirees ended their careers earlier than they wanted to, in many cases due to layoffs and health issues.3
The Post article noted that the jobless rate for workers older than 55 was just 3.2% in December 2007 when the downturn began. In December 2011, it was up to 6.2%.1
The percentage of employed Americans aged 60-64, which had steadily risen during the 1990s and early 2000s, has remained at roughly 51% for the past five years.2
That brings us to Orszag’s central point: “The bottom line is that people’s retirement decisions aren’t always entirely voluntary.”2
How about your retirement decision? Do you think you will retire when you want to retire? Are you prepared for retirement financially? A new year is a good time for a new look at the state of your finances and your retirement readiness. With astute planning, you might be able to retire sooner than you think.
What should be the basis of that final decision to retire? Your income foundation; making sure you have safe and secure income that will always be there. Annuities can provide these benefits, ask your agent today for how you might benefit form annuity guarantees.
This material was prepared by MarketingLibrary.Net Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. Marketing Library.Net Inc. is not affiliated with any broker or brokerage firm that may be providing this information to you. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is not a solicitation or a recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.
Citations.
1 – www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/NEWS/2012-01-17-PNI0117biz-older-workersART_ST_U.htm [1/11/12]
2 – mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-18/look-at-jobs-before-leap-on-older-retirement-commentary-by-peter-orszag [1/18/12]
3 - www.ebri.org/pdf/briefspdf/EBRI_03-2011_No355_RCS-2011.pdf [3/15/11]

Baby Boomers and The Old Normal

The Big Myth

For many baby boomers and the generations that followed, our current world as we knew it was the future we would have.  Not true.  A brief look at history debunks that belief.  However, we acted as though we knew no better and chose to believe the myth.  However, that current reality was truly a blip on the timeline of the world.  The short story that follows is a metaphor for our society today.

Fred

Let me introduce you to Fred.  Fred is 45 years old, married with three beautiful children.  He is a loving husband and devoted father.  He is active in his church and in the community.  He lives in a nice middleclass neighborhood and is enjoying life.  He has a great job with a good company; enjoys his work and the people he works for and with.  Life is good.

Fred’s Story up to Now

At age 22 Fred went to work for a large firm with the goal of becoming successful and making a good living for his family.  He worked hard and achieved a respectable professional level in senior management and was respected by his peers both in and outside the company.  Fred had lived through several economic contractions, but managed to survive them (he thought because he was rather indispensable by the firm).  Fred was content, if not happy with his life’s situation and had no contemplation or need to change his career path.

History up to Now

After the Big War, World War II, 18 million men and women came back home from overseas.  These men and women and the U.S. society had been changed dramatically.  The Officers and Generals of that time, along with the other men and women of that era, collectively dedicated their efforts to create the era of giant corporations.  They instilled into those companies some key components of military culture – the key one was loyalty.  Take care of your soldiers and they will take care of you; take care of each other and things will be good.

This became the era of the large benevolent corporations; unheard of until this moment in history.  It created an unspoken but useful social contract between working people and corporations.  You subvert your needs to the company needs and the company will take care of you.  In the process we began to create a set of unintended consequences no one thought about.  We created the “Company Employee”.  People did not have to remember or retain their survival instincts and skills taught them by their parents and grandparents.  Why should they?  Their new social contract provided all they needed without a worry in the world.  Go to school, get a job, work hard and retire with a great pension and benefits.

The above, alone, would prove to be enough, but there is more.  Something more menacing to our society sprang up during this period.  A collaborative journey between the government and the governed to create a social contract that removed all worry about security; the government in all its wisdom would make us secure.  Some say this evolved from intellectual elites while others say it was from naïve, gullible people that believed it was possible.  It is more likely a "both" "and"; those that believed they knew best for others while some people wanted to entrust their future security into hands of someone they believed they could trust.  Work hard, pay your taxes and you will not have to worry about your security.

What went wrong?

Plenty!  The above was both unrealistic and unsustainable.  By 1985 many of the old Generals were dying and retiring turning their companies over to the young complacent generation that viewed security as a birth right; security simply “was”.  Meanwhile, the New World Economy was giving birth.  This changed all the rules the new generation had learned to play by.  Let’s examine a few disruptions.

-        The speed of business life cycles accelerated.  90% of the Fortune 500 companies twenty years ago do not exist today.

-        Outsourcing manufacturing to low wage countries and becoming a “service economy” failed and it became a nightmare. 

-        We began to outsource anything and everything that could be done cheaper and with equal quality to other countries; legal, professional and even medical.  CEO’s were rewarded and allowed to keep their jobs on a quarter-by-quarter profit achievement.

-        The impact of innovation was sorely underestimated.  In fact, it accelerated the ability to outsource even more jobs overseas while continuing to erode jobs here at home through technology.

Further, the growth of government to fulfill its promises was staggering and the wealth it had to take from society was proving to be disastrous.

-        Worst of all, it robbed individuals of their survival instincts and skills

-        Over time, we created whole segments of our population that had become dependent on the government to care for them and provide for them; individuals as well as private entities.

However, Fred and his generation did not know that or understand it.  After three generations, the unrealistic and unsustainable became the norm.

The Crash

As we now look back, the crash was a long time coming.  In fact, we were on the journey for years.  However, we did not see it or did not want to recognize it.  Our reality was proving to be unrealistic and unsustainable.  Corporations could no longer "take care of their people" as in the past.  While the government promises were taking a huge toll on the economy through the sheer size of government and the cost to society to run it.   Recent events simply accelerated the impact and severity.  However, what we had begun to believe as normal was coming to an end.  The period between 1945 and today was simply a small moment in time and could not be sustained; at any cost.  The consequences got here faster than anyone expected.  Even worse, it caught the U.S. society ill prepared for such a major disruption.

-        The collapse of the National Economy and World Economy

-        The rise of the Micro (regional) Economies; brutal competition

-        The inability of the large, too-big-to fail corporations to lead us to recovery

-        Companies being forced to react to the above; no hiring

-        A trend that will continue for a long time to come

-        The realization the government cannot be "the trusted one" to provide security for all; there was simply no way to continue funding all of the promises.

This left Fred and his generation looking for something or someone to rescue them.

Back to Fred

Fred came to work as usual that day.  Things were bad and he knew it.  It was only a matter of time when the company would have to make some very difficult decisions to “resize” itself to stay alive.  Fred was not prepared for what happened next.

Fred’s boss walked into his office and calmly explained to Fred the company was being forced to shut down his division.  Fred sat in silent disbelief.  His boss was very kind and sensitive in delivering the information, but Fred could hardly listen.  His mind was buzzing so fast he felt dizzy.  “What???  What am I going to do?  Will I get a good “package”?  How will I tell my family?  In this crisis will I ever be able to get another job?”

Fred’s boss stood up, shook Fred’s hand and thanked him for his loyal service and taking the news like the professional he was.  He then said he needed to contact HR to receive the training he would need to communicate the bad news to his associates.

Fred sits back and begins to think.  The Nation is at 8.6% unemployment and his region was at 12%.  Were there going to be any jobs for him much less his people?  The experts are saying they are not even sure we have hit the bottom.  There may be more bad news to come.  He remembered one broadcast where the expert was saying this could be a 3 – 5 year recovery.

To make matters worse, the Nation was in a full blown crisis over its debt and spending.  We had a country divided.  Over 42% of all households were dependent upon some level of state or federal money to sustain themselves.  Those working were beginning to take a hard line on the taxes they were paying to sustain the 42%.  Again, there is no right or wrong.  It is a "both, and" situation.  The Government simply cannot sustain the 42% without destroying the economy that paid the taxes to sustain them.  We are stuck in a situation with no apparent way out.

What was Fred to do?

Fred began to think deeply about how he and his fellow citizens got into this situation to begin with.  The politicians entrusted to operate the government could not turn off the spigot of money flowing to those who had become dependent upon the government largess out of fear of going down in defeat at the next election.  This, while knowing the current situation was unsustainable. 

As a nation, we had created pure politicians that were no longer the "statesmen" the country was founded upon.  These men and women were mostly career politicians, not statesmen.  By definition, they behaved in a manner that enabled political popularity while putting the country's greatest needs second.  Blame the politician?  Maybe not.  The people elected and re-elected those that gave them what they wanted.  This merely deepened the divide and made the situation seemingly intractable.

Fred began to realize there was no one or nothing to turn to.  Yet, something had to be done.  Our whole nation and our way of life is slipping away.

Back to the Future

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.  It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed…every morning a lion wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle…when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”         - source unknown

This is the nature of life.  Eat or be eaten.  The moment we gave that away to another, we began a slow downward spiral into helplessness and hopelessness.  There is no entity large enough, wealthy enough or sustainable that can take care of all of us; you or me.  We see the evidence of this throughout the world. The only path out, is through.  We must take back the responsibility for self and our country.  That is a hard choice and one fraught with fear.  Yet one that must be made.

What choice do we have; change or die.  Our immigrant ancestors did just that!

The U.S. is on the precipice of a new age…

•        Just like the last new age at the turn of the last century when immigrants from Europe shed the yoke of their feudal lords,

•        So too, we must shed the yoke of the paternal corporations and our dependency on a government system for our security

•        And have the courage, as our ancestors did, to purchase a one-way ticket to a new life…

The world has changed forever

•        The nature of work has changed

•        The “false normal” is not returning; the “old normal” has returned

•        You must change to match the new reality; whatever that takes; survival skills

•        You must transform yourself to be successful

•        You and I must transform our society and take back our birthright

•        It’s time to buy that one-way ticket!

What must I do?

The lions are back……You must get up…get out from under that shade tree on the savanna, and start running

But, here is the good news…You were created to win against the lions! 

It feels better to be running rather than sitting…It will transform you in mind and spirit

Get into action; do something!