Education

21,000 Online Articles – Another Hard Fought Milestone On This Long Journey

What causes a retired entrepreneur and franchisor founder to sit down and pound out 21,000 articles on those little plastic keys? You know, the ones which wore off six-months ago on laptop number six after five solid years of writing? Well, I guess the reality is that just because one retires, doesn’t mean they are done thinking yet, it doesn’t mean they will quietly go off into the sunset and let the next young buck try their luck at the same intense game. Over the last decade after retirement, I’ve thought a lot about that really.
Not long ago, I watched a really interesting talk on all the “Cognitive Surplus” that we have in our society and how we need to put all that brain power to work to “fix the world” or solve the world’s problems, and it all made perfect sense to me, and the gentleman giving the talk was correct. Perhaps, that’s why I took to writing and started a Think Tank. You see, when you retire at such an early age as I did, you have lots of energy, lots of know-how, and lots of knowledge, not necessarily from college, but from actually doing it in the real world.
Yes, there are plenty of “Starry Eyed” 20-somethings that want to change the world, and make it a better place, more eco-friendly, safer, fairer, and energy efficient, etc. and that’s all well and good but that energy must be channeled correctly. History shows us that “the road to hell is always paved with the greatest intentions,” and that the “Law of Unintended Consequences” is real, it’s not merely a theory. Forcing change for the wrong reasons just creates greater conflict and when you move the ball down the field that fast, it only means you have to run over others on the way to goal line.
Sure, I’ve participated in all the chaos and controversy – sound and fury too, and I can’t lie to you and say I didn’t enjoy it, I loved every minute of it, I loved the competition, and miss it every day I’ve been retired – truly I have. Still, I have a lot of experience, insight, wisdom, knowledge, and know-how at the ripe old age of 45. And I feel like I have the same energy I did in my late 20’s with the life experience of an 80-year old or greater, and so, it’s only right that I share this knowledge with you, so you don’t make the mistakes of youth and spin-your-wheels or waste your energy following false idols, or even end up being used. It’s happened to a number of my closest friends.
It’s important that before you embark on a solution, innovation, cause, or join a group, team, movement, or party that you have the right attitude and mind to avoid manipulation, the self-control, self-esteem, and strength of character to do it right, for the right reasons, and that you understand the bigger picture. We are lucky, truly blessed to live in the greatest nation in human history, and to live in the present period with all these amenities. It took a lot to get here, to build all that you see, everywhere you go.
There was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into building such an awesome civilization, and whereas you might think that our society is falling apart, it’s not. The mass media just likes to promote a little crisis, as it sells newspapers and creates viewership. Not much different than on your blog or Face Book page, you know how it works, the more controversy, the more catchy titles, the more viewers.
What I am trying to say here is that, we sink or swim together, and what you do going forward matters, and you must make it count, you must have a level head about yourself to see through the fog of misdirection, manipulation, and mind-games. Now then, I am not telling you I have all the answers, but I am going to say that you can learn a lot from reading my articles. The choice is yours, and I realize you have your YouTube Videos to watch, your favorite TV shows to tune into, and all your digital friends to get back to or your actual friends to text.
Good, it’s all good, still, use your own mind, be your own person, and strive to understand what’s going on around you, do not follow unless you are sure, and just because your professor said so. Always, give it your all. Remember success can be achieved if you work hard, work smart, make lots of friends, and refuse to ever give up. I live my life by those standards, and it works. And with that said, I hereby declare this article number 21,000.

No Comments Found

Leave a Reply