Last week, I took 4 team members to Infusionsoft'sICON - a small business automation conference.
You might wonder why I went, and why I took so many people ...
One of my core values is the idea of "Learn and Grow."
Meaning, if you grow the people, you grow the company.
Even at an artificial intelligence company, people are an invaluable resource, and if you're not giving them opportunities to better themselves you're wasting that resource.
Technology replaces a lot of what humans do, and will continue to replace more and more ... the beauty of that is that it frees up your team to think better thoughts, innovate, and create a better future.
I talked with Scott Harris, Founder of Millionaire Mentoring & Ultimate Coach (and emcee of the event) about his thoughts on the subject:
He echoed that investing in your own growth, and the growth of your people (emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, intellectually) is a major key to success.
And it can be hard to do that in the same space, with the same constraints, surrounded by the same people.
While you may think the best spot to create transformation is in a quiet secluded spot, uninterrupted by the world, you can learn more while surrounded by people in the same mindset as you, but with different perspectives.
Going to a conference, or a mastermind, is a great way to be in a "solution space" with other great people and find best next steps.
In her lifetime, she saw trains evolve from steam engines to bullet trains. She saw horses fall out of use, and cars and planes come in to use. She saw the rise and fall of many countries , two world wars, and she saw Italy's transformation from a kingdom to Mussolini's fascist regime to a constitutional republic.
Not to mention computers, the internet, and cell phones.
117 years alive is currently a HUGE amount of time - approximately 40-50 years longer than the average lifetime, but in our lifetime - it'll likely become closer to the norm.
Think of the innovations seen in her lifetime - and think of the fact that innovation spurs innovation.
9 years in front of entertainment devices - another 10.5 years spent working. You get the idea.
If you have goals you want to accomplish, aspirational travel and lifestyle plans - this really puts the idea of finding and living your passion in perspective.
Here's another representation of the same data, using jelly beans. I think it's pretty powerful and worth watching.
In my TEDx talk, I talk about the Time Value of Life ...
In finance, the "time value of money" refers to the principle that the purchasing power of money can vary over time (meaning, money today might have a different purchasing power than money later). In part, this is because the value of money at a future point in time might be calculated by accounting for other variables (like interest earned, or inflation accrued, etc.).
A similar calculation applies to life ... or living.
Live Like You Only Have a Year Left.
During the last part of my Dad's life, I think he would have done almost anything for a little more time.
Things that used to be unimportant, or even mildly irritating, took on increased importance. For example, a dinner together became almost a sacred event; a kiss goodnight was truly heart-felt; and saying good-bye meant something ... because it could be the last time.
Nevertheless, as a result of that focus, he took more life out of that time.
Shouldn't we do the same thing? Think about it ... We are never going to be younger than we are, right now. We are never going to have more time to fix a big mistake. Isn't it likely that the time value of your life, is worth maximizing?
If you realize that the time you have now is worth more - what can you do differently to get the most out of it?
So, if an average person only gets 2,740 days to do with what they want, those days are precious.
Based on who's reading this, you may have half that time (or a fourth).
What are you going to focus on? Making the most money? Helping the most people? Spending the most time with your family? Relaxing?
There's never a better time than now, to live a life worth living ... and only you can decide what that means!
I often talk about how robots are changing the workplace (For example here, and here) because it's a topic that hits close to home.
I remember, back in the late 90's, starting to trade based on my knowledge and my insights (and feeling like I had an edge). By 2003, most of my trading was automated. But, I wouldn't have believed how much of today's daily volume is now traded by computers.
Likewise, I remember the tech bubble and recognizing that more businesses were going online. But, I wouldn't have believed what the Internet did to retail, music, TV, banking (face it, to Business and the World in general).
Regardless of the veracity of the statement, it's evidence that we have a tendency to think emotionally, and aren't always great at rationally analyzing facts.
As proof that it's everyone, the week after the election, many Democrats believed the economy had already worsened.
Roddy Roediger is a leading expert in learning and memory, and he says there are 3 key principles that make false information believable:
Plausibility;
Suggestions and innuendo can be just as convincing as assertions; and
The more we engage with the lie, the more we misremember.
It's almost like America has become a reality TV show.
Every week there's something new ... Did you see Pepsi's new ad? It got a lot of backlash for showing Kendall Jenner saving the underprivileged with a well placed Pepsi.
The Top 50 Corporations (By Revenue)
Which are the largest corporations (based on Fortune's Global 500)?
Before we answer, keep in mind that "largest" doesn't mean most successful; revenue is only one indicator of corporate success.
Any up there (or not up there) that surprised you?
Looking at it organized by nation is pretty interesting as well.
To see the full list, check out Fortune's article here.
Posted at 08:35 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Market Commentary, Trading | Permalink | Comments (0)
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