So I’ve been inspired by Barry Schwartz, the author of the book called “The Paradox of Choice”. It is a must read and a HUGE eye opener for any entrepreneur/ leader. I came across many of these issues when I took on the role of President of UCD SIFE and as I developed business plans last year. What is interesting about the idea of choice is how counterintuitive it actually is. So much action can take place if there are fewer things to choose from. The dissatisfaction of making the wrong decision can really hurt.
As a student of economics I think it is safe to say that the most important thing we track is peoples level of happiness within particular societies. Happiness is clearly so hard to define but I definitely know what unhappiness is and it seems to usually be caused through inaction and boredom. Barry Schwartz directly defends this idea when he presents the idea of choice. He clearly states that the abundance of choice can actually paralyze people and make them inactive. He also states that even when we do make a decision after being presented with an abundant amount of choices, we are less satisfied with our choice after we have made it knowing and imagining how much better the other choice could have been.
I do believe that confidence is a product of happiness, and therefore those who worry much are not happy individuals. Worrying does give the individual a sense of self-entitlement I suppose but the empowerment is more than outweighed by the feelings of anxiety that come along with it. Over-worrying becomes infectious to those around the worrier. People will put their guard up if they feel threatened. We all worry but do you want ot be identified as a worrier? Will this help you achieve happiness. I know in the past it has not helped myself. I believe this can actually harshly affect the relationships that person has with other people. A chronic worrier has difficulty building real/ strong relationships, and is more susceptible to unhappiness. I also believe that worrying leads to being reactive vs active. If one is being reactive often that means they did not anticipate an event. When something happens to them that they cannot control, they let it flip their world upside down.
I learned the concept of not trying to control the uncontrollable while playing baseball in college. I had to take a class every semester that was dedicated to the mental aspect of the game—though the principles pertain to life as well. When you’re in the game there are very few things you can control and probably the one and most important is your mental attitude and how you deal with failure and successes. Good ball players hit around .300, that means that the good ball player will fail 7 out of 10 times. How does that make any sense whatsoever! Well it’s not fun when you’re not hitting well, but if you let that effect other aspects of your game and then begin to make mental mistakes like: missing signs from the third base coach, not reading a ball in the dirt, not picking up the opposing catchers signs, not timing the pitcher, not getting a proper lead, not tagging on a fly ball, not picking up your third base coach when the situation permits it, not positioning yourself right on the field, not executing simple called plays, and not hitting your cutoff man, then you will not be an effective ball player. If your head is not properly in the game then all of the most fundamental parts of the game can fall to shit and effectively contribute to the loss of a game. So the ultimate lessons here are uncontrollable events occur everyday, but we can properly deal with these issues by accepting the uncontrollable along with finding ways to be satisfied with the decisions we make.
Many of us know that clinical depression and suicide rates in our country have increased by explosive amounts but often wonder why. Barry believes that it may be because of the industrialized world we live in which provides us with too much choice and possibly too much freedom. Though, he does also say that poor countries can benefit from more choice… The key is to somehow have a healthy equilibrium of choices but not infinite amounts. So be wealthy but limit yourself somehow. Because I’ve seen depression damage some that I have been really close with and they have effectively beaten it when many of their freedoms were stripped away from them. Their life was simple again.
Keep it simple stupid (KISS)… Who would have known how true this statement could be?
Chad
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Be Grateful or Else You’ll Be the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have some serious psychological issues if they believe that Lebron owes them anything. Lebron gave relevance and excitement to what is considered one of the most boring cities in the world, which I believe is a pretty astounding gift. He single handedly threw the local economy into high gear and added to the value of the Franchise by 87% in 7 years he played for them. It is a franchise that grew from 222 million to its current value of 476 million during Lebron’s stay, a 254 million dollar increase in revenue. It should be noted that from the time of the Cavs inception to Lebron’s arrival, a 5-year time interval, there had been a quiet increase in revenue of 61 million dollars. The Cavs went from having the worst ticket sales in the NBA to the 3rd highest in the NBA. So clearly the gift Lebron gave to that Franchise and that city was much higher than the gift he received.
Lebron is not indebted to that city or franchise for anything and I’m tired of hearing that argument. The city of Cleveland is the equivalent of that girl in high school who is befriended by the hottest girl in school, gets a complete makeover, a plethora of new friends, and a whole new perspective of life as a sought after girl, but throws a fit when the “hot girl” decides to befriend a new group of girls that are going to keep her focused and be influential in helping her get into the college of her choice—her perceived purpose of being in high school anyway. So Cleveland, either be the group that will help Lebron fulfill his perceived purpose, winning championships, or just be grateful for the makeover and enjoy your newfound life.
In addition,
Lets not act like Dan Gilbert isn’t better than Neo Anderson from the Matrix at averting bullets. The Cavs ownership is entirely at fault for letting Lebron fall through Cleveland’s fingertips and Gilbert knows this. So what does he do to direct the spotlight far away from himself, he sends a disgraceful letter to the closest media outlet bashing Lebron and making promises he knows he won't and can't keep. What a little b*&ch. “The Decision” may have been a bad decision on Lebron’s part, but he is still the class of the NBA and of most professional sports for that matter. He’s been straight up since day one and is still a roll model to kids everywhere. He’s never killed anyone- Ray Lewis, has no continual rape accusations-- Ben Roethlesberger, has been in no club fights-- it’s not fair to isolate one athlete, has no drug charges (steroids or other)-- also not fair to isolate one athlete, and has no gun charges— also not fair to isolate one athlete. So before we go exiling him lets give Mr. James the respect he deserves. And before we start feeling bad for Gilbert and owners alike lets take a look at the hundreds, if not thousands of athletes, who have been released or traded from their franchise only to find out their current life position through the mouths of an ESPN analyst.
Btw no player is going to want to play for a city like Cleveland after that display of ingratitude.
Chad
Below are few references as to where I got my data…
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/32/biz_07nba_Cleveland-Cavaliers_324902.html
Cleveland Cavaliers Daniel Gilbert 476 million in 2009
Lebron is not indebted to that city or franchise for anything and I’m tired of hearing that argument. The city of Cleveland is the equivalent of that girl in high school who is befriended by the hottest girl in school, gets a complete makeover, a plethora of new friends, and a whole new perspective of life as a sought after girl, but throws a fit when the “hot girl” decides to befriend a new group of girls that are going to keep her focused and be influential in helping her get into the college of her choice—her perceived purpose of being in high school anyway. So Cleveland, either be the group that will help Lebron fulfill his perceived purpose, winning championships, or just be grateful for the makeover and enjoy your newfound life.
In addition,
Lets not act like Dan Gilbert isn’t better than Neo Anderson from the Matrix at averting bullets. The Cavs ownership is entirely at fault for letting Lebron fall through Cleveland’s fingertips and Gilbert knows this. So what does he do to direct the spotlight far away from himself, he sends a disgraceful letter to the closest media outlet bashing Lebron and making promises he knows he won't and can't keep. What a little b*&ch. “The Decision” may have been a bad decision on Lebron’s part, but he is still the class of the NBA and of most professional sports for that matter. He’s been straight up since day one and is still a roll model to kids everywhere. He’s never killed anyone- Ray Lewis, has no continual rape accusations-- Ben Roethlesberger, has been in no club fights-- it’s not fair to isolate one athlete, has no drug charges (steroids or other)-- also not fair to isolate one athlete, and has no gun charges— also not fair to isolate one athlete. So before we go exiling him lets give Mr. James the respect he deserves. And before we start feeling bad for Gilbert and owners alike lets take a look at the hundreds, if not thousands of athletes, who have been released or traded from their franchise only to find out their current life position through the mouths of an ESPN analyst.
Btw no player is going to want to play for a city like Cleveland after that display of ingratitude.
Chad
Below are few references as to where I got my data…
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/32/biz_07nba_Cleveland-Cavaliers_324902.html
Cleveland Cavaliers Daniel Gilbert 476 million in 2009
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Hey man am I ugly? You're not pretty!
Man do I love this guy Peter Arnell. Here is a guy who gets a degree in Architecture and then becomes one of the most influential Branders of all time! I'm not sure if Brander is a word. Anyway, this blog posting is how I reshaped my identity with others after I practically ruined it in a drunken stupor at a friends B-Day party (I may have lost it long before this event, but this event definitely put things into perspective). I'll get back to Arnell shortly.
This past June, I was BLACKEDOUT after continuously losing in almost every beer drinking game we could think of, and many handle pulls with a guy I apparently had a man crush on (He was the other BLACKEDOUT guy at the party, but lucky for him he didn't know any of us prior to the party and could probably care less as to what we thought of him). I also had been training hard for the month prior to spar some fierce competitors in the boxing ring, so I hadn't drunken alcohol for a while. Long story short, I don't remember the sun going down (We day drank).
BTW, in an unfortunate turn of events, this party landed at my EX- girlfriends house. So night comes and apparently I'm being a jerk to just about everyone, and the guy I suspect is my EX's new guy walks in... Chad proceeds to classlessly (not a word) throw a temper tantrum along with a bunch of other stuff I don't remember happening. Consider whatever image I had going for me-- DESTROYED.
So then I did what I always do and begged for forgiveness but not after being stubborn and prideful for a day. So what have I done since then?
1) Stopped dressing like a baseball player everyday, because when you don't play ball for "the team" it really doesn't make sense
2) Bought a new wardrobe (dress clothes and everyday wear)
3) Began flossing everyday to get rid of the gingivitis that I developed from many years of chew (Gingivitis gone after much deliberation and a visit to the dentists)
4) Cleaned my car once a week
5) Trained harder
6) Worked on being reliable everyday
7) Worked on drinking in moderation
8) Haircut every two weeks
9) Shaved at most every second day
These may seem so damn trivial and ridiculous but these steps transformed me and got me my mojo back in almost an instant. Perception is reality, not only for others but also for you! How I perceive myself now is equally as important as how others see me. I know it sounds terrible but we are all expressing our own brand and it's naive to think otherwise. People see you how you see you.
I almost gave myself a mohawk today, but I decided against it because its just not me right now. The mohawk I was going to have reflected a badass, not care what you think image. And sporting an image that isn't something I actually am or striving for is pointless. When McDonalds reinvents their brand with an introduction to morning coffee, they have the whole organization highlight their new selling perspective and everyone from the CEO to the local griller talks about their new addition. Their company lives their new image, and that is what I'm going to do with mine. If McDonalds’ suddenly took coffee off the menu but still pushed the image of the local stop for coffee, people would be like what the F$@#!?
Anyways the man that made me realize my transformation and also kicked it into high gear is Peter Arnell, the author of the book "Shift". He is the influence that made me start this blog, and create what I will now call my "FAN CLUB". This fan club is going to consist of my friends, family, and strangers and you guys are going to help me make sure I continue to pursue my goals as a student, entrepreneur, volunteer, and athlete.
I will give all of my viewers and people I email actual results of my efforts every month— effort being more important than results. I will be completely honest with my effort level.
Perception is reality. Go reconstruct your image, if you have to! Go get pretty.
Chad
This past June, I was BLACKEDOUT after continuously losing in almost every beer drinking game we could think of, and many handle pulls with a guy I apparently had a man crush on (He was the other BLACKEDOUT guy at the party, but lucky for him he didn't know any of us prior to the party and could probably care less as to what we thought of him). I also had been training hard for the month prior to spar some fierce competitors in the boxing ring, so I hadn't drunken alcohol for a while. Long story short, I don't remember the sun going down (We day drank).
BTW, in an unfortunate turn of events, this party landed at my EX- girlfriends house. So night comes and apparently I'm being a jerk to just about everyone, and the guy I suspect is my EX's new guy walks in... Chad proceeds to classlessly (not a word) throw a temper tantrum along with a bunch of other stuff I don't remember happening. Consider whatever image I had going for me-- DESTROYED.
So then I did what I always do and begged for forgiveness but not after being stubborn and prideful for a day. So what have I done since then?
1) Stopped dressing like a baseball player everyday, because when you don't play ball for "the team" it really doesn't make sense
2) Bought a new wardrobe (dress clothes and everyday wear)
3) Began flossing everyday to get rid of the gingivitis that I developed from many years of chew (Gingivitis gone after much deliberation and a visit to the dentists)
4) Cleaned my car once a week
5) Trained harder
6) Worked on being reliable everyday
7) Worked on drinking in moderation
8) Haircut every two weeks
9) Shaved at most every second day
These may seem so damn trivial and ridiculous but these steps transformed me and got me my mojo back in almost an instant. Perception is reality, not only for others but also for you! How I perceive myself now is equally as important as how others see me. I know it sounds terrible but we are all expressing our own brand and it's naive to think otherwise. People see you how you see you.
I almost gave myself a mohawk today, but I decided against it because its just not me right now. The mohawk I was going to have reflected a badass, not care what you think image. And sporting an image that isn't something I actually am or striving for is pointless. When McDonalds reinvents their brand with an introduction to morning coffee, they have the whole organization highlight their new selling perspective and everyone from the CEO to the local griller talks about their new addition. Their company lives their new image, and that is what I'm going to do with mine. If McDonalds’ suddenly took coffee off the menu but still pushed the image of the local stop for coffee, people would be like what the F$@#!?
Anyways the man that made me realize my transformation and also kicked it into high gear is Peter Arnell, the author of the book "Shift". He is the influence that made me start this blog, and create what I will now call my "FAN CLUB". This fan club is going to consist of my friends, family, and strangers and you guys are going to help me make sure I continue to pursue my goals as a student, entrepreneur, volunteer, and athlete.
I will give all of my viewers and people I email actual results of my efforts every month— effort being more important than results. I will be completely honest with my effort level.
Perception is reality. Go reconstruct your image, if you have to! Go get pretty.
Chad
Make Mistakes: Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
Wow am I good at this one! Well if I hadn't made the mistakes like almost failing out of school after receiving almost a year of free schooling through scholarships, treating my EX- girlfriend poorly after she was 'too nice', and letting my Students in Free Enterprise club find a grave at the grave yard, then I wouldn't be here now writing this blog.
I've made some extremely good decisions over the past 3 years, and some bad ones, but I have gained experience through the adversity. One thing I've realized more than anything is that the worst case scenario is not usually that bad, and it doesn't usually happen. I partied, didn't study properly, worked on SIFE projects that I let fall through my finger tips, but had a fricken BLAST! haha Bet you didn't see that coming! Well, seriously though, I lived like a champ for three months and the worst thing that happened to me was that I had to start working hard again. I had to regain all credibility and beg for forgiveness from a lot of people but it was honestly worth it.
Part of the problem is that school seemed unimportant to me and unless I can dedicate minimal amounts of time to it, it doesn't seem worthwhile to me. I'd rather spend my time creating SIFE projects and raising thousands of dollars for charitable causes-- maybe that's just me. I love spending time with my friends, and I'm even filling up my time tonight to write this blog to avoid studying for an ECN 100 MT. Well, what I do know is that fear of failing won't conquer me. I will get a decent grade on that middy. But since I don't want to get my masters and Davis/ most jobs that I will get through a college degree will not help me start my own business, sometimes I get bored of it. If I want to start a restaurant, I'll go work as a cook-- don't need a degree, and there's many more examples, but aside from that; the bigger point is to capitalize on life now and let the fear of dieing keep you focused on the now. I'll leave you with some strong words from a college dropout who audited classes for a year and a half instead of paying for them...
How to live before you die.
http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html
Chad
I've made some extremely good decisions over the past 3 years, and some bad ones, but I have gained experience through the adversity. One thing I've realized more than anything is that the worst case scenario is not usually that bad, and it doesn't usually happen. I partied, didn't study properly, worked on SIFE projects that I let fall through my finger tips, but had a fricken BLAST! haha Bet you didn't see that coming! Well, seriously though, I lived like a champ for three months and the worst thing that happened to me was that I had to start working hard again. I had to regain all credibility and beg for forgiveness from a lot of people but it was honestly worth it.
Part of the problem is that school seemed unimportant to me and unless I can dedicate minimal amounts of time to it, it doesn't seem worthwhile to me. I'd rather spend my time creating SIFE projects and raising thousands of dollars for charitable causes-- maybe that's just me. I love spending time with my friends, and I'm even filling up my time tonight to write this blog to avoid studying for an ECN 100 MT. Well, what I do know is that fear of failing won't conquer me. I will get a decent grade on that middy. But since I don't want to get my masters and Davis/ most jobs that I will get through a college degree will not help me start my own business, sometimes I get bored of it. If I want to start a restaurant, I'll go work as a cook-- don't need a degree, and there's many more examples, but aside from that; the bigger point is to capitalize on life now and let the fear of dieing keep you focused on the now. I'll leave you with some strong words from a college dropout who audited classes for a year and a half instead of paying for them...
How to live before you die.
http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html
Chad
If Dali Was Alive, Bet I Could Get Him on the Phone
I love gurus. Why do I love them? Because they're optimistic and as my Professor at UC Davis tells me, who is the ex Chief International Economist at Bank of America, optimism leads to productivity (It should be said that I do believe that optimism can lead to destruction. Aka inflated housing prices from early 2000’s till the crash). I talked to Michael Gerber, the leading Small Business Guru in the world over the last twenty years/ author of multiple books that have reached New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon.com best seller lists, on the phone last fall for about thirty minutes. How did I do that? Well I don't know anyone who knows him and I didn't pay thousands of dollars to attend a workshop of his. I sent him a lengthy, boring, email to the "contact us" email at E-Myth Worldwide and somehow it slipped all the way to his personal email. He responded to my email address with his cell phone and home number so that we can speak personally.
I was looking for a speaker to come inspire our community at Davis, and I knew he would be the best candidate, so in the email I dropped every organization (word association) I have ever associated myself with and talked about how he inspires me, and how I read his book, and yada, yada, yada...
Well it worked and this is a strategy I have used over the last 2 years to get people to talk to me or respond to for interviews. I ask them all for favors. Einstein did it and he had some brains.
I’ve created long-standing dialogue with Peter Shankman (Owner of HARO.com), Andrew Hargadon (As the founding director of two key centers at the University of California, Davis—the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Energy Efficiency Center) and I haven’t tried to contact that many others, but I’m going to. The reason why I spoke with these idols of mine is because I needed help with something they have accomplished. Hargadon helped me find my SIFE advisor, after I asked him to be my advisor! Haha Mine as well shoot for the top. And Shankman is pointing me in the right direction to start a website that will have a similar format to his (Andrew Waag, a good friend, and myself are pursuing this one).
So the point is, if you want to become a starting wide receiver in the NFL, do what Desean Jackson did and get Jerry Rice on the phone and see what he did. See how it plays out for yeah. Oh yeah, and play to your strengths!
Chad
I was looking for a speaker to come inspire our community at Davis, and I knew he would be the best candidate, so in the email I dropped every organization (word association) I have ever associated myself with and talked about how he inspires me, and how I read his book, and yada, yada, yada...
Well it worked and this is a strategy I have used over the last 2 years to get people to talk to me or respond to for interviews. I ask them all for favors. Einstein did it and he had some brains.
I’ve created long-standing dialogue with Peter Shankman (Owner of HARO.com), Andrew Hargadon (As the founding director of two key centers at the University of California, Davis—the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Energy Efficiency Center) and I haven’t tried to contact that many others, but I’m going to. The reason why I spoke with these idols of mine is because I needed help with something they have accomplished. Hargadon helped me find my SIFE advisor, after I asked him to be my advisor! Haha Mine as well shoot for the top. And Shankman is pointing me in the right direction to start a website that will have a similar format to his (Andrew Waag, a good friend, and myself are pursuing this one).
So the point is, if you want to become a starting wide receiver in the NFL, do what Desean Jackson did and get Jerry Rice on the phone and see what he did. See how it plays out for yeah. Oh yeah, and play to your strengths!
Chad
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