SelfVooDoo - The magic of responsibility and growth are yours to wield

 Regrets are the byproducts of moral and ethical breakdowns or failures.  Morals and ethics are difficult for humans to navigate.  You can not hold morals and ethics in your hand.  Situational ethics and morality are peppered throughout history and even the present.  These situations can cloud personal thinking. "I have no regrets."  Never has a bigger lie been told.  The idea that we can do better than we did the first time is always considered after an action is complete.  It is the way we learn better actions or timing. It is worthwhile to discuss these difficult topics to clarify your thinking.  Don't expect to except new ethics and morals easily.  It is a good thing to rules to live by. When you realize your ethics and morals are not the same as other people's it becomes infinitely more difficult to remain steadfast in your position.  Should you talk about regrets and failures?  There are an infinite number of people who a...

A process is a series of repeatable steps that reach a desired goal.  Sometimes a step is a process itself.  Documentation is information provided to users that explains internal processes and defines terms that are used in the information presented.   Well run businesses document their processes so they can train others to replicate a service or product.  Every business chain has written documentation that describes the processes and steps required to fulfill a customer's need for their products.  Every fast food chain is proof that processes are in use because the food is the same at every outlet. Documentation can make preparing yourself for your next position.  Documentation can make training your replacement easier.  It provides a familiar reference when your memory proves insufficient. If you were hit by a bus then good documentation will allow the business to maintain a consistent product or service.  when you are hit by a bus...doc pr...

 “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” is credited to Benjamin Franklin from the 1700's.  That still holds true today.  Planning is based on visualizing an end goal then listing the steps to get there.  Moltke the Elder said “No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength” which turned into "No plan survives contact with the enemy".  Dealing with plans requires flexibility.  Change continues to modify everything, even while you are working towards the goal.  A good plan allows for deviations from the  plan.   Planning is a necessary item if for no other reason than to track your own progress.   

  Aspire To Intelligence You know you better than anyone else.  You know how you learn.  Treat your education like repairing car.  Find out what knowledge you are missing and learn it.  Learn about things that interest you.  Sometimes that includes making money, sometimes just curiosity. Life is boring and filled with time for learning.  Read the tips for whatever social media platform you use.  That's learning.  Waiting in the doctor's office?  Go ahead and skim through that 3 year old Better Homes and Gardens or Southern Living.  Can't read well?  Read more.   Never say "I can't do math."  The internet offers a ton of resources to educate yourself.  The smart people want more smart people.  Learn what you need to do a job.  How tall is the roof ledge and how long does the ladder need to be?  Perspectives, measuring at a distance, triangles, angles, trigonometry can all be brought into the so...

  How much longer do I have left?   I discovered all too late that I will accomplish nothing noteworthy during my lifetime.  I did not create enough wealth to impress my heirs.  I did not invent anything.  I did not set any records.  I did drink profusely from an early age.  There was a fine line between getting caught and getting away with illegal activities that I straddled all too often in my youth.  I thought everyone was doing what I was doing.  I learned that I was the one that was used as an “example of what can happen”.  I want to encourage you to make something of yourself that your children will be proud of.  Someone that you can be proud of. How you do is on you.  No blame, no excuses, no reasons; only results matter.  Now you are asking me how to achieve this feat?  I can only tell you that a “failure to plan is planning to fail”.  I bet you want to know how long you have to do something honorabl...

Saving Money does not happen when you are shopping. It happens when you lower your budget or save that windfall. Saving means spending sometimes. If you rent a place for $600 a month you can likely find a house or mobile home thart you can afford. Now if you can't stay employed for multiple years then you must clean up your work record as well as your finances before buying a house. Let's say you find a snug little 3 bedroom 1 bath home and buy it. You will not be buying in the best neighborhoods; after all you are not rich...yet. You can get a room mate that will pay you $350 a month plus half the utilities. Similar to when you were renting except that as the landlord you can add the rent money to your mortgage payment, you will find that your mortgage disappears much quicker. Now you have tax credits for mortgage interest. If you dump your tax return into your house or pay down a credit card; you will find that you are nearing a cash basis. If you have experience...

Like it or not, the exchange of money for goods and services is what makes the world go round. If you want to know what happened, follow the money. Especially in dealing with corporate over sight; the money will tell what budget it came from, who signed the purchase order, what company got paid, what is being paid for and then into fixed assets (for equipment at least) to discover where the equipment is now. The emphasis on accounting is because they want to track every penny, it's their job. You can get reports that keep you abreast of spending under your control. Year over year trends can lead to new insights in managing growth, handling unintended consequences and budgeting for the next year.  Banks have especially powerful accounting departments and can provide a significant amount historical information.