Is it Possible To Be Too Focused?

There is a story about an interview that was done with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Both gents were asked the same questions...."what is the single most thing important thing for success"?

They both answered with precisely the same word ..."Focus!".

I always feasted on that thought....as it one thousand percent was in alignment with my own mode of operation. 

When I became a "written goal setter" I noticed there was more spring in my step....and a more pointed look in my eyes. I knew where I was going....and whenever I was unsure...I would simply dig out my goal list from my purse or phone and recite my written goals.... Instantly I would feel my peace restore itself and I could walk confidently.

Knowing where you are going is refreshing. How else will you know you've arrived if you don't have a destination?

But, now for the sake of a good argument, let's assume, that it isn't always a good thing to be hyper focused on one's goals. Could it be that when humans are too focused...that they forget the simple pleasures.....like riding a bike or singing a song in the car ride to work? Can it be that goal setting transforms us from people who dance .....into people who simply march like soldiers towards a goal?

Is it good to march through life? Or is it better to dance?

 I am simply stirring the pot. It's good to take both sides of an argument to help assess the pros and cons of both sides of an equation.

One might also suggest that being too "goal oriented" can be challenging in a marital and family setting. If one or both parents are very focused on goals outside the home...will they still have enough time and energy for their spouse and children? Or does the spousal time and children time need to be written into their written list of goals? These are good things to consider.

Being uber-focused is definitely a powerful tool to accomplish virtually anything in life. But let's not forget to enjoy and appreciate those unwritten aspects of human life which don't make it onto your list.

Let's not forget to smell the roses....and appreciate the scent of the grass after a morning rainfall.

Let's not forget to commune with our Creator...the one who understands us and wants to help craft our written goals. Let's not walk alone.

Peace,

Carla.

 

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My Argument with Extreme Bulk Buyers

Today is my story of my argument with extreme bulk buyers. By extreme....I mean the ladies who insist on shopping only in large quantities even when they are trying to stick to a budget.

And so today I brought an example. See to your left the lovely photo of a box of garbage bags I purchased this week at Dollar Tree in Ontario, Canada. If my memory serves correctly, I paid precisely $1.50 Canadian funds plus 13% tax for this box of 5 garbage bags.

Now, my extreme bulk buying friends are already pooo-pooing my choice...because they  say ¨ Why on earth would you pay good money for only 5 bags....when I shop I buy big boxes of garbage bags with at least 40 bags in a box!¨

But my comment to them is this ...Why on earth, if I am trying to stick to a predetermined grocery budget, allow such a large portion of my expenditure for the week to be allocated to the purchase of garbage bags.

I know, I know....people like to stock up.. People dont like to run out of things, and they really dont like shopping as often as I do. 

But, I must assert, that if you have a certain dollar figure that you try to stick to with your grocery shopping, then you need to discipline yourself not to splurge on a certain category, just because it happens to be a good deal. Do you understand what I am trying to say? 

Sometimes I see extreme bulk buyers go and spend 100$ on bathroom tissue because there is a good sale on....but they dont buy enough food for their children to make it to their next grocery shopping trip. Does that make sense? Is  it really a good deal if it leaves someone without the calories they need to function well during the week?

The painful part of disciplined shopping means being willing to pass up great deals, in order to stick to your preplanned budget. It may not feel like you are winning to buy a small box of garbage bags at your local Dollar store.....but you will most certainly feel a great sense of accomplishment when you realize that you can actually stick to the list you wrote to yourself and stick to the budget that you and your spouse or family members have agreed to. 

I can hear some of you saying....well, if you were rich, you wouldnt need to budget your grocery shopping. And to that I would tell you a little story about the great Mr. Warren Buffett...who is still one of the richest men in the world. I have watched ( several times over) the HBO special biographical film of Mr. Warren Buffett in which we, the viewers, are permitted a small peak into Mr. Buffettś daily habits.

One part of the film, shows Mr. Buffett with a handful of change his wife gave to him before he left the house, to spend on a preplanned breakfast sandwich from McDonalds on his way driving to the office. He knew exactly how much the breakfast sandwich cost and his wife gave him exactly that amount to pay for it. How wonderful! How disciplined and modest he is! 

If even, one of the richest men in the world, sees fit to preplan his modest  drive-thru breakfast meal, then certainly it is adviseable for us also to consider such a habit.

What is this habit? Simply the habit of planning what you are going to spend each day or week based on your income and outgoing expenses and savings and investing plans, and charitable giving.

Planning is good. 

Sometimes folks who are recovering shopaholics get their shopping fix by overspending on sale items in bulk purchases. They presume that they will not feel guilty for overspending because they got such a good deal! They soon figure out that they still feel guilty, because they have spent more than they planned to spend.

Well, thatś all for now. I apologize for the lack of ¨ apostropheś as this keyboard is hiding them from me as I type today :) Ha....lol!

Well friends, have a great day....and plan to succeed.

Peace,

Carla.

Coke Pepsi Gates and Buffett

Sometimes it's interesting just to attempt to process and think through the different relationships
and allegiances that influence Wall St.

So, Mr. Bill Gates and Mr. Warren Buffett are best friends. Berkshire, Buffett's creation, owns a lot of Coca Cola shares.

In March of this year, Mr. Gates announced that he is withdrawing from the board of both Microsoft and Berkshire. Is it possible that Mr. Gates' withdrawal from these boards will help him not to feel conflicted as he moves ahead with a greater focus on his foundation?

Microsoft, this month of July 2020, announced a 5 year deal with Pepsi co, to have all it's employees use certain Microsoft products and have access to Microsoft teams. ( I'm assuming these are support personnel)

Remember that the Gates Foundation, which is run by Mr. Bill Gates and his wife Mrs. Melinda Gates, is set to receive billions of dollars from Mr. Buffett's Berkshire holdings over the coming years, as Mr. Buffett fulfills his giving pledge to donate much of his wealth to charity.

So what does this all mean? Will there be any tension because Microsoft has linked up with Pepsi, even though the Gates foundation will benefit from the heavy amount of Coca Cola shares that Berkshire holds?

Or, at the end of the day, does it not matter at all?  Maybe there are no passionate loyalties to consumer brands in the C-suites or billion dollar philanthropic powerhouses?

Just thinking aloud today.

Peace, and think on,

Carla.


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Berkshire Hathaway....Simple or Complex...You Decide

 Having spent much time reading and listening to much written and spoken about the brilliance of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway holdings and investment style...I thought I'd prattle on a bit of musings.

Derek Foster, who is known in North America as "The Lazy Investor" is a great fan of Warren Buffet's investment style especially because Mr. Buffet seems to invest in companies with "simple" products..... products such as Dairy Queen softserve cones, Duracell Batteries and Kraft Ketchup.

But then again, that is only one part of the picture.

CNBC has an interesting Berkshire Hathaway portfolio tracker...
for an example...here's a recent posting update from their site :                      https://www.cnbc.com/berkshire-hathaway-portfolio/

One can see that Mr. Buffet's company also invests heavily in financial companies, banks and three major credit card companies. It also has stakes in media companies, entertainment, and a credit ratings agency.

Such a large swath of the American economy is represented by the various stakes Mr. Buffett's company holds. Many of the companies are linked in the financial markets ....either intentionally or unintentionally....I don't know.

I would encourage you, before you jump to conclusions about the legendary Mr. Buffett, that you do more reading and thinking...and then do MORE reading and more thinking.

By the way, that is what Mr. Buffett is best known for...his utmost respect for those two major occupiers of his time.....reading and thinking.

Peace,
Carla.






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The Right Friends

I quote Warren Buffett when he says ""It's Enormously Important that you Have the Right Friends"....


Yes, I am middle aged now. One would think that by this age, i would have figured this whole thing out.....but alas I find myself frequently at the same crossroads.

What do you do when someone you have known for so many years turns out not to respect who you have chosen to be? You have to walk away....slowly. Somehow figure out how to back away slowly from that person, so that you can continue towards your goals. Because at the end of the day....my goals matter more to me and my family, than my friendship with that particular human being. It isn't that I am going to cut the friendship completely off, but that I will drastically reduce the amount of access this person has to my life.

We choose which friendships to feed and which ones to starve. The good ones you feed,....the bad friendships you starve by ignoring.. You try your best to do this the Canadian way....by not getting confrontational about the dying of the friendship. You just permit the friendship to slowly lose steam.

One would also think that it gets easier to let go of people as you get older....but it doesn't. I find that I love sticking to the same people, in  much the same way that I still pretty frequently choose the same brand of dishwashing liquid that i've used for decades. I am a creature of habit....and fiercely loyal.

But when you work this long and hard to gain the territory to actually begin to see some good fruit from the goal setting you've done over the past few years, you become more adamant than ever to protect that personal progress.

I won't allow anyone to undermine my speed and progress toward the fulfillment of any of my goals.

Goals are everything you think they can be. Life transforming, ...motivating, challenging, compelling, taunting, and the best ride i've been on ......ever.


Would you let go of a "problem friendship" to stay on track to accomplish your goals?

Do share.....
Peace out,
Carla.





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Birkshire's Reach

As I drive around my little northern Ontario town...I see samples of Birshire Hathaway's reach....on so many blocks....it's awe inspiring to note.

On the one side of the street is a Benjamin Moore Paint Shop...on the other side is a Tim Hortons...
and a Dairy Queen.

Inside the nearby McDonalds restaurant as well as many other pit stops through my town, there are Coca Cola pop  fountains, either self serve or served by the seller....or Coke products sold in bottles or cans in grocery stores and convenience stores. Coca Cola has always had a big following in this neck of the woods.

Scattered across this wee city are HR Block tax prep offices, which have roused from their seasonal slumber with pencils sharpened and calculators loaded up with fresh Duracell batteries charged.

Then we go across town and there's a Burger King....poutine anyone?
 If you stroll across the parking lot, you might shop for the kids for a brand new Spalding basketball at our local Canadian Tire Store. You may roll on up the street and shop for Fruit of the Loom sport socks at our local Walmart. On the way back to your car you may run into a friend who invites you to her Pampered Chef home shopping party.

I am sure that when I delve into the minority holdings that Birkshire Hathaway possesses, it may become even more all consuming. I find it compelling how Birkshire's holdings cover so many different categories of consumer staples....and yes, in this town, poutine is definitely a staple!

Impressive and strategic and awe inspiring all at once.

Enjoy your investing journey. If you enjoy stock market-ish nonfiction research.....learning about someone like Warren Buffett is a good place to start. It is quite intriguing to study the formation and growth of his investing mastery.

Peace,
Carla.

P.S. if you like recommended reading lists....you may wanna start with
"Tap Dancing to Work" by Carol J. Loomis