What Do Smart Girls Read?

Simple enough question. So, if you are a smart gal, then I want to ask you politely....whatya reading?

Verna Oller ( the late Verna Oller left millions of stock market money for her fave causes) and she read the Wall Street Journal and Barrons.

Hetty Green....one of the richest women in America from the late 19th century  and according to her Wikipedia page ......I quote "At the age of two, Hetty was living with her grandfather, Gideon Howland. Because of his influence and that of her father, and possibly because her mother was constantly ill, she took to her father's side and was reading financial papers to him by the age of six."

So, the legendary Hetty Green started learning how to succeed in the predominantly male financial circles of her day by starting to read to her father some "financial papers" as early as age 6. How cool is that?

Starting early gave the young Hetty precious knowledge and confidence, to become comfortable with financial and business terminology and the ways of success.

What are some of your fave female mentors reading? What do they read daily, weekly or once in a blue moon?

Help me ask Barbara Corcoran what her fave reads are via Twitter   ....

Peace,
C.
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Second Hand Money

I've been galavanting through Tim Ferriss' new book "Tools of Titans" which weighs a ton....it's almost a motivational lifehacking coffee table encyclopedia.

Two things I've noticed....first that there ain't enough female mentors in the world,....and Two....that
two gals that Tim Ferriss writes about in his book "Tools of Titans" are both involved in selling
second hand goods. Who? Sophia Amoruso who sells both new and vintage stuff....and
Tracy DiNunzio who founded Tradesy sells all things second hand.

Why is this a big deal? Because it wasn't soooo long ago, that "second hand goods" made folks turn their noses up in disdain. Somehow over the past 20 years.....second hand "anythings" have been transformed into a legit cash cow via sites like Ebay and Craigslist and Kijiji. There are now so many thousands of companies whose SOLE revenue comes from selling second hand goods exclusively.

Second Hand Money can turn into BIG MONEY. Don't make the mistake to snub it anymore.
The Thrift store up the street may not be the hangout of the of the rich and famous, but it just might be one of the reasons why some folks, get rich....by counting on second hand money.


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Changing State a la Tim Ferriss and Tony Robbins

So, are you familiar with Tony Robbins teaching about "Changing State"?

Well, in a nut shell, Tony studied many different methods we mere humans can utilize to
quickly and easily "change our state". His reasoning is that when we are stuck in a mental funk, the easiest thing to do is to change our physical state and that state change will result in an improvement in our mental and emotional state.

So, one of the habits that Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss have in common is the method  of
"cold plunges" into freezing cold water. It is said that this will reset us internally and result in a more energetic and positive mind set. ( Disclaimer: This is not intended as medical advice, and should not be perceived as any kind of suggestion. Please consult your licensed medical practitioner.)

Well, I've never tried a cold plunge, other than jumping into a cold Ontario lake in early summer.....or perhaps an unheated pool. But recently I did go for a walk in probably minus 10 degrees weather. The wind was so cold, I could feel my cheeks turning bright pink and the wind whipped the cold air into an even stronger burst of icy air current.

But once I got over the shock of it all, I did find that I actually felt terrific after my subzero walk.
Hmmm, maybe I'll do this again.

You see, Ontario winters can be long and dreary and  it can be easy to slip into a mid-winter funk, simply because if you aren't into any winter sports, it's easy to spend virtually all of your time indoors and without fresh air and sunshine.

So, my brief 20 minutes walking out into the subzero cold Ontario winter, DID do something cool for me mentally and emotionally. It took a while to kick in, but it almost felt like a burst of adrenaline...similar to a "runner's high.".

Well, that's it. Have you tried anything lately to boost your mood and/or energy in the wintertime?

Looking forward to reading your comments below.

Peace,
Carla.



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What does President Elect Donald Trump and Bernard Kelly have in Common?

There are some practices and/or daily habits that successful people have in common .....because
as Tony Robbins says "Success leaves clues".

So are you curious? Bernard Kelly, by the way, just in case you don't recognize the name is the gent who has spent all of his working life working for McDonalds and amassed a fortune and wrote the book
entitled " Flipping Burgers to Flipping Millions".

On page 64 of the above named book, Kelly describes a daily success habit
"Every day I read the financial pages of at least one major newspaper".

I have read and/or skimmed through a couple of books that Donald Trump has written and I apologize for not knowing which precise book/paragraph to quote, but I recall specifically enjoying reading about how
President Elect Donald Trump actually has made a determined point of reading major newspapers on a daily basis, and if my memory serves, i believe he was referring to consuming up to 10 major newspapers on a daily basis.

Why do i like writing about this? Because Tony was right. Success does leave clues. What works for
President Elect Donald Trump and Bernard Kelly will work for you.

And yes, you may have to stand alone. I am the only woman I know who goes out of her way to find and read a current copy of the GlobeN Mail. Which section do i gravitate to? The business section.
Why? Because, again it must be said that "Success leaves clues" and to quote an another oldy but goody
"Knowledge is power". If you make it a habit to seek out accurate and current knowledge you will see that you become more empowered to succeed.

What we read is CRUCIAL in determining what we become and what we will possess. 

Peacefully productive,
Carla.

Those Extreme Cheapskates like Victoria Hunt have Missed an Opportunity

It's been several years now since TLC first featured that now infamous
series called "Extreme Cheapskates".

I must admit, my dutch inclinations were quite intrigued by some of the shows.

However, I just wanted to make one clear comment. TLC has made tons of money ( in my opinion) from airing and re-running the most infamous episodes of these series. But where are the guests that made the show now? Have any of them figured out how to capitalize on their new found fame?

I've done several on line searches to see if any of them have published anything after they were featured on TLC and only two of them are easily searchable and have creatively profited from the time they spent on TLC's Extreme Cheapskates....and those two names would be Jeff Yeager 
who has written books and continues to offer his advice at a profit with his own youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/CheapLifeChannel

(http://blog.aarp.org/author/jeffyeagerultimatecheapskate/)

And The other one is a feisty clever red headed gal by the name of Aimee Elizabeth
(http://www.aimeeelizabeth.net/ )

Aimee has capitalized on her fame and if you see her website above, you can see that her book
 "Poverty Sucks" is still for sale.

Aimee and Jeff both exemplify entrepreneurial "chutzpah" and have not relied on their "cheapskate" ways to simply lower their living costs. They have profitably marketed and sold their thrifty expertise to earn even more income ! My hat's off to both of you.

If most of the other guests who appeared on TLC's Extreme cheapskates realized how easy it would have been to make money off their new found fame, they would have been delighted with the extra sources of income.  For example, there was one millionaire cheapskate by the name of Victoria Hunt whose extreme thriftiness both intrigued and disgusted viewers. However, I would like to say that Victoria Hunt is missing out by not writing a simple e-book featuring her money saving methods. It doesn't cost anything to publish an e-book with Kindle other than your time. Book royalties are a prime method to create new passive income streams from new fame.
What is your opinion? Would you buy a book or go out of your way to find a book written by one of TLC's Extreme Cheapskates?
You probably know my answer, because I've already read both Jeff Yeager's book as well as Aimee Elizabeth's book.
Fame can be brief. One needs to know when an opportunity presents itself and ca-ching....
cash in on the opportunity!

Peacefully productive.
C.

What's Your Side Hustle?

If we can resist the temptation of "babysitting" our jobs and resist that false "employee" mindset which wrongly assumes that all our eggs must be in our "one and only full time job" basket, we can have a LOT of fun and some good coin along the way.

So What am I talking about? These little things we can do outside of our working hours which can bring in extra money along the way.
Some ideas are:

1/ Become a pro at Scavenging and Reselling curbside "freebies". It never ceases to amaze me what folks set out on the curb to give away free for the taking just because they lack the time or motivation to sell or dispose of these items themselves. Sometimes folks wrongly assume that something is read for the landfill, when really all that is required to be able to re-sell it at a profit is a good cleaning and./or some minor repairs.
Note which stores in your town/city will pay you cash for good quality second hand and/or refurbished items.

2/ Are ya Crafty? Like to putter around in your wee work shop and make birdhouses? Or knit sweaters? or make homemade jam?
You'd be surprised how delighted folks are to pay top dollar for home made "local artisan" crafty items.
You can post them on free websites like Kijiji or Craigslist, or sniff out the best "popup" shops or              flea markets that may be willing to sell your items for you for a modest cut of the proceeds.
If you are working full time, you may not be able to spend time setting up tables to sell your home made goods at farmer's markets, etc....but you may be able to sell them through friends and/or neighbors that have noticed your beautiful home made crafts. Some folks display their home made wood crafts on their own front lawns to sell only in the summer months when they have time to chat up and serve local and/or touristy customers.

3/ Cutting grass. Some folks start doing this as a favor for a sick neighbor....but it eventually can turn into something that can bring in a nice bit of extra income, without you even having to leave your own neighborhood. Elderly residents are often greatly relieved to find a local person to take over that pesky duty of cutting the grass every week in the warmer seasons of the year.
Tip: use the homeowner's own lawn mower and they will be required to keep  it gassed up or plugged into their own electricity supply, thus eliminating the need for any start up costs for your side hustle altogether.

Well, that's all for now. You didn't think i was going to give away all my best ideas in one breath did ya ?

Peaceful productivity,
C.




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Woot Woot.. Gluten Free Has Gone MAINSTREAM

Perhaps some of you could already see the writing on the wall with regard to the gluten free movement.....but for those who were waiting all these years for the breakthrough, it was a very long long road.

But, alas, I am so glad to celebrate that now MANY major food distributors have added BIG BOLD gluten free products to their regular line up. Gluten free foods are almost as common as 2% milk  lol.

Shall I name some names? Cheerios! Becel Original Margarine! Hellman's Mayonnaise! Mirage Margarine.
To name just a few.

These are big names in the food business....and it was no small task for these companies to be able to print clearly on their food labels "Gluten free". It is a multi-million dollar venture to convert any high volume product into a "certified gluten free" product. Much is at stake....

I can only imagine what must have gone through the minds of the CEO's of these companies as they ventured into the new and uncharted territory called "Gluten Free".

Perhaps they were thinking:  " If we go "gluten free" will we lose our "regular "customers in favor of a much smaller and very niche market? If we go gluten free, will it be sustainable? How hard will it be to maintain a completely gluten free facility? Or is it just a fad that we just spent millions to cater to? How large should we write "gluten free" on the label? We want it to be noticeable, but not distract from the rest of the packaging..."

But these CEO's spent their dollars well and have earned my respect by biting the bullet and ponying up some mainstream products with a gluten free twist. Methinks that they began to understand that those who are trying their best to eat a gluten free diet are tired to eating "odd" and unknown food labelled products.
Gluten free people are us. We are normal. We eat fast food. We work, we live and we are busy. Trying to sniff out gluten free foods is our least favourite thing to do......so the mass food producers have responded by bring gluten free foods out of the closet. Thank you!

Ps. as a wee word of caution, please make sure that you do see the actual words "Gluten Free" printed on the label of the product before purchasing. Some of the above brands still carry many products that contain gluten and they may be located on the grocery store shelf right along beside your gluten free products. Therefore, just be sure to check the label......but I'm sure that you already are accustomed to doing that.....for years ")

Have a splendid gluten free day,
Peace,
Carla





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Does Your Soap Get Smushy?

Since I became a homemade "soaper" I've begun to notice soaps and their condition more closely.

Too much soap gets wasted and thrown away for ONE SIMPLE reason!
The reason is that people allow the soap they have just used to sit on wet counters or on a wet tub rim!

When homemade soaps ....and most commercial soaps too, sit in water too long, they absorb that water and get SMUSHY and useless...and the owners usually throw them out because they just don't know what to do.

So, as I love to putter around like a pioneer woman, I grabbed some scrap pieces of wood and  a couple plain rubber bands and Voila! I invented a rustic "soap saver" to rest my homemade soaps on after using.

Now, when I use my homemade soaps they dry up quickly after using and last MUCH MUCH LONGER!

Would you like to try to make your own "soap saver"?

All you need is:

1/ four pieces of scrap wood that are free of splinters and are close to the same size. If you can't find four pieces to make a square "soap saver" then just use two equal pieces and then another two matching longer pieces to make a rectangular shaped "soap saver".

2/Hammer the pieces together, but don't let the nail heads touch the bottom surface. You don't want the possibility of the metal nails to touch a wet counter top or tub rim and cause rust.

3/ Use some sand paper to sand down any rough edges that remain. You want your "soap saver" to be safe to touch even with wet hands.

3/ Take a couple of plain ole rubber bands, the kind that come from around the local newspaper that is delivered to your door and wrap them around the wooden frame. Criss cross the design until the grid is small enough that a bar of small soap won't fall through the holes made between the rubber bands.

That's it you're done!

D.I.Y. heaven :)

Peaceful productivity,
Carla.

Best Gluten Free Margarine

Always on the hunt, my friends for more gluten free foods that are affordable and tasty.
So today's winner for gluten free margarine is.....drum rolll.......

Mirage Margarine by Golden Gate. The local bakery where I buy it charges less than $3 per tub, so that's even better!

Here's their company website for photos and recipes.

Mirage

Give it a try...it's creamy and easy to use on gluten free toast and crackers and performs well for cooking/stir frying too.
Let me know if you like it too.

By the way, if you really don't like the thought of buying margarine that has a long-ish list of ingredients than consider the simple answer.....go back to butter...it's always gluten free ")


Peace,
Carla

Buy my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!
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Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for conversational purposes only. The blog's author and publisher does not accept any liability for any of the ideas discussed in this post or any other post on this blog. Always obtain medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner.

Monitored, Controlled and Designed by YOU

Tony Robbins has a powerful teaching called "Changing State".

How do we know when we need a "change of state"?
Well, we don't need a doctor to recognize the signs:

• miserable countenance
• circular ( getting nowhere) style of thinking
• funky emotional state
• uninspired spiritual state
• unpleasant social interactions
• being too hasty to react to circumstances beyond your control
• lethargy
• feeling physically undisciplined
• sluggish mentality
• losing sight of your most precious goals

So.......here's the great part....this part is 100% designed and controlled and monitored by YOU!
No one else is going to tell you how to change your state. You are going to discover or uncover the
simple magic ticket that will allow you personally to change your state!

So, here's the cool part. Just answer these very few questions to uncover your own personal
state changing magic ticket.

1/ Which activity is most accessible to you? Pick one that you can handle and isn't too far from reach.
   such as walking ( treadmill or round the block/track), swimming, dancing, biking ( on a stationary or on a real bike on a real road ")

2/ Ok, now that you've chosen the activity...and begun to do it.....start to become aware of yourself. You will most certainly discover precisely when your change of state will occur. You will start feeling good !
Your sense of well being will rise.
  For example: For ME, I only need to do 41 minutes of walking on a treadmill and I begin to sense my state change by minute number 26. Yes, I continue to do the whole 41 minutes, but the change of state begins to occurr already by minute number 26.

3/ Then write down that number. Share it with someone. Writing it down is going to make it more concrete for you to repeat.

4/ Lather, rinse, repeat. It really is as easy as shampooing your hair. You find what "product" works best for your personality and then you repeat it as necessary. Whenever, you begin to feel the doldrums set in, or your notice that you haven't taken any baby steps lately towards your most precious goals, then, it's time for you to repeat your own "self-prescribed" state changing strategy. Use it as often as necessary.
Allow it to prevent burnout, both emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Use your strategy to help you retain a more disciplined emotional life and it will also permit you to regain more control over your physical state.

I'd love to hear what you works for you, when you design a strategy to change your state.

Peacefully yours,
Carla

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Agriculture at the Speed of Thought

Pluck it and plant it....that's my goal.....or semi-realistic agricultural fantasy.

I've always been an acorn snatcher and pine cone gatherer.....
What would it take to simply grow whatever seed pods I can forage from my whereabouts?

As a kid, we would gather the grapefruit seeds left over from breakfast and shove them in some dirt in a cup and place them reverently into the sunlight streaming in onto the window ledge and watch delightedly as they grew into real live plants.....nice and tall and then would topple and never quite become the grand indoor grapefruit trees we imagined would appear. But it did teach us what was possible. Grapefruits could potentially be grown from seeds, if only the right environment was created and nurtured.

But is it merely fantasy or more than possible? What would it take to grab any ole acorn or shake the seeds from a pine cone, bury it in some good dark earth , water it and set it under a grow light?
Would it be so hard to grow a proverbial forest indoors ? ")

It would be so thrilling to watch something that I plucked and planted easily sprout roots and a firm trunk and then be able to see it flourish into a hardy strong plant....or even a short tree?

Have you ever had any luck with adding rooting compounds to your indoor plant/indoor tree experiments?

Ever used a grow light?

My son used to play Farmville online for hours....and I dabbled with it upon occasion some years ago. What a delight to be able to grow things virtually overnight...and be rewarded with a speedy and visible harvest :)

Hey, with today's technology and "anything is possible" mentality, I believe that we are just on the cusp of massive agricultural breakthroughs. Vertical farms are just the start. I just pray that I will be able to play with some of these new hi tech "easy grow" food crops right here in my home....and voila...poof...an almost instant harvest ")

Peace,
Carla


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What is the REAL Program Behind Rewards Cards?

Ed Liebow, executive director of the American Anthropological Association, says corporations increasingly struggle to make sense of the big data sets they collect on their customers. (quoted from article "Beyond Spam"
at https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-hormel-spam/)


So we can agree that corporations are collecting "big data" on you and on me.....all of us, as often as they can.
Yes, they may be having trouble  managing and/or extracting helpful information from that  big data, but that is only a matter of time and acumen.

One of the ways in which corporations collect data on us, their customers, is through the use of "rewards points cards". These "loyalty cards" are swiped
whenever someone buys anything at a certain store, and reports precisely when ( precise dates and times), where and what a human is purchasing. It also records the total bill of that particular transaction....and how it was paid for.....cash, debit or which credit card.

Why do we use loyalty cards and thus voluntarily give corporations precious private data about our purchasing habits? Because we LOVE free stuff, even if the real value of the points is quite small in real dollars.

It may take someone two years to accumulate enough "loyalty reward points"
in order to purchase even $20 worth of free merchandise, but humans are toting around dozens of rewards point cards, with the mere whisper that they might score some great freebies in the near or unforeseeable future.

Does that mean that I denounce points cards? Nope. But I do want to remind my readers that whenever they are using ANY kind of rewards points cards, that their shopping data is being collected about EVERY SINGLE transaction they swipe that particular points card for.

Corporations spend billions of dollars annually to do market research and here we are giving it to them on a platter for free or next-to-nothing....by voluntarily using our rewards points/loyalty cards....(  a free coffee is all it takes for many of us to divulge tons of our most personal shopping habits!)

Collect travel miles? Yes, your transactions are being collected and stored and analysed so that big corporations can figure out how to market more products to us and part us from more of our money. No, they aren't necessarily out to steal from you, but their goal is to accumulate as much of your cash as possible through the sales and marketing of their products.

Am I anti-corporation ? Nope.....far from it. But I just want my fellow consumers to be aware of the information that they are freely giving away to large corporations simply by using/swiping their loyalty/rewards point cards.

On a bit of a side note....paying cash is still more anonymous than using a debit or credit card. But cameras are rolling anyway, recording all transactions on film no matter how we pay for it....and no matter which rewards point cards we may or may not be swiping.

But maybe just maybe, we can limit the amount of free information that we provide to big corporations for free or next to nothing. Maybe we can think before we whip out our fave points card the next time we run to the store.
Maybe we don't care who finds out what our favourite brand of corn chips are, and where we like to buy them, at what price and at what time of the day and with what form or cash/debit/credit we pay for that bag of corn chips. But maybe we do care.....and maybe we don't need to sell our most valuable information quite so cheaply. 

Thinkfully yours,
Carla

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I just Don't Get It

There is a finite amount of oil in our earth's crust. Yes, folks may quibble about the actual volume....but there is a good consensus  that there is a REAL and DEFINITE measurable quantity of oil worldwide, which will eventually run out.

So, what I really don't get.....is even with all the haggling of OPEC and other oil producers, why hasn't the price of oil stocks bounced back?
Suncor,  (TSX:SU)    is still stuck at under $36 per common share as of today.....at $35.19 cdn.

Perhaps the stock market has become naively obsessed  with electric vehicles, without realizing that a significant chunk of our electrical grid is still powered by the oil and gas industry.

I've done a post or two about that before. Electric powered "anythings" are not necessarily green. It's all about what is used to create the electricity we will all be using.

As of 2014, 8.7% of Ontario's electrical grid is powered by the oil and gas industry. Yes, tis true.


For a break down of Ontario's Energy Mix....take a gander at this document:
http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/oeb/_Documents/Regulatory/2014_Supply_Mix_Data.pdf

Do you have some profound views about the lagging state of oil and gas stocks?

Eager for your feedback,
Thinkfully yours,
Carla.



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An Honest Look at Insurance Companies

Just curious.....I've been hearing and reading about Life and Auto Insurance and I see there is a plethora of information about the "types of coverage" and "types of policies", but very little honest consumer reporting about how helpful and smooth certain insurance companies behave when it comes time to process a claim.

Such kind of "worst scenario" research is unpleasant to consider, but might be prudent for those who want a  REAL world honest appraisal of different insurance companies. Who really wants to think about what will happen if/when they pass? Who really wants to think about what will happen if one ever gets in a serious auto collision? Would we want our close family members to face a rude and unyielding insurance company that refuses to pay out? Or would we want them to deal with an insurance company that sets up so many
hoops to jump through that folks just give up before they resolve a payout dispute?

Most people know that insurance companies are the big money bag holders in the investment world. Anyone ignoring the power of Insurance Companies in terms of financial clout is foolish. The issue remains with the size. Everyone knows they carry a lot of weight and therefore are often intimidated into silence. They don't want to say anything publicly or "on the record" for fear that they will be sued by one of these mega wealthy Insurance giants.

So what's a gal to do? How did you make your insurance choices? Have you deliberately researched what  real live humans have experienced when they had to make a claim with a particular insurance company?
Was it easy to make the claim? Was it difficult? Was it done quickly or did it drag on for years?
Did they refuse to pay out based on some kind of unfathomable legal loophole?
Did you have to use an attorney to help you navigate and  understand the claim process?

Perhaps we need to rethink the whole "politically correct movement" which forbids polite folks from speaking candidly about religion, money or politics . Maybe it will empower more regular folks if we are MORE VOCAL  and more honest. Maybe we will all get a better deal and more reliable and predictable products and services from insurance companies if they realize that we will be holding them accountable and are willing to speak of our experiences. It is your money after all,....and if you don't care about your money.....who will?

Hashtag Consumer  Power ")

Thinkfully yours,
Carla.

A Brilliant Substitute for Grass

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So here's my invention..... See the photo of the drought stricken patch of grass? This grass is seen everywhere around suburbs in Ontario, Canada. Yes, we haven't had enough rain to support lush green grass, and secondly, the cost of watering your grass with tap water has gone up. Combine that with record scorching heat this summer and that's what we wind up with......scrubby brown crunchy grass.

So......here is my big invention. I have noticed, that in many many yards that have the parched brown grass syndrome, that there are these random HEALTHY patches of yellow flowers.  These yellow flowers look like tiny snapdragons, but probably fall into the weed/wildflower category. The beauty of their genetic structure is that they have figured out how to stay green and lush in the midst of scorching dry temperatures.

So, why can't we start having yards filled with these yellow wildflowers instead of generic bland grass?
It would require less maintenance, and less costly to water, as it can stay green and healthy with little to no extra watering. Nature seems to do well for these cute little yellow blooms.
Methinks that they would also survive a weekly or biweekly trimming by a lawnmower.....
Hmmm .....is this a brilliant idea or what?

Thinkfully yours, 

Carla.

Peter Thiel -- Zero to One

I've begun delving into Peter Thiel's book "Zero to One".

Perhaps I will share more snippets as time goes on, but for t'day I'd just like to share one unique
chunkette from pages 23-24

"But in 2012, when the average airfare each way was 178, the airlines made only 37 cents per passenger trip. Compare them to Google, which creates less value but captures far more. Google brought in $50 billion in 2012 (versus $160 billion for the airlines), but it kept 21% of those revenues as profits---more than 100 times the airline industry's profit margin that year."


And then permit me to quote one more unique sentence from the first paragraph of page 23

"Creating value is not enough---you also need to capture some of the value you create."

This brief glimpse into some of the profound entrepreneurial truths that this book explores, will compel me to read further.

I feel, as a creative person myself, that creating is my "home base" but marketing and promoting those creative works, are still largely an unknown country....a mystical industry that will require untold years of further study and focus to master. Must an artist always figure out how to market and advertise her own work? Or can she focus 100% of her efforts on creating and outsource the "tedius" marketing aspects? If an artist outsources the marketing and advertising of her work, will she capture more value than if she tries to master the marketing and advertising herself? Or will she be spreading herself too thin and diluting her creative focus?

I think of famous artists such as Vangogh or Davinci, and how their works now fetch millions or billions of dollars per original painted canvas......now so many years after the original artist's passing.
Is it possible that now artists, or entrepreneurs will be able to reap in the same lifetime 
 some of the value that their works have created?

Is it going to become easier, in our Information Age, to be able to
"Capture Value" in a shorter time frame?

I look forward to your thoughts and comments as always,

Thinkfully yours,
Carla




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Factual Helps for Depression

Similar to Tim Ferriss' Uber search for

empirical evidence to help him "mitigate"( to use his word) the depression he has experienced at times in his life.

I want to begin a list of what has helped me upon occasion deal with the same.....
It is in no way, a recommendation and should not be misconstrued as medical advice of any kind.
Disclaimer: This post is shared for conversational purposes and the author and publisher of this blog does not take any kind of legal liability for any reaction or understanding of the contents of this blog post.

1/drinking water
2/ putting my glasses on ...funny how that actually makes a difference.
3/ listening to my fave positive speakers via youtube video, CD's or Podcasts or other audio downloads/files.
4/ intellectual gains....such as listening to a Fay Dowker physics seminar, or strolling in my fave trendy bookstore....checking out the latest issue of Success or a gander at a book completely beyond me, but wonderfully compelling. Better yet,  jotting down the titles of the books that compel my vision so that later I can source out cheaper options to find those same titles for free or next to nothing.
5/Taking a dose of St.John's Wort ( a natural herbal supplement available in many health food stores or department store health sections)( seek Medical permission before using and during use.)
6/ sunshine....just enough to light up your eyes, but not too much as to risk sun damage to your eyes or your skin.
7/ Taking one baby step towards any of my written goals....any micro tiny step will do.
As Tony Robbins says succinctly...that "Happiness is progress."
You are alive and YOU HAVE GOALS. You are moving forward. Even the most miniscule step towards fulfilling any of your written goals will bring light to your eyes and a subtle grin to your stride.
9/ walking....five minutes....anywhere.....and my kooky habit of trying to mark my trail with something
environmentally cool, something I can tie onto a tree I pass by or a fence I jump over...without worrying that it might damage that tree. The markers remind my soul by leaving a visual reminder that I have ventured out into unknown lands.

Hoping this wee list may bring light to someone's heavy heart ..or perhaps a giggle... You are not alone, and we all have moments of sadness sometimes. I encourage you to call your licensed medical practitioner and listen to their advice in your journey back to joyous living.

Peace,
Carla





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When Your Writing Sucks...Do this?

Bloggers, self publishers, DIY writers....we all have that moment once
in a while when we've reviewed our creative writings and thought
"Oh my...oh my (wringing hands).....my writing really sucks".

What you do at that moment is crucial.

You have TWO CHOICES:

1/ Run and Hide: Quit writing....pull your self pub ebooks off of the net, and close down all your blogs.
Stop paying those hosting fees and let your website get pulled down.

OR

2/ Stop and Breathe for a moment....and slowly keep writing..In fact...DON"T EVER STOP .!
Admit to yourself that you are on a learning curve and on this curve you are going to force yourself to
 KEEP your LESS THAN perfect work alive on the net....while you learn and keep growing. Keep those scrappy self published titles alive on line. Keep your blogs open....worts and all. Keep that tacky youtube channel open.
Then....after you have caught your breath and survived your own ruthless quality check.......................................................
 start writing again the very next day.

Which Choice you make is yours.....but if you choose that first option....please don't cry to me in 20 years that you wished you hadn't given up so soon. Your breakthrough moment may be just round the bend.

Not all of us will have award winning blogs, or be able to quit our day jobs to pursue a full time
youtube career....but ALL of us, can keep writing and sharing what God has given to us.
Your impressions of life, your reflection of life itself is raw and pure.

I'm going to end with a quote from the epic Tim Ferris:

"If you start out bad but are incrementally improving towards 

awesome, that’s totally fine. If you’re half-assing it and 

coasting, find something else you can whole-ass." 

http://fourhourworkweek.com/2016/04/11/tim-ferriss-podcast-business/

We treasure your honesty. Write on my brother.....we hear you sister.

Peace,
Carla.



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What Has Happened to CNN?

Perhaps I haven't been paying attention....or perhaps there is a measurable change over the past couple years....but I want to note a few things about the state of on line news websites such as CNN.

Perhaps some questions should be asked first?

Since when is a "one-liner" followed by a series of photos....considered "full news coverage"?

Since when does a "well respected" news Icon like CNN  allow trashy ads to link from their main webpage?

Since when do those who do not have a paid subscription basically be deprived of any meaty news stories?

Is the trend moving towards the only quality news articles being offered to PAID on line subscriptions?

Well, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised......money talks and often we DO get exactly what we pay for.
So I maybe should not be shocked to find that yes, I have no choice but to suck it up and pay good money for a "real" on line news source. I can't reasonably expect quality if I am not going to pay for it.

Ok, ok, cheapskate talk aside. Why would CNN allow anything that is less than stellar inhabit their website's homepage? I would never confuse CNN on tv with a trashy TMZ tabloid style of news coverage, so why are they allowing such low quality links and ads and ONE LINERS to dominate their homepage?

So real news, with in depth WRITTEN coverage doesn't sell? Facts don't sell? Good analysis, good
synopsis, is what I look for, along with a good overall coverage of the major happenings of the day/week....both nationally and worldwide.

I feel a little lost in today's news marketplace. What is worthy of my time and money when it comes to news coverage? My default stand by is still the The Globe and Mail and it has still NEVER disappointed me.

HBU? Where do you get your news? Do you pay for it? Or do you get it second hand from blogs, colleagues, or the ruffled business section lying strewn at your fave java shop?

Do tell,
Carla.

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What do They Mean by QUALITY Content?

Browsing through my fave Bloggers' posts and some Youtubers who earn a full time income from their Youtube spawned income, all have one of the same themes.

That theme is that they all preach the power of "Quality Content".

So.....what's that? I used to think that "Quality Content" meant it was essentially "non-fiction"
material that had been adequately researched and provable as reliable information....complete with as many bibliographical footnotes and recommended reading sections as possible. But alas, dear Carla was wrong.

This "thing" or state of being called the "net" is not a university and does not operate according to scientific formulas. But no.....what "Quality" means in terms of the internet and it's fickle affections....is a whole 'nother beast.

If modern newscasts are any indication of the current state of affairs on the net, it seems to be that
 "Quality Content" is merely anything that gets the MOST VIEWS....in a nutshell. It may not even be true or factual....but as long as it gains popularly and may go "viral"....then as far as the Net is concerned....it is high five certified "Quality Content".

I kinda wish that folks were asking for my/our opinion on this state of affairs, but sadly, that is not the
case. There is an insatiable appetite for "pop" pieces on the net and that is what gets the most views. It's like junk food for the mind. No need to hire a "fact checker" or research team. If it sounds good.....go for it. If it sells like a tabloid newspaper....then you're on the way to the races.

Hmmmmm....does this make you as sad as it makes me to type it??

Thinkfully yours,
Carla





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One of the Worst MISTAKES the GLUTEN FREE Movement is Making

I'm so happy to see, yet again, that BIGGER and BIGGER corporations are jumping onto the Gluten free Bandwagon and serving consumers like myself who are trying their best to live a Gluten FREE lifestyle.


Some Mainstream big name brand name cereals like Chex are 100% gluten free.
(be sure to read the labels to confirm) Kudos! AND the Big BONUS is that they
NOT CHARGING EXTRA for the fact that they are making their products certified GLUTEN FREE.

But what disturbs me as a person, as a consumer and as a mother.....is this.
SOME companies are trying to flood the gluten free  market place with
  VERY HIGH PRICED GOURMET gluten free items.

Eh.....err...that kinda just ticks me off! In my mind, if someone is going to "go gluten free", then they are going to have to adopt a lifestyle where  ALL their food items are certified gluten free.
 They DON'T want to just adopt ONE expensive gluten free DISH per month. 

News flash!....

WE, the GLUTEN FREE NATION, eat THREE meals a day....plus snacks. 

Therefore, we need the marketplace to provide products for ALL OUR GLUTEN FREE MEALS and SNACK TIMES.

Therefore, i believe that the "gluten free high end high priced gourmet product" promoters
are taking the wrong tack on this movement!

As a gluten intolerant person, finding gluten free stuff to eat all day and every day is a CONSTANT struggle.
Therefore, when I bump into beautiful gluten free foods that are priced out of the stratosphere, I think
"Sigh....they just don't get it."  

NOBODY wants to pay GOURMET prices for the regular foods they eat every day!

We want to pay as close as possible the SAME prices that regular foods cost,
 but in a "gluten free certified" kinda way.

Do you hear me? Do you feel my pain?

Thank you :) Point made.

Carla

Buy my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!

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Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for conversational purposes only. The blog's author and publisher does not accept any liability for any of the ideas discussed in this post or any other post on this blog. Always obtain medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner.

If 30% of Cars will be Electric over the next Decade

Jus' thinkin' aloud again.....such a temptation for a blogger.

Volkswagon has announced that they are developing 30 NEW MODELS of 100% electric vehicles, to be rolled out over the next decade.
 What does this mean for us? What does this mean for investors?

First of all, what would this mean for our electrical grid. If, let's play pretend, that
30% of Canadian cars are electric by 2026, that would put a HUGE sucking on our hydro grid.
Would our grid be able to hold up? Would my province stop selling electricity to the USA in order to keep our electric cars humming? Or would the humble consumer be stuck with outrageously jacked up electricity prices? Would the 30% charge their cars mostly at their homes via their home garage outlets?
Would there be localized "electric refueling stations" around every corner?

I know that Suncor is already developing their next strategy in how they serve the public in the new era of
multi-fueled vehicles. Does every typical gas retailer really WANT to start selling electricity to locals or tourists? Secondly, from the looks of it, it can take a pretty long chunk of time to re-charge a car battery for an electric vehicle. Do we really want to leave our cars for several hours at a re-fueling station? Is that feasible?
Is that affordable? Will re-fuelling electric stations charge tourists for parking fees as well as the electricity they use to "refill" their tanks?

Well, when it comes to investing, should we all start funneling our investments out of oil and gas stocks and into the electrical grid? But then again, did you know that as of 2014 data,
  8.7% of Ontario's electricity was produced by Oil and Natural Gas?

So maybe we have to step back and try to get at the big picture. Going ALL ELECTRIC is not going to eliminate our dependence on oil and gas. It just will change the process.

I definitely don't have all the answers....but we sure do need to think this through.")

Peacefully and Thinkfully yours,
Carla



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